Subject

King Henry VIII got to know Chelsea during his visits to Sir Thomas More and moved to the old manor house in 1510. The house was originally owned by the Bray family who eventually surrendered it to Sir William Sandys, who in turn swapped it with the king for property in Hampshire. Henry commissioned its rebuilding as a wedding present for Catherine Parr. Queen Elizabeth I lived there as a child, as did Anne of Cleves after her divorce from Henry. The building was demolished after the death of its last occupant, Sir Hans Sloane.