Historic Hampton Court Palace

krista6207
Sep 10, 2022
4 min read

The reason I wanted to get through Westminster Abbey earlier than I had originally planned, was because I wanted to go to Hampton Court in the afternoon. Hampton Court Palace is one of the sites in the Historic Royal Palaces collection. The day before I had kept thinking about how I would feel if I didn't go. I didn't like my answer, and unfortunately, this was really the only day that made sense to go. The extra long lunch at the Abbey cut into my touring time, but I'll get over it. I got myself to Waterloo station and took the train to Hampton Court Station. The Palace is a short walk from the station, crossing over the river before arriving at the Palace gates. The view from the bridge was beautiful. What a peaceful retreat this must have been at one time.

By the time I arrived, the tickets were no longer being issued with the current date stamp, but I was still able to visit. I knew it was going to be a whirlwind tour, but I wanted to see as much as I could before 5:30 p.m. I would rather see a little than nothing.

So where to begin? This palace was best known as the home of Henry VIII, and William III and Mary II.

Let's start with the Tudors.

Hampton Court Palace has a complicated history, but pretty much anything associated with Henry VIII could fit that description. The Palace transformation from a country house was begun by Cardinal Wolsey, Henry VIII's Lord Chancellor, in the early 16th century. Wolsey's goal was to create a palace where he could entertain English royalty, but also monarchs from across Europe. Wolsey invested huge sums of money, creating a palace fit for the King, which it eventually became when Henry claimed the Palace for himself. Henry VIII brought all six of his wives to this palace.

Notice all the chimneys? During the Tudor era, chimneys were a new form of technology. Tall, ornate and multiple chimneys were a sign of status and modernization. While it may seem like an odd way to display one's wealth, it was a considerable change from the previous forms of heating and ventilation. (Yes, I watched a lot of British history documentaries during COVID. I especially enjoy anything by Dr. Lucy Worlsey, who happens to be Chief Curator of the Historic Royal Palaces).

The Great Kitchen

The kitchens are massive and they had to be. The Master Cook and staff prepared meals for 450 people, twice a day. The meals were collected and eaten by Henry's staff. The King and Queen had their own private kitchens and cooks. The King could travel with 800 courtiers and all would have to be fed. Henry expanded the kitchen to allow for the

Henry and Anne

Henry VIII was known to be a bit of a romantic. It is known that he had his and Anne Boylen's intertwined initials and symbols added to decor throughout the Palace. Following Anne's execution, Henry ordered that all reminders of Anne be removed from the Palace. I was unable to locate the initial that remains in the Great Hall, but I was intrigued by the ornate decoration of this entrance.

The Great Hall was where the courtiers of Henry VIII would have spent their time. The hearth in the centre of the room was the traditional form of heating. Many more tables would have filled this room, which would have been very smokey. Tapestries line the walls, as well as antlers. Stain glass windows celebrate Henry and his kingdom. A head table was on display to show where the king and queen would have dined, overlooking their subjects.

Tapestries were common wall decorations that also doubled as a form of insulation. In this other great room, the tapestries were being monitored for light (I asked and was pleased to learn about this new-to-me light measure for the textiles).

Tapestry covered walls in another great room at Hampton Court.

The ceiling in this room was stunning, with great symbolism to represent Henry VIII's reign.

Hampton Court halls are lined with great works of art. Here are a couple of examples. These are original paintings, not copies and part of the Royal Collection. This hall leads to the Royal Chapel. The Chapel is still used today. Visitors are welcomed to visit, but no photography. I did take the opportunity to visit the Chapel, from where Henry would have resided at times, high above the sanctuary.

The Stuarts - William III and Mary II

William III, also known as William of Orange, and his wife Mary II were the only two English monarchs to rule together as king and queen. William defeated James II of England, Mary's father, at the Battle of the Boyne. James, a Catholic king was exiled to France where he lived the rest of his days. Following his exile, it was passed that no English monarch or heir could be Catholic (that's the simplistic version).

As well, it's often explained that William was "invited" to be King after freeing England from it's Catholic king. Yet what is often left out of the history books is that William wasn't just the son-in-law of James II, he was his nephew. William's mother was James's sister, and he was a legitimate heir to the English throne, as well as the Dutch throne.

When William and Mary took the throne, they set out to update the palace in the Baroque architectural style. Sir Christopher Wren was his chosen architect.

Palace of William III and Mary II, by Sir Christopher Wren (1689-1702)

Fountain Court designed by Sir Christopher Wren, 1689-1694

There is a great deal of information available online about the transformation of the palace to how it looks now, including restorations. For now, I'll just include some of my favourite photos of the grounds and the palace.

I wish I had spent more time there. When I return to England, Hampton Court Palace will be on my list of sites to visit. I only scratched the surface of what was available to see.

The palace closed at 5:30 and I made sure I was outside the gates before that. But, not before snapping a few more photos of the Tudor palace.