In answer to the question, "Where have you always wanted to go," everyone has a dream destination in mind. For me, it was always London. British history has always been my first academic love. Kate had a temporary assignment in the city so I had a nice flat to stay at, and Kate's friend, Colin, came over from Maryland. He is the ideal sightseeing buddy - friendly, interested in the history, unafraid of getting lost and very nice to the old broad when she gets tired.
Hampton Court Palace was our first sightseeing stop and well worth the train trip to Richmond. The palace lies upstream of Central London on the River Thames, the common route back in the day. Gliding upriver on a boat versus a jolting trip on rutted roads - not a hard choice.
Hampton Court was built by Cardinal Wolsey beginning in 1514. After Henry VIII cast covetous eyes on it, Wolsey - in a vain attempt to keep his head - gave it to the king in 1529. Henry and successive monarchs enlarged, renovated and redecorated the palace in an effort to rival Versailles. Work was halted in 1694 which left the palace in two distinct architectural styles, domestic Tudor and Baroque. It all comes together in unity due to the use of the same pink bricks and symmetry of low wings.
King Henry added many features to the palace, including the Great Hall, the royal tennis court, the famous clock and a vast kitchen complex. Jane Seymour gave birth to Henry's son, the future Edward VI, there (and died two weeks later). His fifth wife, Catherine Howard, was dragged screaming from a gallery leading to the chapel before being tried and executed for adultery. Mary I spent her honeymoon with Philip II of Spain at Hampton Court. James I commissioned the King James Bible there, and for Charles I it was the site of his honeymoon and later his prison before being beheaded. William and Mary began a massive rebuilding of the old-fashioned palace in 1689, designed by Christopher Wren who replaced much of Henry's Tudor palace. Later Queen Anne lived there as did George I and II, the last monarchs to reside there.
Today, the palace is a popular tourist destination, the locations for festivals and flower shows and the site of numerous art, ceramic, porcelain and furnishings from the royal collections. It is one of only two surviving palaces owned by Henry VIII (the other is St. James). I'm doing three blogs on the palace, one on the exterior and two on the interiors.
Imagine floating up the Thames from London, riding on a plush royal barge. I can just see Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn arriving at the dock.
So you might think it's mid-winter. No, it was mid-May, and I almost froze to death!
The land front gates
Presumably this dragon guards the palace from the enemies of England.
This dog looks just like the Great Dane we had in the 1970s.
Two pictures of the Base Court, the first inner court
This same "pink" (although I'd call it red) brick was used over the centuries for building and rebuilding the palace.
Me with "Henry VIII"
Small comfort to have a gate named for her, only to lose her head!
The Clock Court is the second inner court that was adorned by a post-Copernican astronomical clock in 1540. The clock still functions, showing the time of day, phases of the moon, month, quarter of the year, date, sun and star sign and high water at London Bridge (important for those arriving by water).
There are many beautiful gardens at the palace. I became confused as to which was which after a while and even more so later while trying to figure out which picture was which. Suffice it to say that among the gardens is a knot garden, a Long Water garden, Privy Garden and the famous Hampton Court Maze (that covers 1/3 of an acre and 1/2 mile of paths).
Pictures of some of the gardens
This is the "Great Vine," a grapevine planted in 1769. Its trunk is 81 inches thick and is 100 feet long, and it still produces an annual crop of grapes. A nearby small field is left unplanted because the vine's roots extend so far.
Kate and Colin framed by a lovely large wisteria plant
OMG Karen, your Hampton Court photos are great! And yes, it's so much better to float up to the place than drive and park....all the better to imagine you're a young Anne Boleyn...
ReplyDeleteIf you haven't yet watched Showtime's The Tudors, you're so ready! Costumes, gardens, minus the cold weather.
I'm reading The Other Boleyn Girl and actually feeling better about my suburban EveryWoman status. Wouldn't trade for being the female political pawn that these women were. Yikes!
I know that you and Bob are appreciating every minute of your European adventure; it's an opportunity that most people don't get.
Cheers,
Devon