Palace House and entrance steps

Palace House, originally a wing of a Royal Palace, dates to circa 1669, with alterations in 1705 and further remodelling in the early to mid-19th century, or possibly in 1857. The building is constructed of red brick with some areas of tuck pointing and recent cement rendering, and has a slate hipped roof with deep bracketed eaves and brick axial stacks. It is approximately square in plan, representing the surviving south-east wing of Charles II’s palace, which was reduced in size around 1815 and subsequently converted into a private house.

The south-east front is symmetrical, with three bays and three storeys, the first floor being a piano nobile. It features large twelve-pane sashes, some of which appear to be from the early 18th century with thick ovolo moulded glazing bars. A stone flight of steps leads to a central first-floor doorway, which has a rusticated architrave, a rectangular overlight, and a panelled door. A similar rusticated doorway is situated below the steps. A band runs along the first-floor level. The south-west elevation has a 2:3 window arrangement, with an advanced two-storey canted bay on the left. A central aerial is supported by brackets and has a moulded soffit with thin pilasters between large twelve-pane sashes, carved apron panels, and a frieze – the carvings may be reused – with iron cresting above.

Inside, the staircase from 1705 has been moved but retains carved bracket tread ends. Original late-17th century bolection moulded and fielded two-panel doors are present, alongside other 18th and 19th century joinery, including 19th-century panelling in an 18th-century style. A plastered groin vaulted cellar also exists.

Historically, Newmarket was a royal hunting seat, and Charles I constructed a palace here which was later destroyed during the Commonwealth. Charles II purchased the Earl of Thomond’s house in 1661 and expanded it into a Royal Palace. The Crown sold the Royal Palace in 1815, and in 1857, Baron Meyer Rothschild acquired it. Palace House subsequently became the home of the English branch of the Rothschild family, and was reportedly frequently visited by Edward VII.