| Newmarket Palace | |
|---|---|
 Palace House, now part of the National Horseracing Museum | |
| General information | |
| Type | Royal Palace |
| Architectural style | Dutch classicism |
| Location | Newmarket, Suffolk, England |
| Current tenants | National Horseracing Museum |
| Completed | 1668 |
| Demolished | 1857 (except Palace House) |
| Client | Charles II |
| Owner | Originally the Crown; later Rothschild family |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | William Samwell |
Newmarket Palace was a Royal Palace in Newmarket, the remains of which are now part of the National Horseracing Museum.
James I first visited Newmarket on 26 February 1605, [1] describing it as a "poor little village", staying at an inn called the Griffin which he bought. [2] From 1606 to 1610 he built a palace complex on the site covering 1 acre (4,000 square metres) of land from the High Street to All Saints' churchyard, [3] establishing the town as a royal resort and a horseracing town. The first palace building suffered from subsidence and sank on one side when King James was in residence in March 1613. [4] [5] Simon Basil was commissioned to build new lodgings for the King. In 1619 Inigo Jones built lodgings for the Prince of Wales, [3] a three storey Italianate design. [6]
In 1642 the palace was where Charles I met a parliamentary deputation in Newmarket that demanded his surrender of the armed forces. "By God not for an hour", Charles replied, "You have asked such of me that was never asked of a King!" This effectively started the English Civil War. In early June 1647, Charles was captured and was placed under house arrest in the palace while the whole of Cromwell's New Model Army kept guard over the town.
A survey in 1649 showed that the palace was in disrepair. The following year, the palace was sold to John Okey (one of the regicides), who demolished most of the buildings. [3]
Between 1666 and 1685, Charles II often visited Newmarket. In 1668, he commissioned William Samwell to build a new palace on the High Street (on the site of the present United Reformed Church). However, in 1670, John Evelyn said that the palace was "meane enough, and hardly capable for a hunting house, let alone a royal palace!" In October 1677.
In 1791 the George IV, then Prince of Wales was involved in a betting scandal [7] [8] [9] meaning that the prince foreswore racing, [10] sold his stable and never returned to Newmarket. [8] [11]
Queen Victoria sold the property to Mayer Amschel de Rothschild in 1857 [12] and the original palace was demolished, apart from Palace House. [3] The stables of Charles II on the opposite side of Palace Street were also demolished to make way for the Trainer's House and new stables called the King's Yard Stables.
