Nonsuch Palace (Demolished), Cheam, Surrey
Posted by: 
AngelPick
N 51° 21.294 W 000° 14.331
30U E 692250 N 5692911
A stroll around the site of one of the most attractive palaces ever constructed (foundations were laid in 1538) and unfortunately demolished less than 150 years later for building materials.
Waymark Code: WMBB1R
Location: South East England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 04/28/2011
Views: 6
You are looking for a large notice board on The Avenue in Nonsuch Park. The first section of the sign says:
Nonsuch Palace was the first great Renaissance building in England. It was built by Henry VIII on the ruins of Cuddington village.
Land was fenced in to make the Great Park or Worcester Park, which ran from London Road towards Malden Church and the Little Park, which extended over the present Nonsuch Park as far as Cheam Road.
The avenue of walnut trees led from London Road to the gatehouse of the Outer Court, with gardens and a maze to the right and kitchens to the left. The outer court contained the wine cellar, buttery, and lodgings for the King’s household. Through a second gatehouse lay the inner court, decorated with gleaming white panels of stucco showing mythological scenes. The same decoration was applied to the south front of the palace, where it ornamented two great towers at each corner.
The Privy Garden was laid out beneath the South Front. It had knotwork flowerbeds, statues and fountains. Towards Ewell they were groves of fruit and forest trees, with alleys that were boarded up to create tennis courts. At the end of these walks stood a Banqueting House for outdoor meals and entertainments.
Nonsuch passed out of royal ownership in 1556 but was later sold back to Elizabeth I, who came hunting in the park. By the time of Charles II’s restoration in 1660, the palace seemed old fashioned and costly to maintain. It was demolished and its material used for buildings in the new Spa town of Epsom.
The first waymark (N 51 21.294 W 000 14.331) will take you to a notice board, the second (N 51 21.271 W 000 14.323) to a stone column with a stainless steel plaque mounted on it showing a plan of the palace and the third (N 51 21.185 W 000 14.268) to a stone column with a number and arrow cut into it. Follow the arrows and find the next marker. It will take you on a pleasant walk through the woods. This website http://www.epsomandewellhistoryexplorer.org.uk/NonsuchTrail.html will show you what each marker signifies. Note the section on the website about the Mansion, well worth a visit for a snack or just a cuppa!
The best car park is off London Road here N 21.424 W 000 14.417 the first bollard is also in the corner here.
Group that erected the marker: Epsom & Ewell Borough Council
URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: [Web Link]
Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary:
The Avenue Car Park
London Road
Cheam, Surrey UK
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Visit Instructions:
Take a picture of the marker, preferably including yourself or your GPSr in the photo. A very detailed description of your visit may be substituted for a photo. In any case please provide a description of your visit. A description of only "Visited" or "Saw it while on vacation" by anyone other than the person creating the waymark may be deleted by the waymark owner or the category officers.