Royston home is fit for a king
The Old Palace. Credit: William H Brown. - Credit: Archant
A home fit for a king is being offered to those who can afford to purchase a piece of history.
The Old Palace. Credit: William H Brown. - Credit: Archant
The Old Palace on Kneesworth Street is arguably Royston’s most historic property having been the former hunting lodge of James I, King of England and Ireland from 1603-25.
The six-bedroom family home put on the market by estate agency William H Brown for £1.3million was once the palace where James I found out about the Gunpowder Plot in 1605 and signed the death warrant of Sir Walter Raleigh in 1618.
The former monarch is said to have stopped in Royston for the night on his journey from Scotland to London, where he was to succeed to the English throne.
He was so taken with the area and the excellent hunting ground that he decided to return to Royston.
The Old Palace. Credit: William H Brown. - Credit: Archant
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The Old Palace was built – with dog kennels, stables, gardens and service yards to boot – between 1604-08 for James I to use as his personal retreat.
“The Old Palace is part of Royston’s history,” said William H Brown’s Tony Green. “It is a stunning property, steeped in history and offering a beautiful, large family home to any buyer.
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“James I clearly loved the area and although a few hundred years have passed by we like to think it has a lot to offer its residents today too.”
The symmetrical, front-facing Georgian garden reflects the changes made to the house in the early 1700s – to facilitate the building of a turnpike road – although Jacobean elements remain.
The Old Palace. Credit: William H Brown. - Credit: Archant
One 400-year-old Mulberry tree is the remainder of a consignment of trees ordered by James I in an effort to offset the high cost of imported silk from China.
Following his death in 1625, the lodge was used less frequently by his son, Charles I.
