Eltham Palace

I went with our friends Sally and Mike yesterday to Eltham Palace, the former home of the millionaires Stephen and Virginia Courtauld and before that a royal residence dating back to the 1300s. It's owned by the English Trust and has been open to the public since 1999.

The Courtaulds, philanthropists and members of a wealthy family of textile industrialists, erected a house on the property southeast of London in the 1930s, incorporating the ruins of the former royal palace. Their portion of the house is decorated in sleek Art Deco style -- unfortunately, photography isn't allowed inside, so you'll have to imagine it or check out the Eltham Palace web site. The royal great hall and the bridge over the palace moat date back to the 15th century.

Most of my photos were taken in the gardens, which incorporate medieval walls in their design.

There were magnolias, ladybugs and allium blossoms that had gone to seed and reminded me of Fourth of July fireworks.

The moat was full of immense carp and water lilies. There's the bridge from the 1400s that I mentioned above.

After the palace, we went into Woolwich for a pub lunch and then walked around that area a bit before I had to zoom home to take care of Olga. It was fun to get out of town and see something new!