London Hampton Court Palace
London Hampton Court Palace is located in south west London, about
12 miles from Charing Cross, on the River Thames. It is one of the historical Royal Palaces of England. The mammoth Palace building stands majestically on 6 acres surrounded by 60 acres of beautiful gardens. The construction of the Palace was started in 1514 by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey and later it was gifted to King Henry VIII, of Tudor dynasty, who made lot of changes there, and ruled for more than 37 years. Though there were other kings who also lived in this royal palace, the name of Henry VIII is more associated with Hampton Court Palace LondonKing Henry VIII was crowned at the age of 17, and had a lavish life. He had married six times, and died at the age of 55. Among his six wives, he divorced two of them, and beheaded two wives. A visit to this historical Palace is a must during your London visit. There are plenty to see and do. Some of them are the following - - The beautiful architecture of the London Hampton Court Palace -two distinct contrasting architectural styles, domestic Tudor and Baroque.
- The amazing artwork and epicurean furnishings and décor that adorn this massive palace. The most important works are Mantegna's Triumphs of Caesar housed in the Lower Orangery
- Costume guided tours to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Henry’s accession to the throne. (You can meet the King and his new Queen, who come to meet the visitors and talk about their wedding, if you are there on time).
- Tiltyard Café When we reached there it was almost lunch time, so turned to the left and stepped into the Café. There was a wide range of delicious food to choose, for your tasty buds.
- The famous Tudor Kitchens
- Henry VIII’s State Apartments and the Great Hall
- The gatehouse to the second, inner court was adorned in 1540 with a Copernican Astronomical Clock, which is still working.
- Royal Tennis Court
In the Garden area, you can enjoy the breathtaking landscape and expansive acreage of perfectly maintained flowers, shrubs, and trees like - - Privy Garden with original varieties of plants and marble sculptures
- Tiltyard walls with a wide range of wall shrubs
- 20th Century Garden with ornamental trees, shrubs, and hornbeam hedges. A great place to sit and relax.
- Great Vine planted in 1768 is still producing good crop every year.
- The Maze, world's oldest maze, with winding pathways surrounded by towering 7ft-high yew tree walls. It is easy to get enjoyably lost here. It is safer to walk to your left, as we did, than just blindly following the people ahead of you.
- Gift shops
You need to take tickets for visiting this Palace. For more details please visit Hampton Court Palace site
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