Monument record NKT 004 - The Griffin; Newmarket Court House; Palace (of James I); Marlborough Club

Newmarket Court House - Palace of James I built on site of Griffin Inn (first mentioned 1439) & adjoining property circa 1608. The Griffin is mentioned in a will in 1439 and leased for 100 pounds a year by James I from 1605/6. Site believed to have been situated between the present Black Horse Inn and the Jockey Club on W side of Sun Lane. Survey of 1649 gives the palace complex an area of one acre with a frontage of 114 feet on the High Street to the N. The Prince's Lodging & the Housekeeper's House fronted the High Street; a long gallery linked the Prince's Lodging with the King's, and somewhere in the complex was a `Bricke buildinge called the Tennis Court', with ancillary buildings at either end. Also kitchens and offices etc. The main palace buildings were completed by 1610 but collapsed in 1613. Replacement designed by Inigo Jones (design for Prince's Lodging has survived). Palace demolished during Commonwealth period/in ruins in 1660's (S1).
Further details in (S2).
August 2001- Feb (?) 2002: monitoring of footing trenches and two large soakaways at the Marlborough Club demonstrated evidence of demolition layers of buildings mapped in 1768 (on top of Palace?) and preservation of a considerable depth (in ecess of 0.8m below topsoil) of archaeological deposits. Details, including suggested layout of palace of circa 1630, in (S3).
For later second palace built to NE see NKT 005.

Included in the Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History annual round up of individual finds and discoveries for 2001 (S4)