England · Ruin
King John's Palace
King John's Palace is the remains of a medieval royal residence at Kings Clipstone in north-west Nottinghamshire, set within Sherwood Forest. The surviving fabric is the stone chamber of a much larger complex that served as a royal lodging and administrative centre from the late 12th century onward.
Its prime
1360
Today
Ruin
As it stood in 1360
The shape it held in its prime.
A compact Romanesque stone chamber built of thick, coursed rubble with a pronounced, buttressed central doorway and a raised timber upper floor with ornately carved window openings facing the deer park. In its prime the chamber formed part of a larger, multi-building complex of stone halls, chapels, a gatehouse and long stone stables roofed in Mansfield slate, arranged around open courtyards within an emparked landscape of Sherwood Forest.
Its story
The story of King John's Palace.
Known until the 18th century as the King's Houses, this royal residence in Sherwood Forest took King John's name despite his spending only nine days here in total. Edward II added a peel, and in 1360–3 over £140 went on repairs to the hall, king's chamber, pantry, buttery, gateway and chapel.
The manor passed to George, Duke of Clarence, until his execution in 1478, when Clipstone reverted to the crown. It finally left royal ownership on 11 October 1603, granted by James I to Charles Blount, Lord Mountjoy, and promptly sold on to Gilbert Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, in 1604. William Cavendish, Earl of Newcastle, bought the estate in 1630; a single stone chamber survives on private land.
Step inside
10 places to explore in 1360.
The record describes 10 distinct spots at King John's Palace — including 5 interiors: romanesque chamber — interior, great hall, king's and queen's chambers and more. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and walk through every one — more scenes means more photos, more angles and more rooms of the immersive experience.
Create History
Recreate King John's Palace with AI to explore it.
The artist rebuilds it as it stood in 1360 — a photoreal walk that belongs to you alone. Pay with coins, no subscription needed.
Recreate Castle to Explore →Whose castle
Clans who held King John's Palace.
The families that held King John's Palace for a decade or more across its history — follow a name to its clan.
Talbot
Bought by Gilbert Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, in 1604, the year after the manor left royal ownership.
Purchased by William Cavendish, Earl of Newcastle, in 1630.
