The extensive site of Woking Palace, formerly Woking Manor, has been owned by Woking Borough Council since 1988 and is designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument. It has been the subject of much archaeological investigation, including geophysical survey and soil sampling.  Since 2009, the Woking Palace Archaeological Project has excavated a different area of the site each summer under license from English Heritage and holds open days during the summer months.

David Savage outlined the history of the site and explained the role of the Surrey Archaeological Society in recent excavations.  Interpretation of the site is complicated by successive stages of development and rebuilding, frequently involving reuse of material from earlier structures and reflecting changing fashions and fortunes of its owners.    

The settlement of Woking, home of Wocca and his people, dates back to Anglo Saxon times and Woking Manor is known to have existed under Edward the Confessor.  It had been closely associated with royalty since that date, only becoming a palace during Tudor times when it was favoured by both Henry VII and Henry VIII.  

The manor was sited on two gravel islands in the flood plain, bounded by the River Wey and a moat measuring 35 feet wide and 8 feet deep, making it one of the largest moated sites in Surrey.  The manor house was built on the eastern island, whilst the western island contained gardens, fishponds, an orchard and a viewing platform from which the ladies could watch their menfolk hunting.    The manor was held by the crown until 1189 when it was granted by Richard I to Sir Alan Basset, who had been promoted by the king and owed his vast wealth to the king’s patronage. Sir Alan developed the site, including creation of a deer park and hunting lodge .  The manor continued to be held by the Basset family through Sir Alan’s sons, Gilbert, Fulk and Philip, all of whom held high office under the king. 

In 1280 the manor was acquired by Hugh Despenser the Elder, adviser to Edward I and Edward II, and his son Hugh Despenser the Younger, Edward’s II’s favourite after the death of Piers Gaveston.  Both the Despensers were executed for treason in 1327 when the manor was forfeited to the Crown.  During the political turmoil of the 14th and early 15th century the manor was occupied by a succession of noble families, a number of whose members met violent deaths.

  In 1466 the manor was granted to Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII.  Margaret lived at Woking with her third husband, Sir Henry Stafford, and was fond of hunting and lavish entertaining.  She remodeled the estate and refurbished the manor buildings, entertaining Edward IV at her hunting lodge. Henry Stafford died in 1471 and the following year Margaret married Thomas Lord Stanley, steward of the king’s household.  She was frequently visited at Woking by her son Henry VII after his accession to the throne in 1485 and, in 1503, Henry claimed the manor from his mother and transformed it into a royal palace.   

The palace later became a favourite of Henry VIII, who extended the buildings, to include a great hall, extensive kitchens and apartments for officials and members of his court.  Henry VIII enjoyed hunting in the deer park and is known to have stayed at Woking with his queens Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr. The gardens and buildings were further developed by Elizabeth I, whilst James I frequently hunted in the park.  In 1620 James I granted the estate to Sir Edward Zouche, who neglected the palace, preferring to build a new manor house nearby.  The park was divided into farms and the original structures fell into disrepair, their stone, brick and timber removed for other buildings.     

At its most magnificent under Henry VIII, the estate encompassed 159 acres.  The earliest picture of the palace from 1607 shows that it had already reduced in size and the palace was demolished between 1625 and 1630. 

Only two of the earlier structures remain standing.  A vaulted building with a room above, possibly a chapel or living space, appears to belong to the time of Lady Margaret Beaufort. Next to this, a brick building may have serviced the Tudor kitchens but was used as a barn when the palace fell into disuse.   

Systematic excavation combined with study of documentary sources have enabled the function of most areas of the site to be identified, although precise the definition and dating of individual buildings are complicated by their frequent modification and rebuilding and the destruction by ploughing of all floor levels.  In 2009 the foundation wall of the Tudor great hall was discovered, together with the foundations of an oriel window which would have provided light to the high table.  Subsequent years’ digging has located the site of the gatehouse, royal apartments and, to the north of the great hall, the Tudor kitchens which were found to be larger than those at Hampton Court.   
Much medieval and Tudor pottery has been found, including fragments of rare blue and white decorated tiles from Valencia in Spain, probably dating from the time of Lady Margaret Beaufort. Fragments of fine Tudor window glass testify to the wealth of the palace, whilst analysis of early 14th century kitchen middens provides evidence of lavish feasting.  

To date the Woking Palace Archaeological Project has been funded largely through community outreach but there are more ambitious plans to develop the site in a holistic way with the help of a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.  If the current bid for £198,000 is successful, this will enable public access to be improved and the historical, archaeological and environmental aspects of this undeservedly neglected site to be exploited more fully.   

Jennifer Hunt