This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Adam37 (talk | contribs) at 20:00, 24 April 2018 (→History: both infringes WP:OPINION. Especially in lists of descendants. Very non-encyclopedic indeed, suggest you please read WP:NOT, WP:EDITORIAL and WP:NOTBOOK). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 20:00, 24 April 2018 by Adam37 (talk | contribs) (→History: both infringes WP:OPINION. Especially in lists of descendants. Very non-encyclopedic indeed, suggest you please read WP:NOT, WP:EDITORIAL and WP:NOTBOOK)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Woking Palace is a former manor house of the Royal Manor of Woking on the outskirts of Woking, near the village of Old Woking, Surrey.
The manor was in the gift of the Crown, and was held by numerous nominees of the Crown until 1466 when Lady Margaret Beaufort and her third husband, Sir Henry Stafford obtained the Manor by royal grant. Depicted as the successful, devout kingmaker in The White Queen, she lived at the Palace, beforehand in Wales incepting the Tudor dynasty of the monarchy. She founded or has named after her many educational and religious institutions, including many of those named "Lady Margaret" in England such as Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. Her son was King Henry VII.
History
The first mention of a house on the site is in 1272. There is also later recorded use by Lady Margaret Beaufort, her son Henry VII and her grandson Henry VIII. Woking Manor House was converted into a palace by Henry VII in 1503 and was subsequently remodelled by Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. Sparse ruins of the site remain today.
It was held by numerous nominees of the Crown until 1466 when Lady Margaret Beaufort and her third husband (of four), Sir Henry Stafford obtained the Manor by royal grant. Depicted as the successful, unlikely kingmaker in The White Queen (novel) by historian Philippa Gregory, she regularly figures at the Palace. She rose to prominence through astute marriages and through careful co-campaigning instilled the Tudor dynasty. She then founded many educational and religious institutions, such as Christ's College, Cambridge and St John's College, Cambridge. Her son was Henry VII of England. Historians differ on whether her House of Lancaster forces, close alliances and efforts contributed more to her success than mistakes, betrayals and unpopularity of Richard III of England. Her son's first parliament recognised for her a right to hold property independently from her husband, as if she were unmarried, exempting her from coverture. Towards the end of her son's reign she was given a special commission to administer justice in the north of England.
The palace was moated and can be separated into four parts: north east quadrant; the medieval barrel vault and the King's Hall, built by Henry VII in 1508, in the south east; the King’s Garden on the south west; and the Copse to the north west, once the orchard. Woking Borough Council, as custodians, have built a protective roof over the barrel vault, installed a lockable door and carried out protective repairs to the remaining Tudor wall. The King’s Garden was originally a formal kitchen garden but is now a rough meadow. The Copse contains two large linear fish ponds and a smaller round pond. The moat is on three sides whilst the River Wey enclosed the site on the fourth side.
Preservation, visitor facilities and future work
Woking Palace has been critiqued among royal sites of the pre-16th century as an "excellent survival", highly diverse, with large archaeological potential spanning the island and the waterlogged moats. A high "amenity value" in legal planning terms (see listed building) attaches to the site equating to its relatively important national historic, architectural and archaeological values.
The site is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument (under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended by the in 1983). It is owned by Woking Borough Council.
External links
- Read a detailed historical record about Woking Palace
- Friends of Woking Palace
- Historical Association
- Woking Historical Society
- Multimap location
51°18′12″N 0°31′28″W / 51.3033°N 0.5245°W / 51.3033; -0.5245
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- Arlene Okerlund, Elizabeth: England's Slandered Queen, Stroud: Tempus, 2006, p. 245.
- Jones & Underwood, 187.
- Barbara J. Harris, "Women and Politics in Early Tudor England", The Historical Journal, 33:2, 1990, p. 259.
- Historic England. "Woking Palace moated site, fishponds and ruins at Oldhall Copse. Designation Type: Scheduling (1019366)". National Heritage List for England.