Royal Palaces

Richmond Palace was built by the founder of the Tudor dynasty, King Henry VII, on the banks of the River Thames in Surrey. It stood on the site of an old royal palace called Sheen which was destroyed by fire in 1497. The new palace was named after the King who had been known as the Earl of Richmond before winning the throne from Richard III in the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. The surrounding town of Sheen was also renamed Richmond. Henry died at the palace in 1509.

Richmond Palace was one of Queen Elizabeth's favourite palaces. She often held court there and loved to hunt stags in the nearby park. Richmond Palace was also considered the warmest of the royal palaces and the Queen liked to spend winter there. As she got older, the Queen spent more time than ever at Richmond, and died there on 24 March 1603.