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Hampton Court Palace

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Editor Pick

The House of Henry

  • October 28, 2009
  • Rated 3 of 5 by Absy_Baby from Radlett, United Kingdom
On Saturday 1st August, I went to Hampton Court Palace. I have never been before and it is somewhere I have been very interested in visiting. This is mainly because I love history, monarchs, especially Henry VIII and architecture.

What better place to visit than Henry's house (or one of them) in the lovely area of Surrey. I must admit my ammunition after all this time to finally go was after watching channel 4's Henry - Mind of a Tyrant and a Time Team special on Henry/Hampton Court Palace.


The Location
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Hampton Court Palace is located in Surrey, on the banks of the River Thames. It is within the M25 and not far from the start of M3 and the M4. There are brown attraction signs located from the M25 signposted throughout the route to Hampton Court Palace.

Hampton Court Palace
East Molesey
Surrey
KT8 9AU


Parking
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There is 2 pay and display car parks outside the grounds, within walking distance. Parking costs approximately £0.80 per hour. You must display your ticket in the car in view.

There are 2 car parks within the grounds too. The Green car park costs £0.50 per hour. The Palace car park costs £3.50 for the first 3 hours and then £0.50 per hour after.


Price
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Adult: £14.00 or £13.00 online in advance.

Adult Group 15+: £12.60 (each person)

Children under 16 (over 5): £7.00 or £6.50 online in advance.

Children under 5: Go Free

Concessions (students and over 60's): £11.50 or £10.50 online in advance.

Family ticket (2 adults and 2 children): £38.00 or £35.00 online in advance.


Hampton Court Palace
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Hampton Court Palace offers a lovely historical setting, inside you can see:

Henry VIII Apartments/Accommodations.

Henry VIII Great Hall (The oldest theatre and greatest medieval hall in England today).

Henry VIII: Head and Hearts - watch and be part of the wedding of Henry and sixth wife Kateryn Parr.

Henry VIII Kitchens and Tudor cooking.

Young Henry VIII Exhibition.

Henry's Women Exhibition (this is the reason we went on 1st August, as it closed on the 2nd August and I wanted to see it).

The Gardens and the Maze.

The Royal Chapel.

and more.


Food and Drink
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The Privy Kitchen coffee shop - originally Elizabeth I's private kitchen it is now open to the public offering hot and cold drinks, cakes and pastries, sandwiches and light lunches. There is also a children's menu.

Tiltyard café - originally used by Henry VIII for jousting, it is a large, space with a large choice of food and drink. All food is homemade and changes seasonally. You do not need to buy admission to the palace in order to visit the Tiltyard café.


What I Thought!
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Overall Hampton Court Palace is a grand old house located in a picturesque setting on the bank of the River Thames, I really liked the setting and could see why it's popular and can understand why it is such an in demand wedding venue.

We walked around Henry's apartments, and they are quite eerie, everything is set out like he could still live there, although it does feel like a museum. We also made the mistake of going to the other apartments thinking they were Henry's but in fact they were William III's Apartments, much to our immediate confusion. Admittedly they were a lot quieter than Henry's.

The biggest reason we went the weekend we did was due to the exhibition of Henry's Women. We soon found where this was, and had to join a queue to enter the exhibit.

I must admit the biggest disappointment was the exhibit itself, we entered after a half an hour wait to discover one small room with 6 cabinets in, one for each wife, it gave a brief history of what date Henry and that wife met, married and when they parted ways and by what means. We had queued for half an hour to walk round a room no bigger than my bedroom to read information that is freely available on the internet or in history books. I was thoroughly disappointed.

The Young Henry exhibition was good; it was spread out over many rooms, with snippets of information on placks, projected on the walls and on chairs that were throne imitations. I found this really interesting and although I'd seen Henry: The Mind of a Tyrant on TV, I still learned more and really got a feel for Young Henry.

The maze was included in our ticket, but if you didn't pay to go inside you had to pay for the maze separately, £3.50. The maze was relatively small; it used to be a lot bigger according to the information, which was quite disappointing as I was expecting something like the one in Alice in Wonderland. Perhaps that's my over active imaginations fault.

I enjoyed the day out, and it was good because the sun was out, and a lot of it walk ways and paths are outside, we also got to wander around the gardens and enjoy the gorgeous plants and colours.

This is a nice day out; I just wouldn't get too excited about exhibitions and treat it more like an experience. I am pretty sure you can find 99% of the information out via other means, but it is nice to visit Henry's house!

From journal English Treasures

Hampton Court Palace - Don't Miss It History Buffs

  • February 12, 2009
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Lannb26 from St. Louis, Missouri
Hampton Court Palace - Don't Miss It History Buffs

If you're only in London for a week, going to Hampton Court might seem daunting as it's not right in London. Truth is though, its very accessible from London proper - you can take a train directly from Waterloo station to a train station just a couple blocks away from the palace. And come on, 50 minutes on a train is actually pretty relaxing. Watch the 'panorama' go by.

Hampton Court (if you don't already know) was at one time Henry VIII's digs. Down the line it was also William and Mary's, but they're second on the list - particularly since they attempted to knock down all of the Tudor architecture in favor of something more modern and to their tastes (you can see the obvious clash as you walk around). William, though, eventually needed all the money he could lay his hands on to monger up some wars with the French, so the demolition was stopped.

If you're a student - like me - a ticket will set you back about 10 pounds, but its worth it. Huge grounds, great architecture, plucky in-costume 'Tudor' guides. Tons of rooms to roam around in. I also set down some more money for the tour by headphone (where you punch the number in when you're looking at something with a placard). Definitely worth it.

Oh, and for you HBO John Adams fans - scenes from when John came for an audience with King George were filmed here.

- the website for Hampton Court Palace: http://www.hrp.org.uk/hamptoncourtpalace/
Editor Pick

Hampton Court Palace

  • October 30, 2007
  • Rated 5 of 5 by barbara from Atlanta, Georgia
Hampton Court Palace

Hampton Court Palace was built by Henry VIII's most powerful cardinal. When he fell from grace, Henry decided the palace would be a good house for him to own. It shifted into royal hands where it would stay.

Where is the Palace? Though within the M25, Hampton Court Palace is not in the heart of London. King Henry used to take a ride on the River Thames to get to it, which you can also do from Westminster in the summer. Conversely, you can take a 35 minute train ride from Waterloo Station in London. I drove a car from Gatwick airport, and it took me about an hour to make the trip. There is limited, paid parking, but the on-site lot looked like it filled up fast. (We were there as soon as the castle opened.) For the day, parking set me back about £6.

What is there to see? First, this is a Tudor palace, so there is a special draw here for anyone who is fascinated with King Henry VIII. His only legitimate son, Prince Edward, was born at Hampton Court Palace. You can visit the chapel where prayers of mourning were said for Edward's deceased mother, Queen Jane, shortly after the baby's baptism. You can also walk down a corridor that is supposed to be haunted by Henry's fifth wife, Catherine Howard. Legend has it that she left her room to plead for mercy from the king but was dragged away screaming by guards. She was beheaded later at the Tower for adultery. You can also see the Great Hall that was built in honor of another beheaded wife, Anne Boleyn. Here, Henry VIII is in the middle of a giant stained glass window, flanked by the coat of arms of all six of his wives.

But the palace's history does not end in Tudor times! King William and Queen Mary left a big mark on the place as they updated the buildings. They also planned much of the gardens including the famous yew maze, which is certain to be a hit with kids.

Then there came the reign of the Georges. Decorated as they were in 1737, you can see the apartments of King George II and his wife Queen Caroline.

ALL of these places are brought to life by an excellent audio tour that caters to adults and kids that you can take at your own pace.

Special Events: I visited Hampton Court during a half-term holiday in which characters in period dress served as live guides on the grounds. If you can go when activities like this are planned, please do. The events put on by the palace were fantastic. My son even enjoyed the lesson in Latin that was given by the young Prince Edward's "Tudor tutors."

Some Important Details: Entry into the palace is £13 per adult, £6.50 per child. Hours change with the season, so check the palace's website -www.hrp.org.uk/HamptonCourtPalace - before your visit.

We spent an entire day at this one attraction.

From journal Lads in London

Editor Pick

Hampton Court Palace

  • March 15, 2007
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Goseek from Flower Mound, Texas
Hampton Court, or how to impress your kids.

Hampton Court is a great day trip from London. Easily reached by train and bus, you pass through towns and watch as the locals go about their business, and the schoolchildren, in uniforms, act just like schoolchildren anywhere.

Upon arrival, you’ll walk just a couple of streets to the palace entrance. This place is huge so plan on a full day. I do recommend the guided tours or at least the self-guided audio tours. Otherwise you miss out on so many details that make it all come alive. There is a huge courtyard with a giant clock, and from there you can go to the palace rooms, the kitchens, or continue on to the gardens and the maze.

Taking the tour, you’ll hear about the protocol of life in the time of King Henry VIII. The armory room has a dazzling display of swords and knives from floor to ceiling (a new definition of interior design!) After we learned about the waiting rooms, we went back out to the courtyard to determine our next move. My husband, not a shy man, approached a nearby palace employee, pointed to our three middle-school aged children, and asked his advice for the best use of our remaining two hours before the palace close. The man smiled and waved us over. He then proceeded to give us a private tour, engaging the children, telling anecdotes, and showed us some less visited areas. As we walked, I noticed other employees tipping their hats in greeting to him, including a resident clergyman in full religious dress (some still live there, as a benefit of their retirement, our guide explained). After about 45 minutes, he instructed us to go to the maze, and wished us well.

My children looked at me with huge eyes and said "Mom, how did you arrange that?" (Now, let’s not ruin my mystique, not yet. They’ll figure it out when they’re older.)

We continued on to the amazing maze. I stood in the central observatory tower to watch and direct as my engineer husband determined his way out. The children loved just running around between the hedges, finding all the dead ends. We eventually had to lead them out.

It was a glorious day for our family of shared adventures and new experiences. When we got back to the states, I did some research and learned that our private guide was actually the head director of the palace! I wrote him a thank-you letter and enclosed photos. Hampton Court is a wonderful and fascinating place to visit, and his personal touch taught us all to take chances, talk to people, and seek out a higher level of experience.

Hampton Court Palace is one of the British Heritage Pass properties. This is a great value for travelers who plan to visit a variety of places. You can learn more at www.britishheritagepass.com

From journal Adventures in England for the New Worlder

Editor Pick

Hampton Court Palace

  • May 1, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by MikeInTown from Norristown, Pennsylvania
Hampton Court Palace

This was my first trip across the Pond, and my first visit to a palace. Hampton Court Palace did not disappoint.

We took a 40-minute train ride from Waterloo Station to Hampton Court Station. From there it was a short walk to the palace entrance. During the period of years between the 1500s and the 1700s, Hampton Court Palace was the home of several English rulers such as Henry VIII, William III, and Queen Victoria. The property is quite big and you could easily spend several hours exploring it. We were there on a chilly, rainy Thursday afternoon in May. As we wandered the courtyards, gardens, and Tudor Kitchens it seemed like we were the only tourists there.

Tours are offered at no additional cost above the admission price. The tour guides are dressed in medieval fashion. They walk you through the various sections of the palace such as the kitchen, the courtyards, the chapel, and the apartments. My wife and I did two guided tours: William III Apartments and Henry VIII Apartments. The guides were very knowledgeable and seemed eager to tell us about the palace. Since there was only the guide, my wife, and I on the tours, we had more of a conversation than a lecture. Despite the relaxed atmosphere, no photography or video is allowed inside the palace.

We were shown ornate furniture, artwork, entertainment halls, and bedrooms. What really made an impression on me were the large, elaborate tapestries that have been hanging in the palace for over 400 years. As we were guided from room to room, the tour guides told us stories about the lives of William III and Henry VIII. We were shown the halls where their guests were entertained and then shown the private rooms that would have been off limits to anyone who was not very close to the royal family. Henry VIII lived extravagantly at the palace, but his greed, paranoia, and desire to have a son led to the execution of some of his wives and others around him.

As with many old buildings (especially those related to tragedy), rumors of ghosts have begun to circulate over the years. Our tour guide for the Henry VIII tour took us to a corridor where people have reported feeling temperature drops, something brushing against them, and even apparition sightings. Fortunately, we did not experience any of those things. Our tour guide told us she'd never had those experiences either.

After the guided tours, my wife and I decided to walk outside to see the Privy Gardens. These gardens are meticulously maintained to look as William III would have seen them. I'm not a horticultural type but I was impressed by the array of bright, colorful flowers and their pleasant aroma that filled the air.

Before we knew it, it was almost closing time. We had enjoyed our time there. Situated a short distance from London, Hampton Court Palace is a great sightseeing excursion.

From journal London - Enjoyable Activities

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