Hampton Court Palace

Contents
1. Introduction 2. Interesting Facts 3. History 4. Description 5. Getting There 6. Best Time to Visit

Introduction

Hampton Court Palace, located on the banks of the River Thames, is a magnificent Grade I-listed royal residence with over 500 years of history. Originally built by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey in the early 16th century, it was later acquired by Henry VIII who transformed it into a grand Tudor palace where he brought all six of his wives. The palace features a stunning blend of Tudor and Baroque architecture, with Sir Christopher Wren commissioned by William III and Mary II to build an elegant baroque addition in 1689. Visitors can explore the ornate Base Court, the lavishly decorated State Rooms and Apartments, the sprawling Tudor kitchens, the Great Hall with its spectacular hammer beam roof, and the Chapel Royal. Outside, the palace boasts 60 acres of stunning gardens, including the famous maze dating from 1700, the Great Vine planted in 1768 (now the largest in the world), and beautifully maintained Tudor knot gardens and 18th century Privy Gardens.

Interesting Facts about Hampton Court Palace

• Hampton Court Palace was originally built by Cardinal Wolsey in the early 16th century but was later taken over by King Henry VIII.
• The palace served as a grand Tudor leisure complex, featuring a tennis court that is one of the oldest sporting venues in the world.
• Henry VIII's third wife, Jane Seymour, died at the palace shortly after giving birth to Edward VI, and her ghost is said to haunt the grounds.
• The Great Hall, built in 1532, features a stunning hammer-beam roof and tapestries depicting biblical scenes.
• The astronomical clock, installed in 1540, displays not only the time but also moon phases, zodiac signs, and tidal information for London Bridge.
• William III and Mary II transformed parts of the palace into a Baroque masterpiece under the direction of Sir Christopher Wren.
• The famous Maze in the gardens was planted in the late 17th century and remains a popular attraction today.
• Queen Victoria opened Hampton Court Palace to the public in 1838, making it a major tourist destination ever since.
• The palace kitchens once cooked over 800 meals daily for Henry VIII's court, using approximately 1.3 million logs annually.
• The "eavesdroppers" carved into the Great Hall's roof served as a reminder that conversations could always be overheard.

History

Hampton Court Palace began its transformation from a modest country manor to a magnificent royal residence in 1514, when Cardinal Thomas Wolsey leased the property and initiated extensive rebuilding. However, Wolsey's enjoyment of his lavish palace was short-lived; in 1529, as he fell from royal favour, he gifted the palace to King Henry VIII. Henry immediately began his own ambitious expansion, quadrupling the size of the kitchens to accommodate his court of over one thousand people and adding the Great Hall between 1532 and 1535. The Tudor palace witnessed numerous historic events, including the birth of Edward VI in 1537, the death of Jane Seymour, and the dramatic attempted escape of Catherine Howard through what is now known as the Haunted Gallery.

In 1689, following the Restoration, joint monarchs William III and Mary II embarked on a massive rebuilding project at Hampton Court. They commissioned Sir Christopher Wren, the country's most eminent architect, to transform the ageing Tudor palace into a grand baroque residence fit for 17th-century royalty. Wren's design featured distinctive contrasts between pink brick and pale Portland stone, creating a visual rhythm that distinguishes Hampton Court from its continental counterparts. Although the palace bears some resemblance to Versailles, it maintains a uniquely English character through these architectural elements.

The palace's royal occupation ended in 1760 when George III abandoned Hampton Court as a royal residence, after which much of the palace was given over to 'grace and favour' apartments for aristocrats. In 1838, Queen Victoria opened the gardens and state apartments to the public free of charge, beginning its modern role as a historic attraction. Today, visitors can explore the spectacular baroque palace, the Tudor Great Hall, the famous astronomical clock, and 60 acres of magnificent gardens including the renowned Maze and Great Vine. Hampton Court Palace stands as a remarkable testament to 500 years of British royal history, offering glimpses into the lives of monarchs from Henry VIII to George III.

Description

Hampton Court Palace stands as one of Britain's most treasured royal residences, a magnificent testament to Tudor and Stuart grandeur nestled alongside the serene River Thames in Richmond upon Thames. This extraordinary palace offers visitors an unparalleled journey through centuries of royal ambition, architectural brilliance, and horticultural mastery.

The Palace Exterior

Tudor Magnificence

As you approach Hampton Court, the imposing Tudor west front immediately commands attention. This magnificent red brick façade, with its distinctive black pointing creating a striking chequerboard effect, represents Cardinal Wolsey's original palace before Henry VIII's extensive additions. The Great Gatehouse, flanked by octagonal towers and adorned with terracotta roundels depicting Roman emperors, serves as the grand ceremonial entrance.

The Base Court beyond provides an impressive first courtyard, surrounded by two-storey ranges with mullioned windows and decorative chimney stacks that epitomise Tudor craftsmanship. Look upward to appreciate the ornate astronomical clock on Anne Boleyn's Gateway, a remarkable timepiece that displays not only the time but also the date, phase of the moon, and position of the sun in the zodiac.

Baroque Splendour

Proceeding to the east and south sides reveals Sir Christopher Wren's magnificent Baroque transformation, commissioned by William III and Mary II. The East Front presents a harmonious classical façade with Portland stone dressings, Corinthian columns, and an imposing central pediment featuring a sculpture 'The Triumph of Hercules over Envy'. The balanced proportions, symmetrical windows, and refined ornamentation exemplify the finest Baroque architecture in Britain.

The South Front continues this architectural language with its elegant colonnade and balanced composition. Notice how Wren masterfully integrated his new designs with the existing Tudor structure, creating a palace that narrates the evolution of British architectural tastes across centuries.

The Interior Courtyards

Clock Court

The Clock Court serves as the transitional space between Tudor and Baroque sections of the palace. Here, the astronomical clock takes centre stage, flanked by Wren's classical colonnade. The juxtaposition of architectural styles creates a fascinating visual dialogue between different periods of royal patronage.

Fountain Court

Wren's masterpiece, the Fountain Court, represents the pinnacle of Baroque courtyard design in Britain. This perfectly proportioned quadrangle features elegant arcaded cloisters on all sides, with the upper storey distinguished by tall sash windows and classical pilasters. At its centre, a circular fountain surrounded by immaculate lawns creates a tranquil focal point. The harmonious proportions and refined detailing make this courtyard a sublime architectural achievement.

Base Court and Chapel Court

The Base Court preserves the essence of Wolsey's original palace, with its two-storey ranges of Tudor lodgings. Meanwhile, the intimate Chapel Court provides access to the magnificent Chapel Royal, its exterior distinguished by Gothic windows and buttresses that contrast with the surrounding architecture.

The State Apartments

Tudor State Rooms

The Tudor state apartments offer an immersive experience of 16th-century royal life. The Great Hall stands as the most impressive medieval-style hall built in the Tudor period, featuring a spectacular hammer-beam roof adorned with intricate carvings and pendant posts. The vast space is illuminated by enormous windows with original stained glass panels bearing Tudor roses and royal insignia.

The Great Watching Chamber, with its gilded ceiling and elaborate frieze depicting classical deities, marks the transition to the more private royal chambers. The processional route continues through a series of increasingly intimate spaces, culminating in the Tudor bedchambers with their rich tapestries and ornate four-poster beds.

Baroque State Apartments

William III's state apartments represent the height of Baroque splendour in Britain. The King's Staircase, with its magnificent painted walls and ceiling, provides a suitably grand entrance. The sequence of state rooms increases in magnificence as one progresses, from the Guard Chamber with its impressive display of weapons to the Presence Chamber with its elaborate ceiling and throne canopy.

The King's Dining Room features exquisite limewood carvings, while the Privy Chamber and Bedchamber showcase the finest furniture, textiles, and decorative arts of the period. The Queen's Apartments mirror this arrangement on the south side, though with slightly more intimate proportions and feminine decorative schemes.

The Gardens and Grounds

The Great Fountain Garden

Extending eastward from Wren's façade, the Great Fountain Garden presents a magnificent vista dominated by the Long Water canal. This formal garden features two avenues of meticulously shaped yew trees forming a distinctive funnel shape that draws the eye toward the distant horizon. Thirteen fountains play among geometric lawns and gravel paths, creating a rhythmic progression through the space.

The seasonal planting provides ever-changing colour, with spring bulbs giving way to summer bedding displays and autumn foliage. The conical yew trees, clipped to perfect triangular forms, provide architectural structure throughout the year.

The Privy Garden

The Privy Garden represents one of the most significant historical garden reconstructions in Britain. Meticulously restored to its 1702 appearance, this formal garden exemplifies the geometric precision favoured during William III's reign.

Eight grass plats, edged with low box hedging and filled with intricate embroidery-like patterns of coloured gravel and flowers, create a tapestry effect when viewed from the palace windows. Clipped holly pyramids and yew cones provide vertical accents, while classical statuary depicting Greek and Roman deities adds sculptural interest.

At the garden's edge stands the magnificent Tijou Screen, a masterpiece of ironwork. This elaborate screen features scrolling acanthus leaves, flowers, and royal emblems, demonstrating the highest level of craftsmanship in wrought iron.

The Pond Gardens

Originally Tudor fish ponds that supplied the royal table, these sunken rectangular gardens now showcase exotic plants in a sheltered microclimate. The four walled compartments, with their south-facing aspect, provide ideal conditions for tender species that would struggle elsewhere in the gardens.

Each pond garden has its own distinct character, with one featuring a knot garden of clipped box hedges, another showcasing medicinal herbs, and others displaying exotic flowering plants.

The Lower Orangery Garden

This sheltered garden features espaliered fruit trees against warm brick walls and geometric planting beds filled with citrus trees in summer. The adjacent Orangery building, with its tall arched windows, provides winter protection for tender plants and serves as an elegant garden pavilion.

The Wilderness Garden

Despite its name, the Wilderness is actually a formal arrangement of triangular beds separated by gravel paths, creating a maze-like experience. Originally planted with flowering shrubs and small trees to create a three-dimensional labyrinth, today it offers seasonal displays of bulbs and wildflowers beneath a canopy of mature trees.

The Rose Garden

Located in what was once part of the Tudor tiltyard, the Rose Garden presents a fragrant collection of historic and modern roses. The circular design features concentric beds radiating from a central fountain, with pergolas supporting climbing varieties. The succession of blooms from early summer to autumn provides an ever-changing tapestry of colours and scents.

The Kitchen Garden

This working garden recreates the productive plots that once supplied the royal kitchens. Geometric beds contain heritage varieties of vegetables, herbs, and fruit trees, many of which would have been familiar to Tudor gardeners. Espaliered fruit trees line the walls, while beehives provide pollination and honey.

The Famous Maze

Perhaps the most celebrated feature of Hampton Court's gardens, the maze was planted around 1700 as part of the 'wilderness' garden. Covering a third of an acre with half a mile of paths, this trapezoid puzzle is Britain's oldest surviving hedge maze. The tall yew hedges create a genuine challenge for visitors attempting to reach the central point, with numerous dead ends and false passages along the way.

The Great Vine

In the northwestern corner of the palace grounds stands a horticultural marvel: the Great Vine. Planted in 1768, this Black Hamburg grape vine has grown to become the largest in the world, with a main stem circumference of 4 metres and a length of 36.5 metres. Still producing up to 700 pounds of sweet black grapes annually, this living link to Georgian Hampton Court continues to thrive after more than 250 years.

Seasonal Highlights

Spring

Spring transforms Hampton Court's gardens into a riot of colour, beginning with thousands of daffodils carpeting the lawns and woodland areas. The formal gardens come alive with tulips in geometric patterns, while flowering cherries, magnolias, and camellias add dramatic splashes of pink and white. The Wilderness Garden becomes particularly magical, with bluebells creating a hazy carpet beneath budding trees.

Summer

Summer brings the gardens to their peak, with the Rose Garden in full fragrant bloom and the herbaceous borders overflowing with colour. The Great Fountain Garden's bedding displays create intricate patterns, while the Kitchen Garden showcases abundant produce. The Long Water becomes particularly magnificent on summer evenings, when the setting sun casts a golden glow across its surface.

Autumn

Autumn paints Hampton Court with warm hues as the ancient chestnut avenues and lime walks turn to gold and amber. The Kitchen Garden displays harvest bounty, while dahlias and late-flowering perennials provide final bursts of colour. The Great Vine's leaves turn crimson before falling to reveal the hanging bunches of ripe grapes.

Winter

Even in winter, Hampton Court's gardens maintain their structural beauty. The crisp geometry of the Privy Garden, with its evergreen topiary and gravel patterns, looks particularly striking under frost or light snow. The bare branches of ancient trees reveal their sculptural forms, while winter-flowering shrubs like witch hazel and mahonia provide subtle colour and fragrance.

Getting There

Hampton Court Palace, located on the A308 in East Molesey (KT8 9AU), is easily accessible from London via multiple transport options. The most convenient way to reach the palace is by train, with services running every 30 minutes from London Waterloo, taking approximately 35-40 minutes to Hampton Court station, which is just a 2-minute walk from the palace. Alternatively, visitors can take a train to Kingston or Richmond and connect via bus routes 111, 216, 411, 461, or 513 from Kingston, or the R68 from Richmond. For a scenic journey between April and October, river boats travel along the Thames to Hampton Court Pier. Those driving should follow the brown tourist signs from the M25 (exits 10 or 12) or from the A3 via the A309. Limited paid parking is available on-site (card payment only), with additional parking at Hampton Court Green about 500 metres away. For visitors arriving from London airports, the 111 bus serves Heathrow, while those coming from Gatwick should take a train to Clapham Junction and change for Hampton Court.

Best Time to Visit

For the best experience at Hampton Court Palace, aim to visit on a Wednesday or Thursday morning during term time, when the palace tends to be less crowded. The palace operates on a limited schedule, opening only Thursday through Sunday from 10:00 to 16:00 during regular periods, with the last admission at 15:00. During UK school holidays (Easter, summer, Christmas and half-terms), it opens daily, though these periods naturally attract more visitors. Summer months (mid-July to early September) are particularly busy with both domestic and international tourists seeking warmer weather. Weekends are consistently crowded throughout the year, so a weekday visit is highly recommended. To fully appreciate all that Hampton Court Palace offers—from Henry VIII's Great Hall and Tudor kitchens to William III's apartments and the magnificent 60-acre gardens including the famous maze—allow at least three hours for your visit, though many visitors find themselves wanting to stay longer.