Palace of Placentia

The Palace of Placentia was an English Royal Palace built by Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, in 1443,[1][2] in Greenwich, on the banks of the River Thames, downstream from London. It was demolished by Charles II in 1660, to make way for a new palace which was never constructed. Nearly 40 years later, the Greenwich Hospital (now the Old Royal Naval College) was built on the site.

A sketch of Greenwich Palace in England, published in The Gentleman's Magazine in 1840. earlier published by W Bristow in 1797.

History

Humphrey was regent during the rule of Henry VI and built the palace, in 1433,[2] under the name Bella Court.[3] In 1447, Humphrey fell out of favour with Henry VI and was arrested for high treason. He died in prison, likely due to a stroke though it was popularly believed he was murdered[4] (as is depicted in William Shakespeare's plays about Henry VI) and Margaret of Anjou took over Bella Court, renaming it the Palace of Placentia, sometimes written as the Palace of Pleasaunce.[3]

Historic marker on the site of the former palace.

In 1482, Edward IV gave land and property adjacent to the Palace for the foundation of a friary by the Observant Friars (a branch of the Franciscans). The friars' church was used for royal baptisms and marriages, including the christenings of the future Queens Mary I and Elizabeth I. But the friars were persecuted during the English Reformation, and finally expelled by Elizabeth I in 1559.[5]

Henry VII rebuilt the palace, with a design based around three large courtyards, between 1498 and 1504.[3]

It remained the principal royal palace for the next two centuries. It was the birthplace of King Henry VIII in 1491 and figured heavily in his life.[6] Following the king's marriage to Catherine of Aragon, Placentia became the birthplace of Mary I in 1516.[7] After Henry VIII's marriage to Anne Boleyn, his daughter, later Queen Elizabeth I, was born at Placentia in 1533,[8] and he married Anne of Cleves there in 1540. A tree in Greenwich Park is known as "Queen Elizabeth's Oak", in which she is reputed to have played as a child.[9]

Both Mary and Elizabeth lived at Placentia for some years during the sixteenth century, but during the reigns of James I and Charles I, the Queen's House was erected to the south of the Palace.[10] Placentia fell into disrepair during the English Civil War, serving time as a biscuit factory and a prisoner-of-war camp.[10][11] In 1660, Charles II decided to rebuild the palace, engaging John Webb as the architect for a new King's House.[12] The only section of the Palace to be completed was the east range of the present King Charles Court, but this was never occupied as a royal residence.[12] Most of the rest of the palace was demolished, and the site remained empty until construction of the Greenwich Hospital began in 1694.[12]

Modern era

The Greenwich Hospital complex became the Greenwich Royal Naval College in 1873, when the naval college was moved from Portsmouth.[13] The buildings are today occupied by the University of Greenwich and the Music Faculty of Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.[11][14]

Construction work for drains in late 2005 identified previously unknown Tudor remains. A full archaeological excavation completed in January 2006 found the Tudor Chapel and Vestry with its tiled floor in situ.[15] The vestry of the old Palace was not demolished and later became the home of the Treasurer of Greenwich Hospital.[16]

References
  1. John Bold (2000). Greenwich: An Architectural History of the Royal Hospital for Seamen and the Queen's House. Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art in association with English Heritage. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-300-08397-2.
  2. John Richardson (2000). The Annals of London: A Year-by-year Record of a Thousand Years of History. University of California Press. p. 64. ISBN 978-0-520-22795-8.
  3. Alison Weir (September 2008). Henry VIII: King and Court. Vintage. p. 10. ISBN 978-0-09-953242-2.
  4. Vickers, K. (1907). Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester: A Biography. London: Archibald Constable. LCCN 09008417. OCLC 1211527.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  5. "Friaries: The observant friars of Greenwich", British History Online
  6. James Panton (24 February 2011). Historical Dictionary of the British Monarchy. Scarecrow Press. p. 247. ISBN 978-0-8108-7497-8.
  7. James Panton (24 February 2011). Historical Dictionary of the British Monarchy. Scarecrow Press. p. 326. ISBN 978-0-8108-7497-8.
  8. James Panton (24 February 2011). Historical Dictionary of the British Monarchy. Scarecrow Press. p. 178. ISBN 978-0-8108-7497-8.
  9. Time Out Guides Ltd (7 February 2012). 1000 things to do in London for under £10. Ebury Publishing. p. 215. ISBN 978-1-4090-8520-1.
  10. Michelin; Michelin Travel &. Lifestyle (1 March 2012). London Green Guide Michelin 2012-2013. MICHELIN. p. 410. ISBN 978-2-06-718238-7.
  11. Lewis Foreman; Susan Foreman (2005). London: A Musical Gazetteer. Yale University Press. p. 178. ISBN 978-0-300-10402-8.
  12. Trudy Ring; Noelle Watson; Paul Schellinger (28 October 2013). Northern Europe: International Dictionary of Historic Places. Routledge. pp. 432–434. ISBN 978-1-136-63944-9.
  13. Mike Osborne (30 November 2011). Defending London: A Military History from Conquest to Cold War. History Press Limited. p. 158. ISBN 978-0-7524-7931-6.
  14. The Guardian (1 July 2010). The Guardian University 2011. Random House. p. 378. ISBN 978-0-85265-216-9.
  15. Ravilious, Kate (2006-02-09). "Henry VIII's Lost Chapel Discovered Under Parking Lot". National Geographic. Archived from the original on 2014-08-12. Retrieved 2014-08-11.
  16. "Major Archaeological Discovery at Greenwich: Henry VII's Chapel & Vestry". Old Royal Naval College Greenwich. 2006-01-24. Archived from the original on 2014-08-19. Retrieved 2014-08-18.

Further reading

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