An unassuming ruin in the small village of Otford may not look like much on the surface, but its foundations tell the story of 4,000 years of local history and, in its heyday, it was once a magnificent Tudor palace that outshone its neighbour Knole A view of Otford Palace taken in 1934Everyone who knows Sevenoaks tends to associate it with Knole House before any other landmark. What many people do not know, however, is that it was in fact the village of Otford that was one of the main centres of both Royal and Ecclesiastical power in England. The hub of all this activity was focused in particular around Otford Palace – a magnificent building that not only pre-dated and rivalled Knole in size and splendour, but also the legendary Hampton Court. On May 21 1520 the palace was busy making the final preparations for the eagerly anticipated arrival of the young King Henry VIII – an event that would shape the destiny of the palace for years to come. The then-Archbishop in residence, William Warham, had recently converted the manor-house into a fine Tudor palace, spending £33,000 “of his worldly wealthe and mis begotten treasure” according to writer William Lambarde. Henry arrived at the palace with his wife Catherine of Aragon, plus an impressive entourage of around 4,000 men. He was on his way to France to meet King Francis I, a gathering that would later be known as the Field of Cloth of Gold. The tents and costumes displayed so much ‘cloth of gold’, an expensive fabric woven with silk and gold thread, that the site of the meeting would be named after it, where huge feasts, jousting, music and games took place over the course of a few weeks. [Read More] For more information, or to see a model giving an impression of what the palace may have looked like, take a trip to Otford Heritage Centre at The School House, 21 High Street, Otford TN14 5PG. Call 01959 524808 for opening times. Photographs are courtesy of the Ed Thompson Collection, Cliff Ward and the National Portrait Gallery First published in Vine magazine, February 2012 Article written by: Charlotte Luxford
