Henry VIII’s pleasure palace, the Hampton Court Palace, is one of those royal palaces that can make you feel like you are in a scene from ‘The Tudors.‘Along with all the royal feels that it can give off, the Hampton Court Palace is not just known for its majestic vibes. The palace is also best known for its splendid landscape and King Henry VIII’s relationships.Hampton Court Palace was built by the chief minister of Henry VIII and is a living example of the grandeur life of the British crown.History Of Hampton Court PalaceExplore the lavish corridors of this gorgeous royal palace.Thomas Wolsey started transforming a basic country house, an earlier property of the Order of St John of Jerusalem, into a palace wanting to host Kings and monarchs from all around Europe.Wolsey successfully created a place that left King Henry VIII very impressed.Thomas Wolsey was inspired to build a Renaissance cardinal’s palace with a rectilinear symmetrical plan adorned with classical details.Knowing the King’s and his enemies’ plan against Wolsey, he couldn’t live a long time in the palace and decided to pass on the palace to King Henry VIII as a gift.Henry VIII began rebuilding and expanding the palace within six months after taking possession.There were over one thousand men in Henry VIII’s court, and he also already held about 60 other properties, some of which were so big that they would easily fit in an entire assembled court.Additionally, the King had to feed, which is why Henry VIII planned to make the Hampton Court Palace a bigger deal and set out to build large kitchens to make the palace his prime location.The palace hosted several historical events from the Tudor times, including the birth of Edward VI, King VIII’s heir to the throne.Jane Seymour, Edward VI’s mother, died two weeks after birthing her son.Apart from this palace, Henry VIII had also ordered the construction of the St. James Palace, which had a central clock decorated with the initials of Henry and his wife, Anne Boleyn.Edward VI succeeded Henry, followed by both of his daughters.Hampton Court was the honeymoon retreat of Queen Mary I and King PhilipQueen Mary had two phantom pregnancies. She wished for her first child to be born at the Hampton Court Palace.She also initially wanted the birthplace of her child to be Windsor Castle but instead chose Hampton Court Palace due to accommodation issues.What we know today as the palace’s public tea room was the eastern kitchen that was first built by Queen Elizabeth I, Mary I’s successor.After taking over the crown after Queen Elizabeth’s death, King James organized the 1604 Hampton Court Conference that resulted in the publication of King James’ version of the Bible in 1611.The Hampton Court Palace became the property of the Commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell after King Charles’ was executed in 1649.Post Restoration, when King Charles II and his successor, James II, visited the palace, it was too old-fashioned according to the French standard, and therefore decided to live elsewhere.The Hampton Court Palace was also the home to King William III and Mary II. They hired Christopher Wren to redesign the palace to alter and demolish the entire Tudor palace and redesign it in the Baroque style, only keeping the original Great Hall by Henry VIII.During this reconstruction, the original designs by Henry VIII, including his staterooms and private apartments, were all altered.George II was the last King to have resided in this palace.Succeeding George II, George III moved out of the palace.It is believed that George III chose not to stay in the Hampton Court Palace due to some bad memories of his early life associated with the palace.Location Of Hampton Court PalaceWonder where the Hampton Court Palace is located? Let’s find out!It is located about 12 mi (19.3 km) away from the southwest and upstream of central London on the River Thames.Its current address remains Hampton Ct Way, Molesey, East Molesey KT8 9AU, UK.If you wish to visit the palace, it is also easily accessible through public transport.By train, it is just a five-minute walk from the Hampton Court Palace.For bus services, you can get on a bus from either Kingston or Richmond.London Buses routes with routes 111, 216, 411, and R68 will drop you right at the gates of the Hampton Court Palace. What is Hampton Court Palace known for?If you’re still wondering why this palace so famous, continue reading to get your answers.The palace has remained a classic example of Tudor architecture and Baroque designs, which have forever been the most popular attractions.The Hampton Court Palace has attracted many tourists with lavish rooms and royal architecture. But we bet you too, and it’s not just about the design and majestic architecture but also the history associated with it.The Hampton Court Palace has witnessed King Henry Viii’s scandalous love affairs and several other major events from the history pages of the British crown.Naturally, tourists instantly get curious to experience the royal family’s grandeur life.From King Henry VIII losing his beloved wife to King James’ Hampton Court Conference, the Hampton Court Palace has seen it all.These stories also play a huge role in making the Hampton Court Palace a famous attraction among historians, architects, and tourists.The Royal Chapel also had a double window with stained glass, which the Commonwealth later destroyed.Queen Anne commissioned the proper reconstruction of the chapel.Wren decided to redo the ceiling with timber reredos.George I contributed to the Hampton Court Palace with his son’s and wife’s suites.He also commissioned the construction of a new kitchen.The original form of the landscape outside is another reason for it being a popular attraction.One of such spectacular sights is the one with the Great Fountain Garden, which Daniel Marot initially created.The reason behind its spectacularity involves the idea of allowing the yew trees to grow to their present height after they had been neatly pruned.The Hampton Court Gardens and the popular Longway Canal also accommodated the pond gardens.The canal was given a curved extension at the end of the palace by William III.Hampton Court Maze is one of the palace’s most popular attractions.The famous maze was planted in the 1690s by George London and Henry Wise for William III.However, the origins of the maze remain debatable.In the ’60s, the maze was replanted with yew hedges meant to be visitor-proof.The Great Hall was changed into a theater in 1718.King George I also changed the tennis court into an assembly room.Queen Caroline ordered the decoration of the Queen’s stairs’ walls.The architect decided to add some Roman-style designs to the walls.Despite the complaints regarding the inconveniences in the Hampton Court Palace, the visitors kept coming back.A palace is a great place for entertainment, and if you’re looking for some vintage resort, a palace like this is the one you should be looking out for.It is believed that the Queen chose not to reside in this palace because it might not have had enough accommodation for all her family members.She offered this place as a ‘grace and favor’ residence.By the ’20s, the Hampton Court Palace was given new leisure activity additions.These additions also included a new cafe, the Tiltyard café.Annual festivals like the Hampton Court music festival and the RHS Flower Show also contribute to livening up the gorgeous Hampton Court Palace.The spectacular art collection shows off some of the best works from the Royal Collections.Architecture And Design Of Hampton Court PalaceSo, what exactly is the palace made of, and why bother? We’ll tell you why.The Hampton Court Palace is one of the best examples of how English architecture transitioned from the Tudor, heavily influenced by perpendicular Gothic, to classical Italian Renaissance architecture within 30 years.The Hampton Court Palace had a total of 1390 rooms.Henry, during the early 1530s, also decided to add a Great Hall with a hammer-beam roof carved within it.Along with the Great Hall, he also added the Royal Tennis Courts.The palace also contains many spectacular artworks and furnishings that belong to the Royal Collection.The original furniture of the Hampton Court Palace dates back mainly to the 17th and 18th centuries, ranging from tables to the ‘India back’ walnut chairs to clocks.Many state beds have still been well-maintained in their original conditions, along with the Throne Canopy in the King’s Privy Chamber, which also has a crystal chandelier.On the walls of the King’s Guard Chamber are numerous arms ranging from muskets, pistols, swords, daggers, powder horns, and various pieces of armor.Another eye-catching piece is the brilliant Clock Court that adorns the inner court and is still functioning. This Clock Court is an astronomical clock with the sun in the middle representing its rotation around the earth.The clock displays the time of day, date, and month, along with the moon’s phases, the quarter of the year, sun and star signs, and the high water at London Bridge.During the reign of King William III and Mary II, prominent architect Christopher Wren was summoned to work on the redesigning plan of the Hampton Court Palace.The design chosen by Wren had a lot of resemblance to the Palace of Versailles, located in France.However, unlike the Palace of Versailles, the Hampton Court was constructed with a twist that included an extra dimension by creating a fascinating contrast between the pink brick and the pale Portland stone quoins, banding, and frames. Additionally, decorative circular windows on the second-floor mezzanine add further interest to the structure.A similar pattern can also be noticed inside the Fountain Court, but with a faster rhythm and along with the un-pedimented windows of the exterior facades being topped by pointed pediments.In the new wings around Fountain Court, the King and Queen had their own sets of state apartments and private rooms, with each suite of staterooms being accessible by a state staircase.Antonio Verrio painted the frescoes on the King’s staircase, while Jean Tijou crafted the ironwork.The timber and plaster ceiling in the chapel has been regarded as one of the most magnificent and important in British Crown history.This palace is also believed to have been the last of Tudor’s embellishment since Sir Christopher Wren’s redecoration of the chapel.Carved by the fine hands of the sculptor Grinling Gibbons, the chapel’s altar was adorned with plain, massive oak reredos which had garland carvings under the reign of Queen Anne.The floor-level base of the altar contained a seating area for the royal family to attend royal services.Apart from the palace, the grounds of the Hampton Court Gardens remain the same as it was planned by Wren. The only thing that remains from the gardens of King Henry was the knot garden, planted in 1924 as a reminiscence of the 16th century’s garden.The landscaping scheme that Sir Christopher Wren had constructed for the new palace is today the most prominent feature of the palace’s grounds.Three avenues radiate in a unique pattern that resembles a crow’s foot from a semicircular parterre that runs along the length of the east front.The central avenue was excavated during Charles II’s reign in 1662 to construct the long canal known as the Longwater Canal. The design, however, had a close resemblance to the architectural style of Versailles.Encircled by semicircular wrought iron gates on the south of the palace was the wonderful Privy Garden, which was initially a private garden for William III. This was later replanted with manicured hollies and yews in a geometrical pattern.Overlooking the River Thames, we have a raised platform meant to be the Banqueting House, built around 1700. This Banqueting House was built for informal parties and royal outdoor entertainments.We can also find a nearby conservatory housing the ‘Great Vine,’ which was planted in 1769. Guess how big it must have grown by the year 1968? Its trunk grew 18 in (46 cm) thick and grew a length of 100 ft (30.4 m).The palace also had apartments exclusive for the close royal friends, one of which was depicted in the Pavilion.Along with these fabulous attractions, another heart-winning spot was the Hampton Court Maze, built by royal garden designers George London and Henry Wise during the 1690s.The maze was built under the reign of William III and had hornbeam plants originally, but it was later decided to add yew hedges to it.To mark the anniversary of Henry VIII’s accession to the throne, a new garden inspired by a painting, The Family of Henry VIII, was designed in the style of Henry VIII’s 16th-century Privy Gardens, which sits on what was earlier the Chapel Court Garden.This new garden was filled with different flowers and herbs and adorned with majestic gilded beasts and fences painted green and white.These ten beasts were referred to as the ‘King’s Beasts,’ which stood on the bridge leading to the great gatehouse.Bearing the ancestry of Henry VIII and his wife Jane Seymour, these beasts included the majestic lion of England, the Seymour lion, panther, unicorn, the black bull of Clarence, the Royal dragon, the yale of Beaufort, the White Greyhound of Richmond, the white lion of Mortimer, and the Tudor dragon.At the coronation ceremony of Elizabeth II, the four Beasts of the Queen replaced the three items of the House of Seymour and one of the dragons.The ‘Tudor Garden’ was later built by Todd Longstaffe-Gowan in Chapel Court in 2009.The garden was decorated with eight wooden King’s Beasts, painted in bright colors.Carved in English oak, these new beasts included the golden lion of England, the red dragon of Wales, the white greyhound of Richmond, and the white hart of Richard II.These new beasts were also different in design compared to the older ones.
Henry VIII’s pleasure palace, the Hampton Court Palace, is one of those royal palaces that can make you feel like you are in a scene from ‘The Tudors.’
