Eltham Palace

Art Deco and medieval masonry colliding in South London - that's Eltham Palace. The main draw is the 1930s wing, all sleek curves and sunburst motifs, grafted onto the remains of a fifteenth-century royal residence. It's genuinely odd, and oddly brilliant.

The Art Deco rooms are the star turn. The entrance hall alone is worth the trip - soaring ceilings, marquetry work, that particular shade of pale wood that screams 1930s wealth. You can see where the owners (the Courtaulds, art collectors with serious money) actually lived, which beats a sterile museum setup by miles. The medieval great hall sits just outside, roofless but imposing, a proper reminder that Henry VIII hunted here centuries before the Courtaulds arrived.

Historians and architecture obsessives will spend two hours here easily. Families might manage ninety minutes before the kids start restless - there's not much hands-on stuff, though the grounds are decent for a wander. The site includes a moat and gardens that bloom properly in spring.

It's English Heritage, so admission isn't free but reasonable. Allow half a day if you're combining it with Abbey Wood Experience Freedom Glamping - that's just four miles south, so you could feasibly do both on one outing. Go mid-week if you can; weekends draw coach parties.

Worth a detour if you're into twentieth-century design or Tudor history. Not if you're after drama or action.