When: September 23, 2011
With: Dad and Debbie
While my dad and Debbie were in town, we had a hard time determining tourist activities because my dad had spent "three days in London in 1973 while backpacking Europe". I successfully suggested that we go to Hampton Court. While I had been before, it's one of my favorite places here, and I was more than happy to return.
Hampton Court is a 30 minute train ride outside of London on Southwestern from the Waterloo station. It has been home to many kings, but the one who made it famous was Henry VIII, who lived here with several of his wives.
You enter up the long pathway to the main gates, pretty similarly to how people would have been received at court hundreds of years ago...which is pretty cool. Here's some of the castle's guards - I didn't get pictures of the main front because it was being refurbished and didn't look photo-worthy.
After entering through the main gates, you are in this courtyard. Our free audio guides informed us that your carriage would have dropped you off here, and the rooms you would have stayed in are the windows that surround this courtyard.
This fountain was in the middle of the courtyard, welcoming guests.
This man was also sitting in the courtyard. He was apparently terrified we would steal his pitcher of water.
After proceeding through the main courtyard, we came upon the second courtyard. Not sure what you'd do here, but it was very pretty.
We did a short tour that took you through the "Early Years of Henry the VIII". They had these 3 "thrones" throughout the exhibit that each explained the role of Henry, his first wife Catherine, and the king's advisor, Cardinal Wosley, through the years. Dad obviously shot for the king's chair.
The ceilings in these places were unbelievably cool.
So this isn't the best picture, but it was a cool story. Apparently it was common to etch graffiti into the mantles of the stone fireplaces back in the day. This was some Italian etched into the Cardinal's fireplace that they think he did himself. Pretty crazy to see 600 year old graffiti.
After the "early years", we were suddenly launched forward in time to the late 1600s when William III and Mary II lived here. They commissioned Sir Christopher Wren (the guy who built St. Paul's Cathedral) to rebuild the south apartments. This was the entrance to the apartments:
This room stored all the weapons for William. While they are decoratively laid out, the soldiers would often sleep in this room in the event of an invasion (I think there was a war going on). Apparently, once a year, everything was removed, polished, and put back...that would suck to have to do!! This room was also used as a receiving room for guests.
If you were important enough, you could get past the weapon room into the next receiving room. It actually went on like that for the entire side of the mansion: each successive room was more and more private, and the further in you got, the more important you were.
Clearly I'm VIP to have made it this far
After a few receiving rooms, you got into what was the king's bedroom. Apparently he didn't ever sleep here though...this was just a bed for show...? They support this by the fact that the artwork over the top would have been upside down for anyone laying in bed...so clearly it was there for the people that were just visiting.
The only room they think the King actually hung out in, his study. This was his original desk.
After moving downstairs, there is a long promenade that would have stored citrus trees in the winter months.
Honestly, I stopped listening to the guide at this point (I'm actually impressed I listened this long). I'm assuming this was a dining room. It was just off the promenade. We ironically stopped for lunch after this.
After eating, we felt up to attempting the maze on the grounds. It was built in 1700 for William III. Now, last time I was here, I did not make it out...well, I obviously did make it out...but I think I went back out the entrance. The point of the maze is to actually to get to the center, and I know I didn't accomplish that last time.
After informing these two about my difficulties last time I was here, they were clearly terrified upon entering.
With relatively few wrong turns, we made it to the centre (as the British say).
After the maze, we started our walk around the grounds. I love the goomba trees!
We attempted to see a game of Royal Tennis. It looks very different from regular tennis. My pictures weren't very good, but this is because you weren't supposed to use a flash. However, my father seems to think he is above such rules, and after probably blinding the two old men using the courts with his triple flash, he ran out while I was standing there, dutifully attempting to take photos without a flash, making me look like the culprit.
After the small detour to the tennis courts, we headed back out to the grounds.
This was the start of my favorite part of the garden, on the south side of the house.
So the windows on the second floor are all those receiving rooms that we went through, and the first floor is the room that stored the citrus trees. They built all those rooms to be sure they could see the grounds from the windows.
Some of those citrus trees I was talking about.
Another one of my favorites in these gardens: the arched walkway. It was closed for its annual hedging, but I was able to get a shot.
Here we are, in a particularly colorful part of the garden:
Apparently Hampton Court is home to the Guinness world record holder of longest grapevine. Who knew?
Unfortunately, the fact I actually live in London settled in during this beautiful day, and we needed to leave so that I could be home in time for the cable guy to come install our cable...of course we left and he never showed up. So hopefully another time we can see the other half of the palace.
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