Woking, or Oking, as it was sometimes known in the Tudor period, was one of the most important of the lesser houses in the Thames valley. It was a royal possession from before the Norman Conquest and was granted by Richard I to one of his leading advisors. From that time on, until 1503, it was held by a succession of great families. There was a house there from the thirteenth century and by the early fourteenth it was clearly a substantial residence.
In 1466 the house was granted to Henry Stafford the second husband of Lady Margaret Beaufort by King Edward IV. Woking was her principal base with Stafford and afterwards with her third husband Thomas Stanley. She made some improvements and extensions including some new brick-built lodgings.
After 1485 Henry VII was a regular visitor to his mother’s house and, in fact, he liked it so much that he formally acquired it from her in 1503. Over the following years he transformed the house into a residence suitable for a king and queen building a new hall and chapel and suites of royal lodgings.
Early in his reign Henry VIII was also a lover of his grandmother’s former residence and he made use of it in conjunction with the other royal houses to the south west of London. Queen Elizabeth also favoured the house and enlarged the presence chamber and built a number of galleries.
The form and development of the house has recently been illuminated by excavation led by Rob Poulton and, as a consequence, much more is known about this important royal site. Rob has managed to clear up several problems but there are still a number of possible interpretations of the evidence.
The site was moated and approached by a brick gatehouse. What does seem to be clear is that on the south side were a range of royal rooms, probably the sovereigns, that included a guard, presence, privy and bedchamber. The location of Henry VII’s great hall has been pinpointed as have the household kitchens to serve it. One building that has caused much debate as to its purpose I believe was the large household chapel with typically high windows and blank lower walls.
James I was an occasional visitor but in 1620 he granted it to Sir Edward Zouch and at this point the history of the site as a royal residence comes to an end. The site was bought by Woking Borough Council in 1988 and is open to the public. Some fragments of the palace survive and can be seen on the site.