Hampton Court Palace in England: photo, description, history, schedule

Incredible Hampton Court Palace Hampton Court is one of the most famous palaces to have existed during the Tudor era. At the time when construction began, it was located outside the city – on a large agricultural area. At this stage, the palace is an integral part of London.

Where is

Hampton Court Palace is believed to be the former English royal palace of East Molesey in Surrey. The location of the palace is located almost 20 km to the south-west near Charing Cross and where the river Thames continues. Home Park at the Court can be safely considered the place where the Hampton Court Palace festivals are held every year, as well as various exhibitions, including the Hampton Court Flower Show. Hampton Court is also like St. James, a palace that has survived to this day, and their owner was Henry 8th. The total attendance of this palace is more than 55 million people – this is the most popular and frequently visited attraction in the south-eastern part of England.

Story

Several first buildings of this palace appeared in 1237. Then the land on which it stands was bought by some knights – the Hospitallers, and began to be used as production purposes and in order to store agricultural products there. It later became the property of Daubeny and still later of Thomas Wolsey, a man who was a cardinal, sometime in the middle of the 16th century. The cardinal and Henry the 8th were friends, and the first of them served in the government branch of the second for at least ten years. The palace itself and its annexes, which were intended to accommodate more than half a thousand people, began to be built already in 1541. This country residence of enormous size and incredible beauty was supposed to serve as a showcase for a powerful state – England.

Since 1521, many foreign ambassadors and important political guests had the opportunity to visit the palace.

As the first architectural plan, a small number of palaces were created, which were connected with each other, so at that moment it was customary to build university or monastery buildings. Several of the best rooms, which have been left so far and have not made any changes there, became the main and guest palace. They were built with the aim of providing cozy and comfortable apartments for guests. In each of these rooms there were two rooms – external and internal, as well as the presence of a toilet.

In 1528, Hampton Court Palace became the most important residence in which Henry VIII lived at that time. He expanded and decorated it as best he could, and he was able to complete the construction of the entire palace only by 1541. Then they could make it better, it became even more modern, more complex and more beautiful among all those that were only found in England at that time.

The courtyard contained many tennis courts, bowling alleys, gardens, 1100 acre hunting parks, huge kitchens, a large fine chapel, halls for celebrations and balls, about 30 toilets, then called the House of Convenience. The place of residence of the king, his wife and children is spacious decorated chambers.

Description of the palace

The palace consists of several floors. On the ground floor there is a huge Art Gallery with more than 1,000 paintings. In the first hall of the Royal Receptions, a whole series of portraits of ladies who lived at the court during the time of William Shakespeare is presented, there are about 10 of them, and all the ladies are depicted in full growth.

The gallery's masterpieces include paintings by Raphael commissioned for Pope Leo Jokolo in 1520. These paintings were made more like wallpaper to decorate the Sistine Chapel. They have images of the Gospels, a small number of apostles, and they called them paintings because they are drawn on pieces of paper by hand.

To climb to the halls, which were located on the second floor, it was necessary to use the Royal Staircase. There are many reception rooms, halls for balls, public and private rooms, guest rooms, dining rooms, business offices, many bedrooms, sofa rooms, and everywhere there is a very large number of painted paintings, portraits and other paintings created by the best artists. .

If we talk about the Lower Courtyard, then it has retained the fullness of its original appearance most of all. It is located in the western facade of the palace. Not far from it stands the Clock Court, and it was named so because on the tower of a rather large size there is a clock made around 1540. They can show not only the exact time, but also the month, how many days since the beginning of the year, the phase of the moon, and the time when the water rises near London Bridge.

The White Hall is another ceremonial building that was incredibly loved by Henry the 8th. Although the hall was not too large, it was still full of various chic sculptures, there are ceilings made of natural wood – oak, everything is very rich and decorated with a variety of paintings, statues and other decor. By the way, this hall is considered the most beautiful and chic in all of England.

How to get there

There are two options for getting to Hemton Court – the first is to use the services of an airline and travel by plane, the second is to use the railway. If you are a resident of Europe, then the second option is best, but the first option will be a little shorter and faster.

Upon arrival in London, it is best to take another train. A good option is by bus, but in this case the road will be long and confusing. If you are still traveling by train, then in central London you can take Waterloo station and easily get to Hampton Court, as trains in this direction run every 30 minutes. Travel time will take no more than 40 minutes. Stopping at the station, you will need to cross a small bridge, and you can immediately see the main entrance of the famous palace.

When is it open for tourists

The opening hours of the palace and its luxurious gardens are available to visitors every day from 10 am. In winter it closes around 5pm and in summer it closes until 6pm. There are no days off as such, except for the Christmas holidays – from December 24 to 26.