Walls Of Inner Courtyard To Eltham Palace, With Chambers Adjoining

The walls of the inner courtyard at Eltham Palace, along with adjoining chambers, date back to around 1300, founded by Bishop Antony Bec of Durham. However, most of the visible structure is from the late 15th century or 16th century. The walls are made of red brick on stone foundations of varying heights, creating a rough quadrangle around the Great Hall. Recently excavated lower walls of chambers against the West Wall are constructed from roughly dressed stone with smaller rubble filling, resting on stone foundations, with some brick walling remaining above. The floor of the North-West room is partially intact, sloping toward a central gutter. A vaulted passage runs west from a well to the wall above the moat, and part of the chapel's foundations is exposed just south of the well. Another passage, featuring a 4-centred arched entrance, extends in from the South-East angle. The inner North wall, made of red brick, has small openings with gauged brick round arches. A short section of wall with two 4-centred arches extends south from the South-East angle of the bridge. Externally, the walls are much taller, with 20 to 25 feet of stone foundation descending to the moat and about 8 feet of brick wall above, some of which is defined by pilasters, a plinth, and coping, forming sunk panels. There are towers at the corners: a small square turret at the South-East, a small square tower at the North-East, a large square projecting angle tower at the North-West, and five brick turrets or large buttresses at the South-West, featuring a distinct diaper pattern of blue headers. Along the West Wall, a range of brick towers extends lower on the stone foundation than the other walls, with passages, possibly drains, leading out from these towers. A pair of squarer stone towers with brick upper parts is located about halfway along the West Wall. Additionally, a tall passage or drain with ventilation holes extends from the South-West corner, accompanied by a brick buttress with a diaper pattern to the east of its outlet.