From Henry VIII to Art Deco party house, Eltham Palace in Greenwich has a colourful history. After falling into decline after 1505, its fortunes were revived in 1933 when millionaires Stephen and Virginia Coulthard built their state-of-the-art, Art Deco home in the Palace grounds. 
A marvel of 20th Century design, the house featured a centralised vacuum cleaning system driven by a motor in the cellar, an integrated sound system with speakers playing radio or gramophone records into every room, cocktail bars, luxury heated bathrooms and an internal telephone exchange.
This was a home ahead of its time fit for entertaining socialites, politicians and royals. The Coulthards even put underfloor heating into the medieval hall!
With the outbreak of WWII, the Coulthards built a luxurious bunker that had a bar, sound system and billiard room, proving they liked a party, even during an air raid!
Now managed by English Heritage, Eltham Palace and its Art Deco wonders can be visited Sunday-Thursday all year round.
