“You should begin with Greenwich, and if you can, arrive by water,”

The son of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York was born in Greenwich, some five miles east of central London, on June 28 1491.

The palace in which the king was born was demolished in the 17th century

An archaeological excavation completed in 2006 uncovered the original palace's Tudor chapel

Although Henry retained a soft spot for the royal palace at Greenwich, which was known as Placentia or Pleasure

Here, too, the original palace has gone

Henry's childhood officially ended on April 24, 1509

Henry had a lifelong interest in fortifications and armour

Further upriver lies Hampton Court Palace,

Henry expanded the palace

Hampton Court

Another Tudor Palace, Knole in Kent,

Elsewhere in Kent is the most beautiful of the great houses that Henry acquired and rebuilt, Leeds Castle

“As far as I can say he spends three days there

That sense of the past

Hever Castle

Henry's largest residence, meanwhile, barely exists today

St James's Palace

For real