PICTURES: Hampton Court Palace archaeologists unearth one of five towers, lost for centuries

Five Tiltyard Towers, built at the height of King Henry VIII's reign in the 1530s, once stood at the Tudor palace and, for the first time, the remains of one have been unearthed.

The precise location of the towers, which would have hosted banquets and jousts, have eluded archaeologists for decades.

But Hampton Court Palace's historic buildings curator, Daniel Jackson, hopes the discovery of the green-glazed tile floor of one earlier this month will enable them to find the rest.

He said: "We're extremely excited to have uncovered the remains of one of the lost tiltyard towers - a mystery that’s been puzzling our predecessors for decades.

The location of the lost towers has puzzled historians for decades

"Being able to plot the location of this tower will open up new avenues of research, perhaps finally enabling us to locate the others, and to better understand these exceptionally significant buildings, which we think were some of the earliest banqueting houses of their type built in this country."

The towers, among the earliest banqueting houses in England, were largely demolished by the 1680s, although glimpses of them appeared in pictures from the 16th and 17th centuries.

The green-glazed tile floor of the lost Tiltyard towers was discovered this month

They were uncovered during maintenance work at the palace in preparation for its new 'magic garden', inspired by myths of the Tudor joust tournament, featuring recreations of the five towers.

They predate the Tiltyard, which was laid out in 1537, possibly to mark the birth of Henry VIII's son and heir, Prince Edward.

After jousting tournaments became unfashionable, the towers became multi-purpose storage spaces, housing the King's pigeons as well as being quarantine space for two of Queen Henrietta Maria's priests after an outbreak of plague.

One tower remains standing, with several alterations, at the palace's Tiltyard Cafe.