The original Tudor Hampton Court Palace was begun by Cardinal Wolsey in the early 16th century, but it soon attracted the attention of Henry VIII who brought all his six wives here. Surrounded by gorgeous gardens and famous features such as the Maze and the Great Vine, the palace has been the setting for many nationally important events.
When William III and Mary II (1689-1702) took the throne in 1689, they commissioned Sir Christopher Wren to build an elegant new baroque palace. Later, Georgian kings and princes occupied the splendid interiors. When the royals left in 1737, impoverished 'grace and favour' aristocrats moved in.
Queen Victoria opened the palace to the public in 1838. It has remained for millions of visitors since then, drawn to the grandeur, the ghosts and the fabulous art collection.
Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Henry VIII’s Lord Chancellor, started Hampton Court Palace’s transformation from ordinary country house to magnificent palace.
Wolsey wanted to create a grand building where he could host not only the King and the royal court but also monarchs from across Europe. Investing huge sums of money, he created a palace fit for the King. Wolsey was so successful in his work that Henry eventually took Hampton Court for himself.
By the 1530s, Henry VIII's Hampton Court was a palace, a hotel, a theatre and a vast leisure complex.The King used it to demonstrate magnificence and power in every possible way, through lavish banquets, extravagant court life and fabulously expensive art.
In addition to Henry’s state and private apartments, where he slept, ate and relaxed, and the queen’s private apartments, the palace contained accommodation for courtiers. The style depended on the status of the occupant, but again, were intended to impress. Around Base Court, the first big courtyard of the Tudor palace inside the West Front, there were 30 suites of lodgings used for the grandest visitors. Up to 800 courtiers could accompany Henry VIII; all needed to be fed. The King enlarged and added to the existing Great Kitchen built in the late 1400s by a former resident Lord Daubeney. The kitchens became an efficient food factory serving 1600 meals a day.
The palace also held unhappy memories for Henry. His third queen Jane Seymour died giving the King a longed-for son, Edward, later Edward VI. It’s said her ghost, a ‘white wraith’ appears on the anniversary of her death. Henry's fifth wife Catherine Howard was arrested here and later executed at the Tower of London for adultery and treason.
The 17th century saw many dramatic events at the palace, some of them taking place in Hampton Court's Great Hall. In 1603 William Shakespeare's 'King's Men' first performed Hamlet and Macbeth for the new Stuart King, James I. James was also responsible for organising the 1604 Hampton Court Conference that resulted in the publication of the King James Bible in 1611 - the Authorised Version of the Bible in English. James' son Charles I used the palace to house much of his astonishing art collection
In 1647, Charles found himself under house arrest at Hampton Court after his defeat in the Civil War. The King must have felt a keen sense of irony when his art-adorned palace became his temporary prison.
In an attempt to flee Oliver Cromwell’s Parliamentarians, the King escaped through the Privy Garden. Charles was later recaptured and executed in 1649. During the Commonwealth (1649-60) Cromwell saved the palace from destruction by making it his home. Despite his Puritan ideals, he appreciated fine art, particularly the tapestries and enjoyed living like a king here.
When William III and Mary II took the throne in 1689 they asked Christopher Wren to design a new baroque palace for them. Wren scrapped his original plan to demolish the whole palace and instead created the spectacular Fountain Court leaving much of the Tudor palace intact.
The road is a major artuary so please take care and use the predestination crossing if you need to cross.
THE CACHE. During the summer months this location will be very busy.