A Day at the Palace

On a cool Autumn morning last week, Lizzie and I took the train from Guildford to the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, to the royal palace of Hampton Court.  The grand old building was built for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, a favourite of Henry VIII in around 1514.   When the Cardinal fell from favour, the King took the place over himself.  As you can see, he inherited quite a building!

The entrance courtyard at the palace

The beautiful facade from the formal gardens

Fearing that the sun would soon be blocked out by rain clouds, we made our first stop the extensive palace gardens.  Slightly faded in the cold Autumn air, these were still looking very formal and well-cared for.  The main attraction was, of course, the palace hedge maze, attracting many children and families.  We didn’t get too lost - in fact, we completed the course without one wrong move, in what must have been more luck than judgement.

One strange hedge-maze-dweller, he has probably been living in it for years

To the back of the palace, the gardens are even more formal.  There was perhaps a lack of colour (understandable given the season), but the topiary was perfect, the sculptures stood bright and white against the greying sky, everything with an air of regality that you expect from a royal palace.  What was better, we had most of the garden to ourselves- it was so quiet, that a plucky little fox strolled right past us!

The boating lake, reminiscent of Versailles

Formal gardens

A brave fox

Yet more formality in the gardens!

A royal swan

Inside, the palace is divided according to historical period, the most popular being Henry VIII’s apartments.  When Henry took the palace for himself, he added the Great Hall - the last medieval great hall built for the English monarchy - and royal tennis courts.  He also quadrupled the size of the kitchens, remodeling the palace so that it was large enough to cater his assembled court of over one thousand people.  The stained glass windows of the Great Hall adorn the image of the king himself, leaving no doubt as to who was in power here.  To me, the place does not feel all that removed from its sixteenth century origins.

Henry VIII's Great Hall

Stained glass window in the Great Hall

King Henry VIII in stained glass

The Tudor kitchens, remodeled to cater for thousands

A Tudor pie thief tries her luck

When the Tudor period came to an end, James I used Hampton Court as the place for a meeting with representatives of the English Puritans; this became known as the Hampton Court Conference, and ultimately led to the commissioning of the King James Bible.  Later, William of Orange and his wife, Queen Mary II, undertook a rebuilding project at the court.  It was originally intended to demolish the whole palace, making way for a new estate that would rival Versailles.  Fortunately, these plans were largely abandoned, with only William and Mary’s private chambers being added.  Each suite was equal in value, reflecting William and Mary’s unique status as joint sovereigns.  On our visit, Mary’s apartments were closed, but William’s apartments were quite comfortable and positively modern compared to Henry’s.

The weapons room in William III's apartment

William III's bed

The last monarchs to reside at Hampton Court were George I and Geroge II.  Under these two monarchs, several renovations took place and new suites were added.  The Georgian galleries reflect the new and wealthier taste of the age, although to me they lack the harshness of history that was experienced in the chambers of earlier times.  Following the reign of George II, no monarch ever resided at Hampton Court.  George III apparently refused to set foot in the palace, associating it with a humiliating scene when his grandfather had struck him following an innocent remark!  The Great Hall did receive some restoration work during the reign of Queen Victoria, and promptly became open to the public.  It was given statutory protection in 1952 by being grade 1 listed.  It is now managed by the independent charity, Historic Royal Palaces.

Georgian games room

A lovely Georgian study

One final note that I think needs mentioning: we entered the palace on a 2-for-1 ticket, in a brilliant scheme organised by Southwest Trains, who offer discount tickets to those who use the railway.