Palaces for a Nouveau Riche King
The king on the move - Simon Thurley discusses the style and range of palaces and great houses Henry VIII had available to house him and his peripatetic court.
The group of Thames-side buildings at Greenwich which were to become the Tudors' favourite residence as Greenwich Palace, were begun by Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, in 1427. The duke's house was subsequently much enlarged by Edward IV who chose it as one of his principal residences. It was there in 1480 that Edward received his sister, the Duchess of Burgundy, in great splendour and where, the following year, he granted land to the Franciscan Order of Grey Friars for the construction of a convent.
Almost nothing is known of the Yorkist Manor of Greenwich as from 1498 onwards the building was almost entirely demolished by Henry VII who replaced it with the building that became the core of the great Tudor palace. The sole remaining feature of the Yorkist plan was the large church and house of the Grey Friars which, until it was suppressed in 1534, was a major factor governing the expansion of the palace westwards.
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