A model of a palace built by Henry VIII that once symbolised the power and the grandeur of the Tudor dynasty was unveiled yesterday.

Nonsuch Palace in Surrey was constructed to rival those of the French King, Francis I, but was demolished by a mistress of King Charles II in the late 17th century.

Painstaking research carried out by an Oxford University professor who first started excavating the site more than 50 years ago has now led to a huge model of Nonsuch.

Martin Biddle, emeritus professor of mediaeval archaeology at Oxford, who is now in his 70s, was an undergraduate when he directed the excavation of the site of the palace in 1959.

The academic has spent decades analysing all the available contemporary illustrations, archaeological evidence, written sources and surviving fragments of stucco and slate from Nonsuch.

His research into how it once looked provided the basis for the model, measuring 2.2 metres by 1.2 metres made by expert model maker Ben Taggart.

Prof. Biddle’s work will be included in a book called The Anglo-Florentine Renaissance, to be published in November, and the model will be unveiled in the Friends of Nonsuch Museum.

Work started on Nonsuch Palace in 1538, on the 30th anniversary of Henry VIII’s reign and six months after his long awaited male heir, later to be Edward VI, was born to Jane Seymour.

Prof. Biddle said: “From the start it was Henry’s evident intention to celebrate the birth of long awaited male heir by building a house without equal.”

He added: “With the plan established, it is possible to attempt to accurately evaluate what the house looked like in its heyday.

“It had a decorative scheme which was more than 900 feet long, with a minimum average height of 24 feet, covering a surface of 21,600 square feet.

“Even supposing that half of that surface consisted of classical columns and columns for doors, windows, and downspouts, the decorated area would have covered perhaps as much as 10,800 square feet.”