The Lost Palaces of Henry VIII

Richmond was built for the first Tudor king as a suitably impressive family seat for the dynasty he founded. It was the favoured palace of Henry VII and his granddaughter, Elizabeth I, both of whom died there.

Greenwich palace, the birthplace of Henry VIII and his two daughters, Mary I and Elizabeth I, was popular with all the Tudor monarchs. Located on the River Thames, it was conveniently situated for hosting foreign dignitaries and travelling to other royal residences.

One of the less well-known of Henry VIII's palaces today, Bridewell was the king's main London residence in the 1510s and 1520s, following the fire which destroyed the royal apartments at the Palaces of Westminster.

At its height, sprawling Whitehall was the largest palace in Europe. It became the principal London residence, and the heart of government, for Henry VIII and all subsequent Tudor monarchs. It was destroyed by fire in 1698, much to the relief of William III.

The venue for Henry VIII's fifth wedding, Oatlands lay within the honour of Hampton Court, a vast royal hunting ground. A gateway and other remnants of the palace can still be seen on the streets of suburban Weybridge.

Nonsuch Palace, Henry VIII's last great construction project, was, in its day, the height of modernity and the epitome of Tudor opulence. There was 'none such' palace to rival this sixteenth-century grand design.