Trip 10
London
Hampton Court
Henry VIII's great royal palace on the Thames is one of London's premier attractions. First built from 1515-22 for the ostentatious Cardinal Wolsey, it was confiscated in 1528 by Henry VIII upon Wolsey’s decline in power. The king spent ten years and ₤62,000 remodeling the building to suit royal occupation. Succeeding monarchs (and Oliver Cromwell!) enjoyed its luxury right down to the death of George II in 1760. Significant alterations made by the famed architect Sir Christopher Wren during the reign of William III added Baroque elements to the original Tudor structure. No longer used by royalty, the palace and its magnificent gardens were opened to the public in 1838 by Queen Victoria.
Like Versailles outside Paris, this royal complex easily takes the better part of a day to appreciate. Besides the enormous palace, there are all sorts of gardens to explore, a slightly unnerving 18th-century maze to get lost in, and several square miles of parks to enjoy. If that isn't enough, you can also stroll along the Thames past working locks, soaking up the village atmosphere and perhaps stopping at a waterside pub.
GETTING THERE:
Trains to Hampton Court depart at half-hour intervals from London's Waterloo Station, with a journey time of about 30 minutes. Be sure to get a train to Hampton Court, not to Hampton. Return service operates until late evening. Schedules at W: SouthWestTrains.
Boats depart London's Westminster Pier, just opposite Parliament, several times in the morning for the 2.5-to-4-hour ride to Hampton Court. Return boats leave in the mid-to-late afternoon. This service operates from early April through September, T: (020) 7930-2062 or W: ThamesRiverBoats for current details.
Those coming by car will find limited pay parking near the entrance to the palace grounds. From London take the M25 to Exit 12, then the A308 to Hampton Court.
PRACTICALITIES:
Hampton Court Palace is open late March to late October, daily 10-6, closing at 4:30 in winter. It is closed December 24-26. Admission: Adults £14, seniors and students £11.50, children under 16 £7. There are several places to eat there (see below) as well as gift shops. Both the palace and the grounds are generally handicap accessible, ask a guard if you need help. Battery-powered cars for use in the gardens are available free of charge. Try to avoid the weekend or holiday crowds, and remember that good weather will greatly enhance your visit. For further information contact the palace office directly, T: (844) 482-7777 or W:
FOOD AND DRINK:
Landings Restaurant (Mitre Hotel, Hampton Court Bridge, just outside the main gate) Outdoor dining in a riverside garden. T: (020) 8979-9988. X: Sat. lunch. ££
Tiltyard Tea Room (near the maze in the gardens) Full meals, salad lunches, sandwiches, refreshments, and afternoon teas. £ and ££
Queen Elizabeth I's Privy Kitchen (in the palace) Light lunches, refreshments, and afternoon teas. £
SUGGESTED TOUR:
Numbers in parentheses correspond to numbers on the map.
Hampton Court train station (1) is only yards from the River Thames. Stroll across the bridge to the Trophy Gates (2) on your right, built for William III as a grand entrance into the palace complex and later decorated by George II. Amble through them, purchase your ticket, and head straight across what's left of the moat. The stone bridge here was erected by Henry VIII, embellished with the “King's Beasts” stone carvings, and later buried by Charles II. Rediscovered in 1910, it once again gives proper access to the Great Gatehouse (3), one of the oldest parts of the palace.
Step through the doorway into the Base Court. Six different areas of the palace are open to visitors, each following a different route. Time and energy permitting, you should really see all six. Route 1 begins between the Base and Clock courts, leading upstairs to Henry VIII's *Tudor State Apartments (4). At the top is Henry's magnificent *Great Hall, originally a dining room for lesser courtiers. It is still hung with priceless 16th-century tapestries depicting the Story of Abraham. Look up at the 60-foot-high hammerbeam ceiling, every inch of which is enriched with gilded carvings, before continuing on to the Great Watching Chamber. The King's bodyguards once kept their watch here, surrounded by opulence. The route now enters the Haunted Gallery, where with luck you might encounter the ghost of Catherine Howard. Number five of Henry's six wives, she was beheaded for adultery in 1542, as was number two. Near the end is the elaborate Chapel Royal, much of which survives from the time when Henry and his wives, especially his wives, prayed there.
Route 2 begins in the Clock Court and takes you through the Queen's State Apartments (5). Again reached by an impressive staircase, this Baroque addition was designed for Queen Mary II by Sir Christopher Wren in the 1690s. Unfortunately, the queen died before they were finished, so the decorations are largely those of succeeding reigns. Among the highlights are the Audience Chamber with its canopied throne, the Drawing Room of Queen Anne, the Bedchamber with the original bed of George II's Queen Caroline, and the Queen's Gallery with its Brussels tapestries and lovely Delftware.
The Georgian Rooms (6), shown on Route 3, are entered from the Clock Court. This group of smaller rooms sheds some insight into the lives of George I and George II, the last monarchs to reside at Hampton Court. Near the beginning is “Wolsey's Closet,” a survival from Tudor times that was probably decorated by Henry VIII. After that there is the Communication Gallery, hung with the “Windsor Beauties” portraits of the ladies of Charles II's court. In the center of the suite is the famed Cartoon Gallery, built by Wren for William III around 1700. Original tapestry cartoons designed by Raphael in 1515 once hung on these walls, but they are now in the Victoria and Albert Museum. In their place are copies made here in the 18th century.
Route 4, reached from the Clock Court by yet another grandiose staircase, takes you through the King's Apartments (7). Built for William III between 1689 and 1700, these handsome chambers were devastated by fire as recently as 1986, but have now been restored to their original condition. The allegorical paintings decorating the stairs sing thinly-veiled praises to the king, and are set off by a magnificent wrought-iron balustrade. Pass through the Guard Chamber, whose paneled walls are enlivened with over 3,000 arms placed there in the 17th century by the king's gunsmith. The Presence Chamber still has its canopied throne, bowed to by courtiers even when unoccupied. Going through the Privy Chamber and the Withdrawing Room brings you to the elaborate Great Bedchamber, and the adjacent Little Bedchamber where the king actually slept. Downstairs, on the ground floor, are William III's private apartments, a cozy suite beautifully restored to its original condition.
Part of the original Tudor palace of the early 16th century, the Wolsey Rooms (8) shown on Route 5 feature the *Renaissance Picture Gallery of fine paintings on loan from Queen Elizabeth II. Among its treasures is a painting of Henry VIII's meeting with King François I of France in 1520 and a delightful scene of The Four Evangelists Stoning the Pope — probably Henry's favorite work of art.
Cross the Clock Court to enter the *Tudor Kitchens (9) on the final Route 6. Laid out in preparation for a great feast, this is a real treat for anyone who loves food. Two hundred people labored here feeding the 800-odd members of Henry VIII's court. A recorded audio guide describing everything may be borrowed at the Information Center in Clock Court, making your visit all the more enjoyable. And, should you feel pangs of hunger yourself, there is a nearby Tudor-style snack bar.
Outdoors, the Privy Garden (10) was originally William III's private garden and was restored in 1995. Close to it is the Pond Garden (11) of Henry VIII, and the lavishly-decorated Banqueting House built in 1700 by Sir Christopher Wren as an intimate party place for William III. The Mantegna Gallery, housed in a former orangery, contains valuable paintings belonging to the present Queen. Planted nearby in 1768, the Great Vine (12) still produces grapes as it has for well over two centuries.
Behind the palace complex stretches Home Park, offering wonderful views of the buildings and the River Thames. It's a long walk to the end, but at least go as far as the nearby Fountain Garden (13) for the best perspective.
Stroll past the so-called Tudor Tennis Courts (14), where “real” tennis may be watched if it's open, through the Wilderness, and around to Queen Anne's Maze (15) of 1714. Deceptively simple but fiendishly conceived, this confusing route through the hedges traps most who enter. If every turn just brings you back to the same place (and it will!), you can always follow behind small children, who have an uncanny knack for finding their way out. Knights once jousted in Henry VIII's Tiltyard (16), but today it is home to a restaurant and cafeteria.
Northeast of the Palace Grounds is Bushy Park (17), designed by Wren as a grand approach to his planned north façade that never got built. Deer roam around this near-wilderness, and so can you.
Just across from the palace is Hampton Court Green (18), where Sir Christopher Wren lived in the Old Court House from 1706 until his death in 1723. Ambling around the green will reveal several other period houses.
Before heading back to London, you might want to wander along the south bank of the Thames to Molesey Lock (19) to watch pleasure boats working their way through. The river is no longer tidal at this point, and quite a bit narrower than it is downstream. There are several appealing riverside pubs in the area where you can relax before taking the train back.
Copyright © 2003 by Earl Steinbicker, updated to 2009
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