Engineered for Order, Longevity, and Access 

• Built near the Thames but set back on slightly elevated terrain—flood-resilient yet accessible

• Internally symmetrical with zoned functionality — rooms, courtyards, and service wings follow a clear hierarchy

• Distinct separation of public, private, and service routes — reflects movement control 

• Constructed from brick and stone

• Designed for expansion — later additions aligned with the original framework

Commanding by Design — Structured, Fortified, Enduring 

• Positioned on a natural hill — offering dominance and defensive advantage

• Among one of the longest-inhabited castles in the world — originally Norman, expanded by Tudors with deliberate order

• Strong axial orientation — keep, court, and outer walls in vertical alignment 

• Built with stone masonry and military-grade containment 

• Symbolic elevation — chapel and keep placed above residential quarters

Promising Origins, Undermined by Environment 

• Birthplace of Elizabeth I and Mary Tudor—celebrated for its riverside setting, but poorly placed. 

• Positioned too low and too close to water — no protection from erosion, flooding, or river shifts

• Lacked elevation, defensive shaping, and spatial hierarchy beyond ceremony

• Terrain and construction were misaligned 

• As the river widened, unfortified banks accelerated deterioration — the palace was dismantled, not destroyed 

• Later repurposed; no original structure remains

Grand but Fragmented — Designed Without Cohesion

• Europe’s largest palace (1,500+ rooms), but lacked a master plan

• Timber and lath construction — highly flammable and structurally vulnerable

• Sprawling layout with poor compartmentalization

• No defensive positioning or environmental buffering — flat, exposed, and unprotected

• Minimal symbolic order — layout reflected expansion, not intentional design 

• Destroyed by fire in 1698; only the Banqueting House survived.

The palace’s final wing stood apart—shaped like a jewel on a plinth—one of the few structures designed with proportion and purpose.

Constructed of brick, stone, and lead, and guided by Renaissance fire-conscious planning, it stood at the eastern edge near the Thames — removed from the dense quarters that fueled the blaze.

What remains is more than survival — it is a quiet monument to design aligned with order.