Elsyng Palace

Elsyng Palace was a grand Tudor residence built on land now part of Forty Hall in Enfield, north London. Its remains lie near Turkey Brook, within a scheduled ancient monument. The house started as Wroth’s Place in the early 15th century before becoming a brick palace under Sir Thomas Lovell. Henry VIII visited so often that it became his preferred lodging among lay subjects. The palace hosted royal children, Scottish prisoners, and Queen Elizabeth I herself on several occasions. The site gained importance when Henry VIII used it for hunting and as a childhood retreat for his son Edward and daughters Mary and Elizabeth. After his death, Elizabeth I appointed keepers for the palace and its surrounding park. Later, James I partly demolished it to furnish extensions at nearby Theobalds. The remaining parts were occupied until the 1650s, when they were finally cleared to expand Forty Hall. Today, visitors can see traces of the palace uncovered by archaeological digs. Excavations in the 1960s and later revealed Tudor brick drains and royal apartments. The site includes remnants of fish ponds and crop-marks where walls once stood. Nearby, Forty Hall’s estate surrounds the scheduled monument, offering a quiet place to reflect on its royal past.