Technology and Luxury in an Art Deco Masterpiece

Eltham was originally a moated manor house, built by Antony Bek, Bishop of Durham, in the late 13th century.

In 1305, the palace was given to the future Edward II, and his son Edward III spent much of his youth at Eltham.

In the Tudor period, the palace became a royal nursery for the princes and princesses, including a young Henry VIII.

But the last king to visit Eltham was Charles I.

Over the following centuries, many of the buildings were demolished or fell into decay. The Great Hall remained largely intact because it was used as a barn.

Minor repairs were made to the hall over the years, but it was not fully restored until the arrival of millionaires Stephen and Virginia Courtauld in the 1930s.

The Courtaulds commissioned architects and designers to create a modern home that retained as much as possible of Eltham's medieval remains.

But it is for its striking Art Deco interiors that Eltham is now best known. The Courtaulds transformed a medieval royal palace into a home that showcased the absolute height of 1930s design and technology.

The technology in the house was ahead of its time and very extravagant.

It was more akin to what you would expect to find in a hotel or ocean liner of the period.

There was a centralised vacuum cleaner in the basement linked by a network of pipes and sockets all over the house.

The house also featured synchronised electric clocks, like this stylish example.

And most of the family and guest bedrooms included en-suite bathrooms.

The basement was even converted into a luxury air raid shelter constructed during World War II.

The Courtaulds provided their guests with luxurious accommodation.

And the rose pink leather upholstery of the dining chairs was considered at the time to be 'an ideal colour for setting off ladies’ dresses to the best advantage'.

The Courtaulds liked their weekend guests to have plenty of energetic activities to keep them occupied.

Some complained that a weekend with Stephen and Ginie left them exhausted. Outside there was a pool and tennis and squash courts, with guests often roped into helping with gardening too.

Pets were a big part of the Courtaulds' lives and seem to have had the run of the house. Most notorious was Mah-Jongg the lemur, bought by Stephen at Harrods as a wedding gift for Ginie.

He had his own quarters and a ladder enabling him to move up and down stairs and was known to bite dinner guests under the table.

Stephen also had a parrot, who could imitate a phone ringing.