Hampton Court in London

Despite the fact that the prelates of the Roman Catholic Church made a vow of material poverty, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey built the Hamton Court residence in London defiantly luxurious. The palace was in no way inferior to the royal castles. The building has been perfectly preserved, and today tourists can enjoy the beauty of the complex.

Construction history

The palace was built by the Archbishop of York Thomas Wolsey in the early 16th century. In 1514, the prelate bought a plot of land on the banks of the Thames from the Order of the Hospitallers. Construction began in 1515 and ended in 1525. The ensemble was created by architects from Italy, they also chose the style: a combination of Gothic and Renaissance. The purpose of the complex is the personal residence of the cardinal. But soon Wolsey was forced to donate the palace to the second king of the Tudor dynasty - Henry VIII. This is a gift with meaning: the archbishop hoped to improve relations with the authorities.

But the attempt was in vain: by order of the king, Wolsey was arrested, and soon he died in prison. The residence remained in the ownership of the English crown. Henry VIII immediately moved his residence to Hampton Court. There she remained until the 18th century. The king improved the interior decoration of the premises: he added to the collection of the archbishop's tapestries from 600 pieces to 2000. The chambers of the castle were redesigned by order of the new owner: the Main Guard Room was placed in front of the private chambers. A guard was on duty here, the petitioners awaited the appointed audience. But the architectural styles have been preserved.

In the 17th century, the complex experienced a rebirth: William III of Orange and his wife Maria II became its owners. During their reign, the second part of the ensemble was rebuilt. The architect Christopher Wren was invited to carry out the work. This part of the complex is characterized by the Baroque style. Wilhelm and Maria wanted to transform the ensemble on the banks of the Thames into a kind of Versailles. They set up a regular park, made a maze. The interiors of the palace were renovated. But in 1694, Queen Mary died. Saddened, Wilhelm lost interest in the complex and stopped work.

The last monarch to have a residence at Hampton Court was George II. He renovated the interiors of the palace and completed the layout of the park. After his death in 1760, the ensemble fell into disrepair. In the 19th century, by order of Queen Victoria, the complex was restored and made open to the public. It was run by the British government. From 1998 to the present, the Historical Royal Palaces Foundation is responsible for the maintenance of the ensemble.

Henry VIII and his family

Henry VIII is the second king of the new Tudor dynasty. It was founded after the end of the War of the Scarlet and White Roses by Henry VII (a supporter of the Scarlet Rose dynasty) and Elizabeth of York (a representative of the White Rose dynasty). The dynastic flower of the Tudors was the scarlet rose, which has a white core.

Second King Tudor

Henry VIII began to rule the country at the age of 18. He had an intemperate disposition, which was combined with love. In those days, England was a Catholic country. But such a religion did not allow the king to divorce his tired wife, Catherine of Aragon. Bishop Wolsey could have helped (divorces in royal families at that time met), but he did not want to bother with the Pope about this delicate matter.

This is what put an end to the once warm relationship between the prelate and the monarch. Wolsey was arrested, Henry founded a new church (Anglican), and appointed himself head. Such a demarche would not have been possible if dissatisfaction with Rome had not accumulated in the society of that time. But Henry finally believed that he was above the power of heaven. Such impunity did not pass without a trace: his vices blossomed in a magnificent color.

Bluebeard's Wives

King Bluebeard has acquired the sad habit of getting married:

1. After the divorce, he immediately married Anne Boleyn. The marriage turned out to be short-lived: after 3 years, Henry was tired of his wife. He accused her of infidelity, and for clarity, he executed. In addition, he was already carried away by Anna's favorite, Jane Seymour. From a short marriage, a daughter was left, who later became Queen Elizabeth 1.
2. Bluebeard was not alone for long. Another wife, Jane Seymour, gave him a son (later King Edward VI). But the queen died in childbirth.
3. The widower was shown a portrait of Anna Klevskaya. The king liked the image and he decided to marry again. But the original disappointed Henry, and for good reason. The court artist did not personally meet with Anna, he used the already existing ceremonial portrait. Most likely, both painters embellished the original. For political reasons, I still had to get married. And if the wife is not nice, then you can get a divorce. The prudent Anna agreed to dissolve the marriage and was right: she received the life-long title “beloved sister of the king” and permission to attend all official events. The lady remained a rich bride: as a reward for her docile nature, she received estates and gracious permission to remarry at will. Anna did not use this right.
4. Not all of Bluebeard's wives were so sensible. Catherine Howard allowed herself to continue to have lovers after her marriage to the king. Naturally, the scaffold was soon awaiting her.
5. The last wife of the second Tudor managed to be married twice and twice widowed. Catherine Parr and the King survived and then remarried for the fourth time.

Three children from 6 marriages of Henry at one time ascended to the royal throne: Mary I, Elizabeth I and Edward VI. Mary was nicknamed Bloody Mary because of her father's indomitable character inherited by her. The life story of the first crowned owner of Hampton Court is painted in crimson tones. It is not surprising that the ghosts of Bluebeard's wives roam the galleries and chambers of the castle.

The interiors of the palace

The restoration has preserved the main interiors of the castle. Tourists are invited to see:

1. Royal cuisine. This room is striking in its size. However, this is not surprising: the whole army of households and guests had to cook. During the restoration, the soot was preserved, which covers the wall to the ceiling by the huge stove. Kitchen utensils, dishes, models of pies and breads are located on tables and shelves. The second half of the kitchen is functional. Here, dressed up chefs prepare dishes from the time of Henry Tudor and share the recipes with those who wish.



2. Big hall. Bishop Wolsey did not anticipate the presence of this room. The hall was rebuilt for his own needs by the new owner - the king. The monarch himself and his family members with his retinue and guests dined there. Tourists do not pass by a bay window with colored stained-glass windows. The carved wooden floors, darkened from time to time, have been preserved. The interior is complemented by tapestries and hunting trophies.
3. Galleries and transitions. This is a feature of medieval buildings: this way you could get into any part of the castle. The Ritual Pass gallery is noteworthy. It got its name due to the fact that on Sundays, Henry Tudor went from his private chambers to prayer (rite) to the chapel. Catherine Howard, convicted of treason, ran along the same gallery to the king, wanting to justify herself. But she did not run: she was intercepted by the guards. And in the narrow passage to the Great Hall to the right of the entrance, the Tudor coat of arms is carved from stone - a rose, and to the left - pomegranates, the emblem of Catherine of Aragon.



4. Royal apartments. They contain an excellent collection of tapestries, porcelain, paintings by Raphael, Brueghel, silver dishes.
5. Armory. The walls are adorned with intricately intertwined blades.
6. The main guard room. This place is for guards. But the courtiers and ambassadors awaited the appointed audience there. The room is divided by tapestries into small sectors: it was easier to keep warm this way.

The palace is made of red brick, complemented by white stone. During the restoration, no new decorative elements were added.

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Sculptural group "Royal beasts"

It is better to start your inspection of the Hampton Court from the main gate. And to enter them, you need to cross the bridge, on the sides of which there is an interesting sculptural group "Royal Beasts". This composition was built during the reign of Henry Tudor and Queen Jane (Bluebeard's third wife). Animals display symbols of royal power, as well as personal coats of arms of the owners: sculptures hold them in their front paws. You can look at the statues and imagine the genealogy of the owners of the castle:

1. The symbol of the English kingdom - Lion
2. Another Lion, but already of the Seymour kind
3. Kingdom Symbol - Dragon
4. Clarence Black Bull
5. Bull again, but already of the Beaufort kind
6. Lion again, Mortimer totem
7. Graceful white greyhound of the genus Richmond
8. Overbearing Dragon - Tudor coat of arms
9. Slender Panther of the Seymour clan
10. The mythical unicorn is also a kind of Seymour

The animals are made of white stone. This color perfectly distinguishes the sculptures against the general background of red brick, from which the complex was built. The composition is complemented by inserts and weaves on the railing of the bridge.

Interesting: The Bank of Great Britain issued silver coins, repeating the sculptural composition "Royal Beasts". So far, the following have entered into circulation: The Lion of England, the Unicorn of Scotland, the Red Dragon of Wales, the Black Bull of Clarence.

The chimneys made of red brick are clearly visible from the bridge. The bricks are laid quite bizarrely: graceful weaves and ornaments are made from such an unsuitable building material. There are a lot of pipes: this is not surprising, because it is quite difficult to heat a huge room. Each of them is special, not like the others.

Clock Yard and Astronomical Clock

This courtyard was built during the reign of Henry Tudor. The watch is a multifunctional mechanism. With its help, you can find out:

1. Hour of the day. The outer circle is fixed and divided into 24 sectors, with the Roman numerals from 1 to 12 repeated twice.
2. The second circle is mobile. By it you can find out the day, month and sign of the zodiac. A full turnover takes place in a year.
3. The next circle moves again: a full revolution in an hour. It is divided into 12 sectors. Minutes are determined by it.
4. The smallest circle indicates the phase of the moon. It takes a month to complete a turnover.

Previously, the hour was also recognized by the hour when the level of the Thames began to rise. True, an interesting mechanism was created on the basis of the then accepted picture of the world: the Earth is the center of the Universe, and the Sun revolves around it.

Gardens

The first owner of the castle, Cardinal Wolsey, began to plan the park. But Heinrich Tudor created a new, author's, concept. He divided the entire territory into zones, each of which had a special purpose:

1. The northern part is for entertainment
2. In the east, it was required to hunt
3. In the south there is a cozy private park. In it the kings rested from their labors

But now there is nothing left of what Heinrich arranged. William of Orange changed everything in the Baroque style. The paths are now lined with orange trees planted in tubs. Citrus is the symbol of this monarch. Today, actors dressed in medieval costumes walk in a private garden to attract tourists. Heinrich Tudor ordered to organize two pond gardens for raising fish to the table. But over time, they stopped monitoring the reservoirs, they began to turn into swamps. Queen Mary II was outraged by the unpleasant smell, ordered to fill up the ponds and laid lawns in their place.

A grape bush planted in 1768 grows in a separate greenhouse. The length of the main vine is 36 meters. But for tourists, the entrance to the greenhouse is prohibited. The pyramidal cypresses are unique. They are unusually tall. This happened because the trees had not been looked after for many years. Then the grown-ups began to cut their hair. Today, the gardens host the annual Hampton court flower show. Professional designers present author's compositions on all flower beds.

How to get out of the maze

This question worried three friends traveling in the same boat with a dog. As you know, they did not manage to get out of the labyrinth on their own, despite the fact that one of them perfectly defined all directions of the world. I had to seek help from a dog. Looking at a photo of neat yew galleries, it becomes incomprehensible: what, in fact, is the difficulty? The alleys are transparent and well-lit. A detailed plan of the labyrinth is offered at the entrance. Just watch and navigate the terrain.

But it's not that simple. Some tourists recommend moving along the alleys according to the rule: on the left side, take turns to the right, and on the right - to the left. Then there is an opportunity to go to the center of the labyrinth and return back with entering a single dead end. Some difficulty arises: how to determine, after several perfect turns, in which part (left or right) the traveler is now standing?

Without a special palette and compass, the task turns out to be unsolvable. This means that Jerome's hero was right, who argued that the main thing is to determine the cardinal points. Of course, if a tourist happened to be a master of sports in orienteering on the terrain and guessed to take all the attributes with him, then a journey through the famous labyrinth would be child's play. But such people are few.

One visitor to the alleys, who wandered there for a long time, gave sound advice: it is worth sticking to the chosen direction of movement and turns once and for all, and then, sooner or later, the way back will be found!

Opening hours and ticket prices

From April to October, the museum is open from 10 am to 6 pm. From November to March, tourists can visit the complex from 10 am to 5:30 pm. You can buy an adult ticket at the box office for £ 25. This amount includes a voluntary donation (10% of the price). But if you want to save money, you can buy a ticket without a 10% surcharge. At the box office, they will first offer an expensive ticket and ask if they agree to make a donation.

With this ticket, you can walk around the castle all day and see all the expositions. For the youngest visitor, the price will be half: £ 12.5. You can separately purchase a ticket to enter the labyrinth. Its price is £ 4. But he does not give the right to visit the main territory. Another way to save money is to buy a ticket online. It will be £ 21.2 for an adult and £ 10.6 for a child.

Where is it located and how to get there

Hamton Court is easily accessible by bus. But it is more interesting to get there by train, which departs from Waterloo station. How to proceed:

1. Purchase a round-trip ticket to Hampton Court at the box office, that is, return. It is important to remember: when buying a ticket after half past nine in the morning on weekdays (during off-peak hours), it costs less: 12 pounds sterling. The ticket will be valid even during rush hour, you will not have to pay extra. Saturday and Sunday are preferable for visiting the complex: these days any time outside rush hour.
2. There will be no problems with waiting for the train: trains to Hampton Court leave 2 times per hour.
3. Go to the central board and find out from which platform the train departs. Before departure, the board will display information through which turnstile (out of 18 available) to enter the platform.
4. It is obligatory to validate the purchased ticket. You also need to save the return ticket.Upon returning to Waterloo, it must be punched again and exited through the turnstile.
5. The travel time will be just over 30 minutes. Hampton Cross is the final stop of the train. When you exit at the station, you do not need to punch your return ticket.
6. In order to accurately calculate the return time, you should take a free train schedule at the ticket office.
7. There is a sign next to the exit: Hampton Court. You should move on the right side. There is a complex behind the bridge over the Thames.

The entrance gate is remarkable: it is surrounded by gold ribbons. This is a tribute to the 500th anniversary of the castle.

Hampton Court on the map