as a kid I had been driven past it's grounds many times as I accompanied dad in the car on school holidays, it's claim to fame was that it was built by the king to outshine his greatest rival, King Francis of France, the extravagant building was meant to make a huge architectural statement, also showing the world that Henry could rival the best, this 450-year-old picture, one of only 4 painted of it, is expected to fetch up to £1.2million when sold at Christie’s next month, Benjamin Peronnet, of Christie’s, said: ‘There are only four contemporary depictions that are known to survive, of these, the watercolour to be offered at Christie’s is the earliest, and the only one to show a true impression of the “lost” palace,
the palace’s cost is unknown, but £24,536 of work was done in the first seven years, half as much again as was spent at Hampton Court in the same period, it was finished shortly after Henry’s death in 1547, where it remained intact until Charles II gave it to his erstwhile mistress, Barbara Villiers, who became Baroness Nonsuch, Duchess of Cleveland, she demolished the palace in 1682-3 and broke up the parks to sell to cover her gambling debts, the site was excavated in 1959 and is still there today in the northern part of the Borough of Epsom & Ewell between Cheam and Ewell Village, there are a number of access points to the Park; two car parks off London Road, Ewell and a car park off Ewell Road, Cheam.
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