Hatfield Old Palace (Hatfield)
Hatfield Old Palace is a historic house at Hatfield in Hertfordshire.
It stands in the grounds of Hatfield House.
The palace was built in about 1485 by the Bishop of Ely, and was seized by Henry VIII at the Dissolution of the Monasteries. His eldest daughter Mary was housed here, and after she became Queen his other children, Elizabeth and Edward lived here.
It was at Hatfield Old Palace, under Elizabeth`s Oak, that Elizabeth learned that she had become Queen in 1558, and held her first Council of State here.
James I first exchanged The Old Palace for Theobalds, home of Lord Burghley`s son, the Earl of Salisbury, who demolished much of the old buildings when he built Hatfield House, but retained the hall range for stables.
There is a knot garden in the courtyard.