London-Day 5: Hampton Court

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September 29th 2008

Published: October 5th 2008

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capsfan2002

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Today, my big event was going to be a trip to Hampton Court and then some miscellaneous things in the late afternoon and evening if time. It's my last site seeing day in London. I grabbed the train (only 9 £ roundtrip!) and took the 35 minute ride to Hampton, England.

Hampton Court
You immediately see the property on coming out of the train station. It…is…huge. And I love it. I am a fan of the tudor building style. My dream home would be tudor inspired with a big office/library with floor to ceiling bookcases for all my books. Back to reality…since I was there a little early, I walked around the public garden area for awhile and snapped some pictures and got a lay of the land. The flowers were still very much in bloom. It was also going to be a great photo day with wonderful blue skies with a few white fluffy clouds.

The history on the property is that it was originally built over a 10+year span by Cardinal Wolsey who made a ton of money and had a whole lot of power due to his influence with Henry VIII. Then, things started to go

Yellow Flower

bad for the Cardinal when he was unable to get the divorce for Henry from Catherine of Aragon so Henry could marry Anne Boleyn and hopefully have her crank out his prized male heir that he didn’t think Catherine could do. (It’s really too bad men didn’t know in those days that a child's gender is all up to them.) How crazy was all of Henry’s blustering about a male heir when his daughter Elizabeth took over and became one of the greatest monarchs in British history? ANYWAY…the Cardinal gave Hampton Court to Henry. Just gave it to him. Hoping to save his livelihood and life, he just handed it over. It became a favorite residence of Henry VIII who began renovating with the plans for him and Anne to live there. Unfortunately for Anne, Henry had sent her to the ax before she was able to enjoy much of Hampton Court.

Got my ticket and toured. It's hard to show the hugeness of the place without seeing from above or walking through it. We were not allowed to take any photos of the interior of Hampton Court, only exterior shots but let me say, it was grand in

Main Entrance

its day because it is still grand. It was hard to imagine in some ways because there was little to no furniture inside so not as easy to imagine how it actually looked or was used. There are also very few rooms remaining from Henry VIII’s day as most of the property was renovated under King William and Queen Mary into their baroque style. All that really remains from Henry are some small rooms and a large meeting room, and, of course, some of the outside which is so tudor. However, the property and residence is still stunning. The formal gardens in the back with fountain and pond are beautiful. A river also runs by the property. Flowers of varying colors were still in bloom. The Chapel Royale is stunning. The ceiling is all that remains from Henry VIII's day and it is a gorgeous blue and gold design. There is also Henry's Astronomical Clock on display in one of the courtyards. Other parts of the palace including several rooms, the back exterior and sides were renovated by Christopher Wren into a baroque style. The complex is huge. There are so many buildings all connected by walkways. The kitchens are

Henry VIII Astronomical Clock

incredibly large and must of been a masterpiece of efficiency in their day. The palace is overwhelming in its sheer size. There are also gardens on three sides and the famous maze. Just wonderful to see.

Had lunch at the Tiltyard Café at the Court and it was excellent. Would definitely recommend. Had an excellent meal of sausages with onion gravy and boiled potatoes and vegetables. Very, very filling. Then, it was time to head back to London because I decided that I should try to see a few more things while in London since there was still time! Can't waste a minute...

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