A luxury wartime bunker, a 1930s map-room - lost under decades of paint and wallpaper - and a walk-in wardrobe complete with vintage fashion are among the rooms at Eltham Palace & Gardens in Greenwich that English Heritage will reveal to the public for the first time this Easter. These revelations are part of a major £1.7m English Heritage makeover of one of the country's greatest Art Deco gems.

Visitors to Eltham Palace will be invited to step back in time to experience one of the legendary cocktail parties hosted by its 1930s owners, Stephen and Virginia Courtauld. A fully interactive children's tour will explore the story of the animals that lived at the palace - including Mah-Jongg, the Courtauld's pet lemur who enjoyed his own personal (and heated) bedroom.

Eltham uniquely combines a 1930s Art Deco mansion with a medieval and Tudor royal palace, of which the Great Hall still survives and where Henry VIII used to play as a child. When completed in 1936, the Courtauld's new house was at the cutting-edge of technology, boasting electric clocks, a loudspeaker system and a centralized vacuum cleaner.

Laura Houliston, English Heritage's Senior Curator at Eltham Palace, said: "Eltham Palace is one of the finest examples of Art Deco architecture and design surviving in Britain today. It was also a decadent, fun place to visit. This April, we are opening up more fully furnished and new rooms, and inviting people to step back in time and experience one of the Courtauld's lavish parties. Visitors can try on vintage-inspired designs, play in the billiards room and explore the photographic dark room, as they learn about life in the 1930s."

Andrew Hann, English Heritage Properties Historian, said: "Eltham Palace was the ultimate 'Grand Designs' project of its day, boasting state of the art mod-cons including under-floor heating, multi-room sound systems and a centralised vacuum cleaner. Our research has revealed a technologically advanced, innovative home which will be brought to life for visitors through new multimedia handsets.

"From April visitors will be whisked back in time to the swinging 1930s when Stephen and Virginia Courtauld entertained the elite of society including composers, artists, politicians, key socialites and even Queen Mary."

The Courtaulds were avid explorers and amongst the first to embrace aviation as a means of travelling the world. Recent investigations have revealed a rare 1930s map room under decades of wallpaper and paint. English Heritage is appealing for the £35,000 needed for expert conservators to fully restore and protect these tantalising portals into a bygone age of luxury travel.

Anyone wishing to offer their support for the renovation of the map-room can donate at: www.english-heritage.org.uk/donate-eltham

Five new rooms to be unveiled for the first time:

• Luxury wartime bunker and 1930s dark room.
• Basement billiards room featuring mural by the artist Mary Adshead.
• Virginia Courtauld's walk-in wardrobe adjacent to her bedroom. The room will feature vintage designs based on items Virginia would have worn and replica accessories and items available for visitors to try on.
• Adjoining bedrooms occupied by Virginia's nephews - Peter and Paul Peirano - with a shared bathroom featuring the only shower in the house and one of the first in the country to be installed in a residential bathroom.
• A unique 1930s map room adjacent to Virginia Courtauld's boudoir. It was from here that the family's secretary planned their exotic holidays to Africa, Asia, South America and across Europe. Conservators will continue to work on the room throughout 2015 to uncover maps and paintings hidden under decades of wallpaper.

Re-presented gardens in the style commissioned by Stephen and Virginia:

• Replanting the Rock Garden and cascade based on photographs from the Courtauld's time. Stephen Courtauld was a very keen rock climber.
• Replanting the Quadrant Rose Garden in the style of a 1930s rose garden. Virginia had a passion for roses, which she obtained from the celebrated Sam McGredy nurseries at Portadown, Northern Ireland. (A red rose was later created in their Rhodesian home and called 'Virginia Courtauld').

New interpretation throughout the Palace:

• Digital handsets providing visual guides to each room with cinefilm clips, oral history recordings and original photography of the family.
• New children's guide telling the story of the exotic animals at Eltham Palace including the tale of Mah-Jongg, the lemur who had his own centrally heated living quarters.
• New information panels in the modern and medieval palace as well as the gardens for the first time.

New visitor centre and café:

• Brand new visitor centre and greenhouse café, next to the children's play area.

Eltham Palace & Gardens is open Sundays to Thursdays
Eltham Palace & Gardens, Court Yard, Eltham, Greenwich, London SE9 5QE
www.english-heritage.org.uk/eltham / 020 8294 2548
Eltham Palace is a 10 minute walk from Mottingham train station

Free for English Heritage Members
Non-English Heritage members:
Adults - £13.00
Children - £7.80