Somewhere in a car park in Richmond...
One of the high points of our UK visit was a bike tour to Hampton Court offered by Mind The Gap Tours. We set off by train from Waterloo Station, alighting at the Richmond stop where our bikes were waiting for us. A few quick seat adjustments and I was ready to go! Once we left the parking lot, we found ourselves in very posh and scenic Richmond. We passed though the remaining bit of the original Richmond Palace (where Henry VIII first spotted Anne Boleyn across the road, eating cake in the park), and underneath the gatehouse where legend has it that Elizabeth I died.
Richmond Palace gatehouse
Back entrance to Richmond Palace
River Thames
We proceeded up a path alongside the River Thames. We were so lucky with the weather...sunny and slightly breezy for the biking portion of the day....
...arriving at Hampton Court early in the afternoon. All along the way, our guide would stop periodically and share some of the history or even a bit of celebrity gossip about the immediate area. (Apparently a lot of Big Names of Rock have homes here.) He even pointed out the spot along the river where the Monty Python Fish Slapping sketch was shot.
Our guide John explains that the newer parts of Hampton Court were built to compete with Versailles in grandeur.
Arriving at the entrance to the old part of the palace, dating from the Tudor era.
We had lunch with some of our fellow tour members at a pub just around the corner from the palace, then with skies darkening, figured we'd best tour the gardens first.There are two joined palaces at Hampton Court, the old one originally built by Cardinal Wolsey (and then "acquired" by Henry VIII when Wolsey fell out of favor for his inability to procure a divorce for Henry from Catherine of Aragon). William III in the following century then added the newer part of the palace, and expanded the gardens, intending to rival Versailles. The gardens were my favorite part of the tour, and were worth the admission price all on their own.
"The Wilderness" garden behind the palaces. This part of the garden is public (free) and left largely natural.
Rounding the corner entrance to the formal gardens, the similarities to Versailles become apparent.
"Long water" pond.
Royal Deer next to the Royal Golf Course. Wonder what those green fees are....
These colors just took my breath away!
The sunken gardens in the pictures above and below were originally (in Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn's time) stocked with fish for eating.
One of the more interesting parts of the tour of the old palace were the kitchens of Henry VIII. They were massive and ran along an entire side of the old palace. There was a kitchen for fish, one for meat, one for pastries, and so on. (Unfortunately, most of the pictures I took in this area, which had very low light, did not come out well. The picture below is the best of the bunch.)
Personal dining room of Henry VII.
The tapestries in this room and other parts of the old palace are reputed to be more valuable than the Crown Jewels. There was a fire at Hampton Court a few years back; fortunately the tapestries weren't damaged, bute they've since been re-mounted on the walls with velcro, so that they can be removed quickly in case of fire.
Ceiling of Henry VIII personal dining hall
Another ceiling detail in the old palace
There were several interesting displays in the new palace area; unfortunately most did not allow photography.
Main courtyard of the old palace, as seen from inside.
By the time we'd finished touring the palace, it had begun to rain. We hopped the train just across the river from Hampton Court, which returned us to Waterloo. If you're thinking about a visit to London, or if you live there and are looking for day tours, I highly recommend this one!Have you visited Hampton Court? Do you take day tours when you travel, or do you prefer to explore on your own?
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