Hampton Court Palace was built in the 1500s for the chief minister of King Henry VIII, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. However, its fame comes from the fact that by the 1530s it was home to one of England’s most memorable kings, Henry the VIII. After all, how many kings had six wives and beheaded two?
In its heyday, Hampton Court was a Royal home with a vast leisure complex. The King used it to demonstrate his power and greatness with lavish banquets, expensive art, and by leading an extravagant court life.
England’s first and only joint monarchs, King William III and Queen Mary II, also resided at the palace in the late 1600s. And King George II was the last monarch to reside here. Hampton Court Palace is now owned by King Charles III and the Crown of England but managed by the Historic Royal Palaces, an independent charity.
The Tudor era palace opened to the public in 1838 by decree of Queen Victoria and it now attracts millions of visitors each year. It can be visited as a day trip from London.
Visiting Hampton Court Palace
As you wander the huge halls there are displays setup commemorating each of Henry the VIII’s wives along with much of the history of the palace. Look over the fabulous historic art collections and imagine the ghosts that must be wandering the hallways.
The grandiose palace along the shores of the Thames River is spectacular from every angle. Be sure to see the astronomical clock in the courtyard and marvel at the Great Hall.
Imagine the activity that must have taken place in the palace’s kitchens. They even had a dedicated chocolate kitchen! Yum!
When we visited, the Chapel Royal was under renovation, but we got a glimpse, and its interior looked stunning.
In the William’s III wing, there was an elaborate display of folded napkins. Who knew you could turn them into art!
Before you exit onto the gardens there is also a small exhibit about the Indian Army marching through the palace’s gates and out onto the grounds in 1919 where they camped for two months.
Hampton Court Palace Gardens
We took the short £5 Shire horse tram ride in the Formal Gardens. The grounds are vast and it’s a great place to get pictures of the palace from various angles.
Don’t miss the small entrance to the Privy Garden. After it was first constructed, King William III noticed that it blocked his view of the Thames, so he had it all dug up and lowered by removing tons of earth and converting it into a sunken garden. Must be nice to be the King!
Within the garden area you can also see the Great Vine. Listed in the Guinness book of world records, the base of the vine measures 13 feet (4m) around. The longest single vine is almost 120 feet long (37m). It can produce almost 1,000 pounds of black dessert grapes in a crop.
Conclusion
Our tickets to the castle allowed us to enter multiple times and as we were staying across the street, we were happy to return in the late afternoon to wander around when there were less people. The afternoon light was also just right on the castle walls. While the palace didn’t have the lavish carvings and furnishings we’d seen at some other historic palaces and monuments, it was an impressively big complex and definitely a must-visit.
You can see the castle and tour the gardens in about 3-4 hours if in a rush, but it’s easy to spend most of a full day here. As we returned after lunch and went through some of the same courtyards and rooms, more details sprung to light. Like many of these historic sites, the more you look the more you see! We appreciated the site even more and highly recommend taking your time during your visit.
Visiting Hampton Court Palace was a good start to our Southern England road trip.
Good to know
- There were plenty of signs throughout the palace with information about Hampton Court and its occupants. But for those who prefer there is also a free audio guide.
- Be sure to keep your entry ticket as it is valid for a year.
- The palace can be reached by train from Waterloo Station making it easy to visit as a day trip from London.