Hampton Court Palace

Last weekend I joined my flatmate, her mum, auntie and cousin on a day out to Hampton Court Palace.  I haven’t been to Hampton Court Palace since I was really young when my uncle was doing a dig there.

Here’s a brief history of Hampton Court Palace: (there is more information on the website)
1494 – Hampton Court medieval manor is occupied and modernised by Giles Daubeney
1514 – Cardinal Wolesly leases Hampton Court Palace and rebuilds it on a grand scale – Henry VIII comes for a visit
1529 – Henry VIII royal workmen take over the building works
1689 – Sir Christopher Wren knocks down parts of the Tudor palace and rebuilds it for King William III and Queen Victoria II
1760 – George III becomes king and abandons Hampton Court Palace as his royal residence
1838 – Queen Victoria opens the gardens and state apartments to the public for free!

As we walked the courtyard it was all set up as market day for some filming that was taking place.   

We made our way round Henry VIII’s Apartments and then on to Mary II’s Apartments.  

In Mary II’s Apartments there was an additional exhibition called Florimania – where all the state rooms were filled with spectacular flower displays.

The weather was still holding out so we trekked outside to the maze!  As I said I haven’t been to Hampton Court Palace since I was young so I remembered the maze being a lot bigger than it actually was – but maybe it’s because I was a lot smaller?! 

I’m not sure we really had a ‘plan’ as such I sort of just followed everyone else in the hope that they knew what they were doing.  Eventually, after only a few wrong turns, we made it to the middle – yay!  Luckily it’s a lot easier to find the exit…

Where is everyone.......?

...oh there they are....

Made it!

Last port of call was Henry VIII’s Kitchens including the kitchen sounds and smells!  We talked to one of the guides/characters who was decorating a marzipan ship who told us about the banquets and feasts.  Apparently a feast is for everyone with lots of meats and desserts but a banquet is for selected guest of the King only and usually took place in more private quarters.  A banquet was all about sugar, sugar, sugar! It was sweet treats and sugar overload all round.

 
Hampton Court Palace is a great place to visit and I think I’m going to take my mum there in the summer!