Hampton Court Palace

Hampton Court Palace is probably most well known as the home of the infamous Henry VIII. Here you can see the impressive Tudor frontage, the Great Hall he built with its remarkable hammer-beam roof and the huge kitchens that were used to cook meals for his court of over 1000 people. Also, you will see vestiges of some of 6 queens: Catherine of Aragon’s symbol the pomegranate can be seen above a door frame while Jane Seymour’s arms can be seen on a ceiling, and it is in the Great Watching Chamber that the announcement was made of Catherine Howard’s adultery which would lead to her execution – it is said she ran screaming down the corridor to beg forgiveness from the King while he was at prayer in the Chapel, which we will also see on our tour.

On this tour we will discuss Henry VIII and the Tudor Palace, but we will also discover much, much more. We will start our tour at the station, and cross the river Thames where we will discuss the importance of the river to monarchs over the centuries. On entering the Palace we will discuss how, in 1236 the Knights Hospitallers of St John Jerusalem acquired the Manor of Hampton and used it as a grange, or centre for their agricultural estates, before it was leased in 1508 to Cardinal Wolsey, Henry VIII’s Chief Minister. He carried out vast building works and turned the manor into a magnificent palace, and we will discuss his architectural innovations as well as his life.