King Arthur began building the elaborated royal pad set in vast hunting grounds in celebration of the birth of his long awaited daughter and heir, Princess Amelia – and as a glittering demonstration of King power.
It costed him a fortune to built the magnificent palace that he had desired.
Despite its size – over 900 ft long, with an average height of 26 ft that was actually a smaller residence, made for the King and his family. Although its buildings were comparatively rich in luxuries.
All the important visitors from other kingdoms when visited The New Palace marveled at the explendor of its buildings and gardens.
There was no King with a more beautiful palace and with so many magnificent and sumptuous gilded rooms, like that one.
The Palace consisted mainly of 800 acres of green open space, located in the heart of the City of North Bell.
The main approach to the palace was from the north west, and the outer court was entered from the carriage road by way of a centrally-placed, turreted gatehouse. The cobbled and paved courtyard was surrounded by tall, brick and stone, three-storeyed ranges topped with crenellated parapets.
The palace layout was composed of two storey galleys that surrounded open-air courtyards. The outer courtyard had a large gatehouse. The galleys were mainly guest lodgings, with two great cellars to the south.
The inner courtyard was accessible by a second inner gatehouse and contained the royal chambers, (exclusively reserved for the king), privy chambers, chapels, two presence chambers, and the King's privy gallery, with access to the kitchen court for preparing the massive feasts in which the King was famous for hosting.
Suites of rooms opened off from central staircases on each side of the courtyard. The adjoining, half-timbered inner court laid to the south east and was reached by steps leading down through an inner gatehouse. Its basic plan mirrored that of the outer court, elaborated by tall, inward-facing bay windows, octagonal projecting corner towers and, decorating its timber-framed upper storeys.
It had a King and a Queen side and a Princess side, each with fountains, statues and carvings. Three tiers of plaster sculptures adorned the walls, and 25 three-quarter life-size sculptures of emperors framed in carved and gilded slate panels sat at the far end of the inner courtyard. Sitting proudly in the middle, was a statue of King Arthur and his longed-for daughter, Amelia Seymour.
Around the inner court to the south east was the privy garden and, surrounding the outer court, a kitchen garden and orchard.
The outer courtyard and its gatehouse were faced in stone, but the important part of the palace, the inner court, the part where the royal lodgings were, was timber framed.
The gardens provided an additional element of fancy, grandeur and mystique. No expense was spared.
The privy garden was embellished with Tudor knots, topiary and maze hedges, a central fountain and statuary that represented royal emblems and heraldic subjects.
Beyond the garden wall to the north west was a level sub-rectangular platform a bowling green and an originally open, grassed area known as the plain. Adjoining the south western side of the walled garden and of identical alignment and dimensions was an area of dense oak and elm plantations and sports areas divided by broad sandy walks, enclosed by a tall hedge and surviving boundary earthworks.
The land, which was naturally hilly and plentifully watered, was set out with lofty and magnificent tree-lined walks to the south and west.
At the end of the path to the south, the trees had been trimmed to form canopies.
There were trees for shade and fruit: almost countless young apple trees, shrubs, evergreens, ferns and vines.'