‘I think we can make something of it,’ she replied, without hesitation.

A broad smile spread over Stephen’s face. ‘I think so too.’

The Crown Estates gave the Courtaulds permission to build their dream house on the site, on the condition that they also restored the Hall. It was a grand plan and they threw themselves into it with passion. Here was a chance to create their own beautiful world. They were in such a hurry to make it perfect that they begrudged every daylight hour that didn’t see the work progressing.

They began by renovating the hall. Stephen came into his own; he had done his research, and his imagination was fired by the kings and queens who had dined under its roof. Snapshots lodged in his mind: Henry IV entertaining the Byzantine Emperor, Manuel II Palaeologus, at Christmas with hunting and feasting, carols and mumming, or Henry VIII and Queen Catherine of Aragon discussing Thomas Wolsey’s plans for founding Christ Church, Oxford over supper.

The Courtaulds added a minstrels’ gallery and stained glass windows commemorating kings who had lived here. Antique chairs, coffers, and a twenty-one foot long oak refectory table were bought to fill it. Tapestry was hung along the walls and on the south bay window, an inscription in Latin read:

THIS HALL, WHICH THE GREAT KING EDWARD BUILT IN FORMER DAYS, HAVING FALLEN INTO INCREASING RUIN, HAS NOW BEEN RESTORED THROUGH THE CARE OF VIRGINIA AND STEPHEN.

They then turned their attention to the new house, building an ultra modern extension onto the medieval remains. Its English Renaissance-style exterior of soft coloured brick and Clipsham stone was designed to blend in with the hall, yet there was a modern, municipal feel to it because Stephen had visited and liked the Stockholm City Hall – a place of pilgrimage for architecture devotees. The modern, eleven-bedroom section consisted of two ‘L’ shaped double-storey wings, the southern wing joined to the Great Hall. Most rooms had views of the moat, and an indoor squash court and underground billiard room were added.

The sheer glamour of the interior was pure art deco. The Courtaulds hired the world’s finest contemporary furniture makers and decorators: Gilbert Ledward, Charles Jagger, Marion Dorn. No expense was spared. Walls were lined with native and exotic woods or painted in pale colours, and the furniture was designed with clean lines.

Besides its aesthetic pleasures, Eltham Palace was a hotbed of high technology. Every bedroom had built-in furniture and an ensuite bathroom. There were concealed ceilings and under floor heating, synchronised electric wall clocks, loudspeakers all over the house for music, a centralised vacuum-cleaning system, and a custom-made internal telephone system. All the time they were building, Ginie dreamed of the grand parties she would give, and the conquests she would make. Having been snubbed at court, there was a special satisfaction in making a royal palace her home.