Welcome to our new Discover series in which we profile interesting things to do and places to see around south-east London and north Kent.

These are the hidden gems of the area which you might not know too much about but are well worth a visit. We start with Eltham Palace.

Situated right next to the Royal Blackheath golf club, Eltham Palace was revolutionary in its prime, full of technologies including a vacuum system, private telephone exchange and a loud speaker for playing records.

Little is known about the palace until around 1086, when the manor of Eltham was recorded belonging to Odo, the Bishop of Bayeux, who was the half-brother of William the Conqueror.

And not forgetting Mah Jong, the Courtauld’s pet lemur, had his own private, heated sleeping quarter on the first floor.

It changed hands a number of times and then the house was rebuilt in 1295 by Anthony Bek, the Bishop of Durham.

By the early 14th century Eltham had become one of the largest and most frequented royal residences in the country.

Henry VIII passed much of his boyhood at Eltham, and was the last monarch to spend substantial amounts of money or time there.

You and your family can visit Eltham Palace from Friday to Sunday from now until September 30.

Tickets start at £9.50 for a child and £16.50 for adults. Click here for tickets and more details. 

There is a lovely playground as well as interactive activities inside the house, but you could also decide to walk around the peaceful gardens too.

One of the major features of the gardens at Eltham Palace is the long herbaceous border, which reaches its peak in late summer when it glows in rich purple, copper, yellow and blue flowers attracting butterflies and bees.

Many films and music videos have used Eltham Palace as their background including Brideshead Revisited, Secret Diary of a Call Girl, Antiques Roadshow and both Cheryl Cole and Florence and the Machine have recorded videos here.

Eltham Palace is also know for its spooky happenings, and has been included on English Heritage's list of "most haunted places".

The ghost is said to be a former staff member that is said to have given tours of the palace when the place should have been empty.