London 2012: Hampton Court Palace Pt.1

Hampton Court Palace from across the Thames (Info)

If you know anything about me, you know I have this crazy love for British History and almost everything from the Tudor Era. Hampton Court Palace is a huge part of that History, especially with Henry VIII and the Tudor dynasty. The Palace was acquired by Henry's close friend Cardinal Wolsey in the early to mid 1500's. The ownership of the palace was transferred from Cardinal Wolsey after his fall from graces with Henry in the mid 1500's. After that, Henry and his second wife, Anne Boleyn, made lavish improvements and enlargements. 

Later Monarchs continued living in the Palace and making changes along the way. Under William & Mary's supervision architect Sir Christopher Wren, begun work to change the entire Palace grounds and building into a mansion to rival the French Versailles. The design ended up being a balance of Tudor and Baroque style. Work and refurbishment on the palace mostly ended after the passing of William and Mary with some exceptions by later monarchs.  The Pictures I'm posting here are from the Tudor side of the Palace. I'll post from the Gardens and the Baroque side next.

Note to Future Travelers: If you are going to be in London for One - Three days I strongly advise you getting The London Pass. It covers the cost of most entrance fees to Royal Palaces, Attractions, and some special events throughout London, Windsor, and even some in Oxford. Totally worth the cost for an avid sight seer. If you just want to see the palaces, you can go here to the Historic Royal Palaces website and get tickets in advance and skip the lines.

Bridge across the Thames to the Palace Entrance

The Mighty Thames (Info)

Official Hampton Court Palace Website

This is the entrance passage way ceiling. It's so majestic and inviting even. I love this stuff.

Featured are the Tudor Rose and Royal Crest from James I - James II

 

The Base Court with Henry VIII's Great Hall on the Left and the Court Fountain on the right. They have staged theatrical presentations throughout the Palace all during the day. Haha they are pretty funny to watch and if you have kids it will no doubt impact them with great memories.

Base Court Entrance to the Clock Court

Back side of the Main Entrance.

Wall of the Great Hall.

Clock Tower in the Clock Court

Whats left of the Moat. ...and to the inside.

Huge Banner Welcoming Visitors

Old Henry.  (Info)

The Great Hall ...Oh the secrets this place holds. Also, those tapestries on the wall are all original from Henry's time and commemorate his military victories in Scotland and France.

The Ceilings are Majestic. All hand crafted wood.

Stained glass of Royal Family Crest

Love this.

 

The Whisper Gallery at the back of the room ... The Queen and her Ladies in waiting would sit here sometimes at parties and literally "look down upon" guest..

The gathering place for the Lowly Pages of the King.

This is the Cloister for the Chapel Royal. That is the personal Chapel for the King and Queen and where thy had private mass and celebrated special occasions. They don't allow pictures from inside the Chapel but please take a look at some of the professional shots on the official Chapel Royal Website. (Info)

Passage ways and secret halls around the Palace

Words can't express how much it meant to me to be able to visit this place. Haha. This is truly where I get my geek on. These walls hold so much History, secrets, and stories of lives unrecorded. Thanks for the visit Henry.

Up next, Hampton Court Palace: Part 2