While many of us assume that a palace has associations with the Royal Family, the UK’s palaces are a slightly more diverse bunch than you might initially think.
From the well-trodden halls of Buckingham Palace to the forgotten medieval ruins and exhibition venues built for the masses, here’s a guide to the UK’s most fascinating palaces – and what makes a building or stately home a palace.
So what actually is a palace?
A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the house of a head of state – but it doesn’t have to be. The definition is broader, and is also applied to large private houses, particularly those owned by the aristocracy. The term “palace” can also refer to courthouses or official buildings without a residential function, such as government buildings.
How many palaces are there in the UK?
It’s hard to say just how many palaces there are in the UK, because definitions differ, and there are many that have fallen into disrepair or decay, or have simply been lost to history. If we were to put an estimate on it, it would probably be between 15 and 20 that are commonly referred to as palaces.
What are the different types of palaces – and how many are there of each in the UK?
There are four official royal residences in the UK that are classed as palaces and still used as residences of the current Royal Family: St James’s Palace, Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace – which are all in London – and the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. Many include Windsor Castle (England) and Hillsborough Castle (Northern Ireland) within this remit, even though they don’t carry the “palace” title.
There are many more historic royal palaces, with links to former royals. These include Kew Palace, Hampton Court Palace (which has one of the most beautiful royal gardens in the UK), the Palace of Westminster, Palace of Whitehall, Eltham Palace and Apethorpe Palace. There are also many more that are now demolished, unoccupied or in ruins, such as Savoy Palace and the Palace of Beaulieu.
Some palaces have no ties to the Royal Family and instead are simply stately homes. Blenheim Palace, for instance, is a stately home which has never been a royal residence (it also has one of the best mazes in the UK). It’s considered to be the only non-royal, non-episcopal palace in England.
It was built as a grand, formal residence for the 1st Duke of Marlborough by Queen Anne following his victory at the Battle of Blenheim in 1704. It has been home to successive Dukes of Marlborough ever since.
Episcopal palaces in the UK include Lambeth Palace and Old Palace, Canterbury – the two residences of the Archbishop of Canterbury – and Bishopthorpe Palace, the residence of the Archbishop of York.
There are also existing or destroyed so-called palaces, which weren’t designed as residences, but instead were used as venues for exhibitions and entertainment. These included London’s Crystal Palace, which hosted the Great Exhibition of 1851 before it was then relocated from its original home in Hyde Park to a new site in South London near Sydenham Hill. It was destroyed by fire in 1936 and the area was renamed Crystal Palace after the landmark.
Is Alexandra Palace a palace?
Alexandra Palace is similar to Crystal Palace, in that it was never used as a residence but simply bore the name. In fact, it was conceived and designed as a “Palace of the People” – a public centre of recreation and entertainment, opening in 1873.
Is a palace different to a castle?
A palace is different from a castle in that a castle is fortified or is created in the style of a fortification, whereas a palace is an unfortified residence, with less of a focus on military defence and protection.
Top image: Kensington Palace, London (Credit: Getty Images)