Woking Palace
Encyclopedia
Woking Palace is a former manor house
of the Royal Manor of Woking on the outskirts of Woking
, near the village of Old Woking
, Surrey
. The manor was in the gift of the Crown
, and was held by numerous nominees of the Crown until 1466 when Lady Margaret Beaufort and her third husband, Sir Henry Stafford obtained the Manor by royal grant
The first mention of a house on the site is in 1272. There is also later recorded use by Lady Margaret Beaufort, her son, Henry VII
and her grandson Henry VIII
. Woking Manor House was converted into a palace by Henry VII in 1485 and was subsequently remodelled by both Henry VIII and Eizabeth I. Sparse ruins of the site remain today
The palace was moat
ed and can be separated into four parts: north east quadrant; the medieval barrel vault
and the King's Hall, built by Henry VII in 1508, in the south east; the King’s Garden
on the south west; and the Copse to the north west, once the orchard. Woking
Borough Council, as custodians, have built a protective roof over
the barrel vault, installed a lockable door and carried out protective repairs to the remaining Tudor
wall. The King’s Garden was originally a formal kitchen
garden but is now a rough meadow
. The Copse contains two large linear fish
ponds and a smaller round pond. The moat
is partly filled in on three sides whilst the River Wey
enclosed the site on the fourth side.
Woking Palace is of particular importance because of its excellent survival, high diversity, enormous archaeological potential both on the island itself and in the waterlogged moats and particularly because of its historical association with royalty and the amenity value which is afforded by this association
The site has been designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument under Section 1 of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979
as amended by the National Heritage Act 1983. It is owned by Woking Borough Council.
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
of the Royal Manor of Woking on the outskirts of Woking
Woking
Woking is a large town and civil parish that shares its name with the surrounding local government district, located in the west of Surrey, UK. It is part of the Greater London Urban Area and the London commuter belt, with frequent trains and a journey time of 24 minutes to Waterloo station....
, near the village of Old Woking
Old Woking
Old Woking is a former village now considered part of the town of Woking, Surrey, and is located 2.5 miles to the southeast of Woking town centre. Woking Palace was important in the times of Henry VIII. The James Walker factory has been redeveloped into a dense residential housing estate....
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. The manor was in the gift of the Crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
, and was held by numerous nominees of the Crown until 1466 when Lady Margaret Beaufort and her third husband, Sir Henry Stafford obtained the Manor by royal grant
The first mention of a house on the site is in 1272. There is also later recorded use by Lady Margaret Beaufort, her son, Henry VII
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
and her grandson Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
. Woking Manor House was converted into a palace by Henry VII in 1485 and was subsequently remodelled by both Henry VIII and Eizabeth I. Sparse ruins of the site remain today
The palace was moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
ed and can be separated into four parts: north east quadrant; the medieval barrel vault
Barrel vault
A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault or a wagon vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve along a given distance. The curves are typically circular in shape, lending a semi-cylindrical appearance to the total design...
and the King's Hall, built by Henry VII in 1508, in the south east; the King’s Garden
Garden
A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has...
on the south west; and the Copse to the north west, once the orchard. Woking
Woking
Woking is a large town and civil parish that shares its name with the surrounding local government district, located in the west of Surrey, UK. It is part of the Greater London Urban Area and the London commuter belt, with frequent trains and a journey time of 24 minutes to Waterloo station....
Borough Council, as custodians, have built a protective roof over
the barrel vault, installed a lockable door and carried out protective repairs to the remaining Tudor
Tudor style architecture
The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...
wall. The King’s Garden was originally a formal kitchen
Kitchen
A kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation.In the West, a modern residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a refrigerator and kitchen cabinets arranged according to a modular design. Many households have a...
garden but is now a rough meadow
Meadow
A meadow is a field vegetated primarily by grass and other non-woody plants . The term is from Old English mædwe. In agriculture a meadow is grassland which is not grazed by domestic livestock but rather allowed to grow unchecked in order to make hay...
. The Copse contains two large linear fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
ponds and a smaller round pond. The moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
is partly filled in on three sides whilst the River Wey
River Wey
The River Wey in Surrey, Hampshire and West Sussex is a tributary of the River Thames with two separate branches which join at Tilford. The source of the north branch is at Alton, Hampshire and of the south branch at both Blackdown south of Haslemere, and also close to Gibbet Hill, near Hindhead...
enclosed the site on the fourth side.
Woking Palace is of particular importance because of its excellent survival, high diversity, enormous archaeological potential both on the island itself and in the waterlogged moats and particularly because of its historical association with royalty and the amenity value which is afforded by this association
The site has been designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument under Section 1 of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979
Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979
The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 or AMAAA was a law passed by the British government, the latest in a series of Ancient Monument Acts legislating to protect the archaeological heritage of Great Britain. Northern Ireland has its own legislation.Section 61 defines sites that...
as amended by the National Heritage Act 1983. It is owned by Woking Borough Council.