Charlton House – Visit a Jacobean Mansion in Greenwich

In Greenwich you can find a 400 year-old mansion that’s one of the finest Jacobean houses in England. Built 1607-1612, this is the story of Charlton House. History of Charlton House Charlton House was built for Sir Adam Newton, born in Scotland in 1562. Newton spent his early life in France and then from 1600 was appointed tutor to the young son of King James VI of Scotland, Prince Henry. With the death of Queen Elizabeth I the succession passed to James and in 1603 the crowns of England and Scotland were united and James became King James I of England. Needing a home a little closer to the Royal Court in London, in 1607 Newton began building an elaborate Manor House in the suburb of Charlton. Charlton House and its gardens on the John Rocque Map of London 1746 – www.layeroflondon.org The design is attributed to John Thorpe (c.1565-1655) and it straddles two distinct time periods, combining the red-brick, large chimneys, Tudor aesthetic with a move towards classical elements, with a…