Eltham through time - Kristina Bedford

Eltham, long a little-known jewel in Greater London's crown, has welcomed growing numbers of tourists since Greenwich was appointed a Royal Borough at the Diamond Jubilee, 'in recognition of the historically close links forged between Greenwich and our Royal Family, from the Middle Ages to the present day'. Eltham sits at the heart of those links, its Plantagenet Palace providing a home to Kings of England from the early fourteenth century until the Civil War. Eltham survived, as it had survived occupying Romans tramping the old highway to Dover, and as it would survive the Blitz. It is a window on history, from Anglo-Saxon Common to early twentieth century development, which so recently changed its character from rural to suburban. Both survival and development are chronicled and celebrated in Eltham Through Time.