 |
Among the more important of the smaller Anglo-Saxon estates in Kent
was the one at Otford. Practically rebuilt in 1514-1518 by Archbishop Wareham with the
addition of a huge inner courtyard and a large set of lodgings, Otford became an enormous
and new renaissance palace and was clearly the inspiration for Cardinal's Wolseys' slightly
later palace at Hampton Court. Both palaces were on a vast scale and attracted the envy
of Henry VIII. |
|---|
Eight years after acquiring Hampton Court in 1529, Henry VIII acquired Otford from
Archbishop Cranmer before going on to enlarge them both. Otford was considered by an
Elizabethan historian to be a 'gorgeous palace' and says that it cost £33,000 - a huge amount in
those days.The shell of the north west tower which is connected by the ground storey of a gallery to one
side of the gatehouse, is all that remains of Otford Palace. |
|---|
| Back to Archbishops' Trail |  | Back to Homepage | | Getting to Otford |
|---|