Acquired: 1526
Grafton House, built prior to the mid-15th century, came into royal possession in 1526 via an exchange of lands with the Marquis of Dorset. Soon after acquiring Grafton, Henry ordered alterations to be carried out, repairing the decaying manor house. Henry visited frequently throughout his reign, and it was here that he met with Cardinal Wolsey for the last time, in 1529. By 1536 Grafton was one of Henry’s houses that received regular maintenance and in 1542 it was appointed the head of a new “honor,” or grouping of royal estates in that area, forming a hunting park (including Potterspury to the west and Hartwell to the north).
Grafton had suites of rooms for both the king and queen, lodgings for courtiers and servants, service rooms, a chapel, and a bowling alley in the gardens. Post-Tudor monarchs, however, let the house decay and it was destroyed by fire in the Civil War. A later manor house occupies part of the old palace site, and this includes a range of Tudor mullioned windows that were probably part of the “offices along the street side” (Colvin, 96).