Story of Elsyng Palace told at new Dugdale exhibition

It reveals Enfield Archaeological Society’s discoveries around the site of the Tudor palace destroyed nearly 400 years ago

The Elsyng Palace exhibition at Dugdale Arts Centre

A new Enfield exhibition tells the incredible story of a lost Tudor palace.

The Museum of Enfield’s temporary exhibition space at Dugdale Arts Centre is now dedicated to telling the story of Elsyng Palace and will continue running until May next year.

The exhibition is a joint initiative between the museum and Enfield Archaeological Society (EAS), which has spent over 70 years excavating, researching, recording and publishing the archaeology of Enfield.

A series of information panels tell the story of the palace from the early 15th Century building, via the courtiers’ palace expanded by Sir Thomas Lovell to the royal palace used by Henry VIII and his children from 1539. The panels also touch on the people who worked there and the family who were the last residents before demolition of the palace in around 1657.

The displays then skip forward to focus on the rediscovery by EAS of the buried remains in 1963; its status as a scheduled ancient monument four years later; and the excavations from 2004 which have concentrated on gaining a full plan of the buildings around the outer court and, in the last few years, focused on the inner gatehouse between the outer and inner courts.

The information panels are complemented by the three-dimensional objects found during the EAS excavations of the palace – from items found in the 1960s up to artefacts revealed as recently as last year. They include delft tiles, coins, personal possessions, moulded stonework, pottery, glassware, clay pipes and more.

This year’s annual Elsyng Palace dig organised by EAS will take place from Sunday, 12th to Sunday, 26th July, with a public open day on Saturday, 18th July, where archaeologists will be available to talk about this year’s finds. Visit the exhibition and then come along to see us at work.

A second edition of Neil and John Pinchbeck’s popular book Elsyng: Enfield’s Lost Palace Revealed will be available for purchase at the open day and both exhibition venues.

Local news needs your support

We are proud that we were at the forefront of reporting on the recent local elections. We can’t do this without the support of our readers.

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.

ACT NOW!

Monthly direct debit

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.