Site unseen

In Tudor and Stuart times, London was surrounded by palaces which allowed the monarch of the day to make a triumphal progress from one splendid dwelling to another. Today only a handful survive, of which Hampton Court is perhaps the most notable example.

Anyone hunting for Nonesuch in Surrey, for instance, a dazzling creation in which Henry VIII planned to impress foreign visitors, will be thoroughly disappointed. Not only has the palace completely gone but its very site has been grassed over.

It is a similar story in central London. The Savoy Palace, which was once owned by John of Gaunt and attacked by Wat Tyler's men during the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, is now no more than the name of a hotel and a theatre. Further down the road was the massive Whitehall Palace whose sole survivor is Inigo Jones's fine Banqueting House.

Some of these courtly creations played little or no part in British history. Others, such as Richmond Palace, were crucial. It was here that the great warrior-king, Edward III, died in 1377, as too did Henry VII, the first of the Tudors. His son, the future Henry VIII, was also born at Richmond.

But it was in the reign of Elizabeth I that Richmond Palace came into full prominence. The Virgin Queen often spent the summer here by the River Thames, ensconced in what was then one of the finest buildings in the country. Three storeys high and decorated by no less than 14 turrets, the Palace also boasted its own chapel, hall and covered gallery.

Elizabeth also stored 2,000 dresses at Richmond Palace, a staggering achievement which is still commemorated by the name of the nearby "Wardrobe". It was only fitting that she should die here in March 1603.

The Palace quickly fell into disrepair - the Stuarts were clearly less enamoured of Richmond than the Tudors. Sir Christopher Wren was asked to remodel the Palace but his plans came to nothing. Buildings which had once resounded to the sound of Tudor statecraft and merriment were simply allowed to decay and fall down.

All that remains of Richmond Palace, the birthplace of much of English history, is the weather-beaten gateway which still bears the arms of Henry VII. Sic transit gloria mundi: so passes away the glory of the world.

The gateway of Richmond Palace is alongside Maids of Honour Row, Richmond

Andrew John Davies