The Royal Palaces of London [Hardcover]

David Souden (Author), Lucy Worsley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 14, 2008 | ISBN-10: 1858944236 | ISBN-13: 978-1858944234

From Eltham and Greenwich to the east of the capital and the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, Whitehall and Westminster in the centre to Hampton Court and Kew to the west, London's magnificent royal palaces, past and present, have always been places of beauty and power. Some remain working institutions and living homes; others have acquired new functions as show houses of history and art; all have remarkable tales to tell. Sumptuously illustrated throughout, The Royal Palaces of London is the first major survey to bring together the stories of these buildings and the characters, events and art that have filled their grand spaces and intimate corners from the Norman Conquest to modern times.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Ideal for planning a palace perambulation - HOUSE & GARDEN A wealth of beautiful pictures, and a great number of truly fascinating stories - THE LADY

About the Author

David Souden is Head of Access and Learning at Historic Royal Palaces and a former Research Fellow in History at Emmanuel College, Cambridge. Lucy Worsley is Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, London. Brett Dolman is a curator of works of art at Historic Royal Palaces, specializing in the early modern period.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 223 pages
• Publisher: Merrell Holberton (May 14, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1858944236
• ISBN-13: 978-1858944234
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 11.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #115,690 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning Photos, Tons of Info..., November 4, 2009

By 

Mercedes L. Johnmeyer "The Most Happy" (Summerville, SC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Royal Palaces of London (Hardcover)

I was hesitant to purchase this book since there were no reviews and I couldn't see any of the pages. Well, I'm so glad I went for it because I love it! This book covers 11 palaces...

1.Whitehall 2.Tower of London 3.Greenwich 4.Eltham 5.St. Jame's 6.Westminster 7.Hampton Court 8.Richmond 9.Buckingham 10.Kew 11.Kensington

There's an in-depth history of each palace...how they came to be, the families that inhabited them and when, famous events that occurred at each place, and what's become of them today. The pictures that accompany each place are absolutely beautiful. Even the buildings that no longer exist, Mr. Souden has wonderful pictures of paintings and sketches that were made in the heyday of that particular palace.

Basically, if you're a fan of London Palaces, British history, or even a Tudor fan(many of these palaces were playgrounds for Henry VIII) then I absolutely recommend this. It's a great book to have on your coffee table for the pictures alone, but the information in it is very interesting as well.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautifully illustrated and well written book, October 22, 2011

By 

Tom-in-Michigan (Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Royal Palaces of London (Hardcover)

I was expecting The Royal Palaces of London to be nothing more than a coffee table book filled with beautiful pictures but short on real information. I was pleasantly surprised because I was only half-right. It does consist of many beautiful pictures and illustrations. But it also includes extensive and readable histories of each of the palaces it covers. I found it to be informative without being dry or text-booky. Not only is it a nice book to have on display, but it's one that I find myself actually picking up to read.

Several of the buildings described are well known, such as the Tower of London, Hampton Court and Buckingham Palace. But it also covers many lesser known palaces such as Eltham Palace and Richmond Palace.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interesting in the royal history of London or architecture of history buildings.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pictures needed, February 1, 2011

By 

P. Blosser "Chronologist" (Rome USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Royal Palaces of London (Hardcover)

For me the book doesn't provide enough pictures of the palaces still in existence. Had there been more pictures, I might be motivated to go to London and pay money to see them in person. However it was still a wonderful book filled with information about them.