If you are spending a few days in London, you may want to consider getting out of the center of town to explore its surroundings – you will be spoiled for choice here. One place that is easy to get to and I recommend visiting is Hampton Court Palace.
Hampton Court Palace is one of London’s historic Royal Palaces. The home of the notorious King Henry VIII, the palace has been the backdrop to numerous historic events and welcomed generations of the monarchy.
Starting life back in the 1500s, Hampton Court Palace was first opened to visitors during Victorian times. Londoners would go there on Sundays to unwind on their day off. Arriving by boat, coach and later by train, they would spend time enjoying the Hampton Court Palace Gardens, having tea in the café, and strolling around the courts.
Today the palace is a popular place to visit on day trips from London. People visit Hampton Court Palace to see how the royals of the past lived and to enjoy spending time in the beautifully manicured gardens. It’s a popular attraction for children too – so it’s not uncommon to see families with children and even entire classes on a school trip.
Since my sister and I have been to Hampton Court Palace on one of our most recent trips to London, I thought I’d share everything you need to know to plan your visit to this amazing Tudor palace, including its intriguing history.
Hampton Court Palace History
Hampton Court Palace history is one of nobles and royalty. It begins with Thomas Wolsey, the powerful Archbishop of York and righthand man to Henry VIII. In 1514, Wolsey took ownership of the area where Hampton Court Palace is now located, having previously been owned by the Order of St John of Jerusalem.
Wolsey set out to create a luxurious home for himself, spending around 200,000 Crowns across seven years to build the most luxurious palace in the country. Much of the original architecture that was funded by Wolsey still remains and includes the initial courtyard, the Base Court and the inner gatehouse leading to the Clock Court.
Wolsey’s seal remains in place on the clocktower’s arch where the archbishop’s private rooms were located. The Hampton Court of Wolsey’s time included forty-four lodgings for guests, and a second court with the state apartments that were only intended for the King and his close family members.
After the palace’s completion in 1525, Henry VIII himself immediately stayed as a guest in the private state apartments.
It’s believed that Wolsey was inspired to build the palace by the 1510 Paolo Cortese’s “De Cardinalatu,” which was a type of manual for cardinals. He set out to build a Renaissance palace with a symmetrical layout, large apartments and decorated with classical designs. It’s said that the minister knew how to live “as graciously as any cardinal in Rome.”
The early sections of the palace are now maintained as a time capsule from an era in English history where design was transitioning from the Perpendicular Gothic style to classical Italian Renaissance aesthetics.
A group of craftsmen from Italy were working at the English court during this time in the 16th century, adding Renaissance flourishes to more simple Tudor architecture.
But, despite putting so much time and money into the palace, Wolsey was only able to live there for a handful of years. The king liked Wolsey’s palace. In fact, Henry liked Hampton Court so much that he took it from Wolsey and made it his main London property.
Wolsey and Henry had maintained a strong relationship until Wolsey failed to secure an annulment for the king’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon when he sought to marry Anne Boleyn.
Wolsey was not able to successfully secure an annulment from the Pope, and he was therefore arrested in 1529 and stripped of his position and properties – which of course included Wolsey’s opulent Hampton Court. The year after, Wolsey died.
By this time the king’s court numbered over one thousand and, even though he had more than sixty properties, none of them were big enough to accommodate his entire court. So, within mere months of it coming into his ownership, Henry VIII set about constructing his own additions to the palace.
Enormous kitchens were built that were large enough to cook meals for the entire court, a tennis court and the Great Hall were built between 1532 and 1535.
As the most important room in the whole of the palace, the Great Hall was where Henry would take his meals as he sat up high on a dais. Stone masons employed to work on the new hall had to work around the clock, often by candlelight, to complete it within the tight timescale pushed by Henry.
In 1540, the impressive astronomical clock was added to the gate to the inner court. Incredibly the clock still functions to this day and visitors can tell the time, see the phases of the moon and the height of the water at London Bridge, among other things.
Knowing the level of the water in the Thames was important to the King’s plans. The palace is located on the banks of the river and was used by Henry and the rest of the palace’s residents to move around on barges.
The palace was the backdrop to a long list of events that took place during the reign of the Tudors. In 1537, Jane Seymour gave birth to the king’s heir, the future Edward VI, at the palace. Two weeks later Seymour died at Hampton Court.
Four years afterwards, whilst attending Mass in the palace’s chapel, the King was informed about the adultery of his fifth wife, Catherine Howard. She was then confined to her room for a few days before being sent to the Tower of London.
There are rumors that the doomed queen was able to escape from the room, running through the gallery in search of the king to plead for him to spare her life.
Henry himself died at the Palace of Whitehall in 1547, his only surviving son Edward ascended to the Tudor throne the same year at the young age of nine. Edward suffered from ill health and died in 1553, his sister Mary took over as the regent and spent her honeymoon at Hampton Court, also choosing to give birth to her first child there.
The daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth I took the throne in 1558 after her half-sister Mary died. Elizabeth constructed an eastern kitchen which is now used as the palace’s tea room.
In 1603, the Tudor era ended with the death of Elizabeth. The throne was taken over by the Stuarts, initially by King James and then by his ill-fated son, Charles I. The Palace was Charles’s official place of residence, but it also became his prison until his execution in 1649.
During the Commonwealth, a time when the English monarchy was dismantled under the leadership of Oliver Cromwell, the palace was saved from being destroyed with only some items belonging to the former monarchy being sold off.
The monarchy was later restored in 1660, but by this point Hampton Court was tired – this was the time when Louis XIV moved his court into his famously lavish Palace of Versailles.
In 1689, joint protestant monarchs William and Mary took the throne and set out on a project to rebuild Hampton Court. Notable British architect, Sir Christopher Wren, was drafted in to work on the project, adding new façades that were similar to those at Versailles but using contrasting pink brick and pale stone frames and arches.
The circular windows adorned with decorations on a second-floor mezzanine were also added and repeated in the inner Fountain Court.
Successive royals added their own personal touches and designs to the sprawling palace complex, but by the time of the reign of Queen Victoria in 1838 the palace was opened to the public. Visitors came from London on the river and on the train, arriving at Hampton Court station which opened in 1849.
A fire swept through the palace in the 1980s which led to major restoration taking place.
Today, the palace remains a popular place for locals and visitors to spend time exploring the old halls, lazing on the lawns and walking in the footsteps of some of the greats of the British monarchy.
Continue reading to discover the main places of interest. I will conclude with a short practical guide that will help you plan your visit.
What To See When Visiting Hampton Court Palace
Henry VIII Apartments
The king’s private rooms were heavily guarded spaces that were tucked away from prying eyes behind the grand public rooms. Henry’s inner sanctum is made up of a dining room, a Withdrawing Room, the inner Privy Chamber and his bedchamber.
Members of the court that were most liked by the monarch were invited into the Withdrawing Room for an audience with the formidable king.
It was only this select group of people who were allowed to see the monarch in this more relaxed setting where they might listen to a musical performance, have a chat or play games.
Chapel Royal
From 1236 onwards, the location of the palace was used by the English headquarters of the Knights Hospitaller of Saint John of Jerusalem. There are still remains from the time of the Hospitallers including the bell which hangs above the famous astronomical clock, which is the oldest surviving item in the palace – it was cast in the 15th century to hang in the chapel.
Much of the decoration in the chapel today dates back to Henry’s period of reign although it was Wolsey who rebuilt the Chapel to its current layout. Visitors to the chapel today will still enter into a space built by Wolsey, but much of the decoration and detailing he added can no longer be seen.
One of the most notable elements of the chapel is its ceiling. Dating from the era of King Henry VIII, the timber and plaster design is considered one of the finest examples in the country.
Sadly, much of the Tudor decoration has also been lost: under the reign of William and Mary, Sir Christopher Wren redecorated the chapel. Wren added various wooden details. Baroque designs, frescos, box pews and the tiled floor were added towards the start of the eighteenth century.
The Royal Pew
Overlooking the chapel, a first-floor royal pew overlooks the rear. This is where members of the royal family would attend religious services away from the rest of the congregation below.
The chapel remains a place of worship with ceremonies still occurring regularly, you can even opt to get married there if you wish!
Henry VIII Kitchens
Entering the kitchens at Hampton Court offers an insight into the sheer size of the court that lived and worked at the palace.
The almost thousand-strong crowd of courtiers that might accompany the king at any time would all need feeding, and so the kitchens needed to be able to supply the food for all of them. Henry made the original kitchens far larger so that they were big enough to serve anything up to 1600 meals on any given day.
Of course, all that food meant that the staff that managed the kitchen needed to be organized. A system to run the kitchen was devised which was all the uncooked, raw ingredients arriving at one end of the great space and the finished dishes leaving through the other.
Food came to the palace from the trade entrance, passing under an arch into the old courtyard. Just to give you an idea of the amount of food that passed through the space, during the reign of Elizabeth I, in one year the kitchen would order 8,200 sheep, 2,330 deer and 1,870 pigs.
The cost of the ingredients was kept in check by officers called The Clerks of the Green Cloth.
The kitchen feels like an atmospheric space where you can almost imagine what it was like here in Tudor times, and in the colder month pigs are still roasted over the pit on a big spit. In fact, the fireplace was on when we visited even though it was summer!
There’s also a dark wine cellar for visitors to explore, filled with enormous barrels of wine and beer.
With all of the vast amounts of food and drink it’s easy to see what a truly lavish lifestyle Henry led, but he actually didn’t eat from this kitchen. The monarch’s meals were made in his very own special kitchen that was used just for preparing his food.
Fountain Court
The decorative Fountain Court was the work of Sir Christopher Wren under the orders of joint regents William III and Mary II (1689-1702). Inspired by Versailles, the court used elegant detailing which complements the baroque designs.
Gardener Daniel Marot then created a landscape which would reflect the new design of the court, adding 13 fountains and two avenues of yew trees.
Chocolate Kitchen
It seemed the royals had a sweet tooth, or at least very decadent tastes. Hampton Court’s Chocolate Kitchen was built during the reign of William and Mary, a small but well-stocked kitchen which was run by the royally appointed chocolatiers.
The makers would produce rich creations for the royals. These kitchens were built as part of the 1690 Cristopher Wren additions to the palace, at the time of opening they were seen as the height of luxury for England.
Having a chocolate kitchen was a sign that the palace was a place of modernity and showcased power. The King and Queen would begin their days with a chocolate drink, served to them in their bedrooms.
The chocolate drink was an element of the levee ceremony which involved the royal getting dressed in front of a specially invited audience.
Clock Court
When entering the inner courts of Hampton Court Palace, you should make sure not to miss the Clock Court. This large, cobbled courtyard is one of the main entranceways into the inner courtyards and it is home to the beautiful astronomical clock.
The clock was made by Nicholas Oursian in 1540 following the designs of Nicholas Crazter. Still functioning to this day, the large clock is 15 feet (4.6 meters) in diameter and includes three copper dials that revolve at varying speeds.
At first, it can seem confusing to try to work out how to read the clock. You can tell what month and day it is, the position of the sun, the phases of the moon and even the height of the Thames at London Bridge.
In 1711, the clock was restored and a simpler 18th century face was used. The delicate astrological dials were removed and lost but thankfully recovered many years later. And finally, in 2008 a full restoration of the clock was completed to mark the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII’s ascension to the throne.
William III’s Apartments
Taking the sweeping grand King’s Staircase takes you up to the state apartments. The various chambers and rooms that make up the king’s inner private spaces have been restored to look much like they did during the king’s reign.
Walking through the Guard Chamber reveals a wide collection of weapons that are displayed on the walls. It is here where the guards would have been stationed, overseeing the security and carrying out checks to make sure the courtiers were dressed correctly before entering the Presence Chamber.
Once in the Presence Chamber you will be in the king’s throne room. The chair sits under a canopy and anybody who visits would need to bow to the throne, even if the king wasn’t sitting in it.
Then it’s on to the Eating Room, a spacious public dining hall where the king would entertain guests. The walls here are hung with ornate tapestries and decorated with large antlers from the stags that roamed the hunting grounds surrounding the estate. The stags and deer can still be seen roaming the nearby Bushy Park to this day.
The Privy Chamber was only open for statesmen and courtiers that were in close contact with the king. Peering out of the windows offers a great view of the Privy Garden. You can get a deeper look at the very private world of the king by visiting the Great Bedchamber.
There wasn’t a bed in this room, rather the space was used for dressing. The connection room, the Little Bedroom is where the king would have slept under an eye-catching ceiling painted by Verrio. The ceiling shows Mars, the God of War sleeping soundly in the arms of the Goddess of Love, Venus.
Away from the lavish rooms in the private apartment, the rooms below here are where the king lived his everyday life. Here he displayed his favorite objects and socialized with his close friends.
Base Court
The Base Court pretty much corresponds to the palace where Wolsey originally lived in. Here you can spot elements of the original owner’s designs including his insignia alongside embellishments from Henry VIII’s time and Baroque details by Christopher Wren.
Cumberland Art Galleries
Much of the work on display at the Cumberland Art Galleries is from the Royal Collection. The variety of pieces on display showcases the palace’s long history.
Various royals amassed sizable collections of fine art, filling the walls of the State Apartments with magnificent examples of art from around the world, a showcase of power and dominance in the region and on the world stage.
The palace spent part of its life as an art gallery in the period that followed the end of the property being used as a royal residence. Today, hundreds of artworks still hang on the walls in the gallery, some of them are even on display in their original locations.
Hampton Court Palace Gardens
We visited Hampton Court on a very pleasant summer day, so we definitely enjoyed exploring the gardens and we sat in the shade of a tree to rest a bit during our visit.
Hampton Court Palace Gardens are an attraction in their own right. Playing host to their very own annual flower show, there are multiple gardens for visitors to enjoy strolling through.
Attracting thousands of people every year, they were once only used by royals and their close associates. Each new era left their mark on the landscape, everyone from the Tudors to the Victorians and even up to the modern day.
In the 1500s Cardinal Wolsey first laid out a collection of compact knot gardens, then Henry VIII moved in and ordered the creation of a heraldic Privy Garden, as well as his much-loved Bushy Park.
Then it was Charles II’s time to shine with the completion of the attractive Long Water, later William and Mary II added ornate baroque spaces which included the creation of the famous Maze.
The team of gardeners at the palace, which even included Capability Brown as head gardener in the middle of the 18th century, work hard to make sure the green space is meticulously maintained.
If you have time, make sure not to miss the Maze. With roots in the 17th century, the maze is a challenge for young and old.
Also of particular note is the iconic Great Vine. Located inside a small glass house in the Pond Garden, the vine is widely believed to be the oldest and largest in existence. Planted by Capability Brown in 1768, the grapes grown here were only eaten in the royal court until 1920. Now the fruits are harvested in September and sold to visitors of the palace.
And finally, the Magic Garden is one of the newest additions. Designed to be a space for children to play out in the open, they were opened by the future Queen, Catherine, Princess of Wales in 2016.
The gardens were constructed on the site of Henry VIII tournament grounds. The various apparatus take inspiration from Tudor motifs and feature towers to climb, streams to splash in and sandpits for digging.
Visiting Hampton Court Palace – Practical Guide
Hampton Court Palace opening times
Hampton Court Palace opening times are Wednesday to Sunday, 10:00 am to either 4:00 or 5:30 pm depending on the season. The last admission is one hour before closing.
Hampton Court Palace tickets
You can get Hampton Court Palace tickets directly on-site or on the official website. Prices vary between peak and off-peak seasons, and are as follows:
Adults: £28 off-peak; £30.90 peak
Senior (aged 65+) and students (student id card required): £22.50 off-peak; £24.70 peak
Disabled: £22.50 off-peak; £24.70 peak (their carer or companion gets in for free)
Children between 5 and 15 years old and young person (16-17 years old): £14 off-peak; £15.50 peak
Children under 5: Free
All tickets to Hampton Court Palace include a free audio guide which comes in a variety of languages. During peak season, and especially if visiting during public holidays or school holidays, you will be better off booking tickets in advance.
Third-party booking sites such as Tiqets also sell Hampton Court Palace tickets at the official price.
Tickets are also included in the official London City Pass.
Make sure to also visit the official website for special offers – for example, on weekdays during the winter tickets are half-price. If you decide to get tickets in person, keep in mind that unless you state otherwise, a donation will be added to the price of your ticket.
Should you get a guided tour to visit Hampton Court Palace?
All visitors to Hampton Court Palace are offered the use of a complementary audio guide in a variety of languages. We thought it was really good and did not feel the need for a live guide, and we appreciated the fact we could go at our own pace. It will take you around four hours to explore the palace, if you go at a good pace.
For those who want a more interactive or in-depth expertise there’s also the option of joining a guided tour.
There’s a variety of different tours on offer but all of them are run by very knowledgeable and personable guides. The tours are run by a selection of historians, curators and conservators, and offer the chance to delve deep into the early years of the palace by touring Henry’s Apartments and Kitchens.
I recommend this Secrets of Hampton Court Palace Guided Tour – the tour has glowing reviews. It lasts up to 3 hours, all of them with a live guide, and includes traditional afternoon tea.
Is photography allowed?
Visitors are welcome to take photographs at the palace in almost all of the areas that are open to the public. It is not permitted, however, to take photos in the Chapel Royal for religious reasons and in the Royal Pew Cumberland Art Gallery due to copyright reasons.
Toilets, lockers, and any other services
There are a number of toilets located across the palace for visitors to use freely. Toilets can be found at the Wilderness, the Fountain Court and on the edge of The Kitchen Garden. All the toilets are accessible.
There are also several lockers for visitors to use. These are located inside the buggy park room – you will need a £1.00 coin to use the lockers, but it will be returned after you have finished using the locker.
There is not enough room to store large or oversized luggage so it’s best to leave any large items at home or in your hotel room.
If you are visiting Hampton Court Palace with small children may want to make use of the free buggy park. The Buggy Park is located in a room just off the Clock Court. This is also where you will find the Family Room, which is equipped with soft play toys and chairs.
There are several eateries located around the palace and the gardens. Options include The Tiltyard Café which serves hot or cold food and includes indoor and outdoor seating. There’s also the Wilderness kiosk which serves snacks, ice creams, and a variety of drinks.
If you want to eat at a more local eatery, outside the palace there’s a choice of cafes and proper British pubs just over the river in Bridge Street.
When the weather is fine, the palace gardens become a popular place for a picnic. You could bring a picnic blanket and enjoy your own food on the grounds of the palace or take a seat on one of the numerous picnic benches.
Disabled access
The palace has made efforts to ensure that the entire site is accessible to all visitors. There is accessible on-site parking, ramp access, and BSL guides available. All of the toilets at the palace have disabled access.
If you would like more information on the accessible features at Hampton Court Palace you can read more on their official website.
How to get to Hampton Court Palace
The very efficient London Underground does not serve Hampton Court Palace. However, don’t fret! Getting there is very easy at the palace is located an easy train ride outside of central London, right on the edge of leafy Surrey.
Direct trains regularly leave Waterloo, stopping off at Vauxhall and Clapham Junction along the way. You won’t need to worry about getting off at the right stop as Hampton Court is the end of the line.
From Hampton Court Railway station, the palace is less than 5 minutes walk away, simply follow the signs that lead across Hampton Court Bridge (you will see the palace as you leave the station).
You can also get to Hampton Court Palace by bus from Kingston (buses number 111, 216, 411, 461, 513) or Richmond (bus R68).
I don’t recommend going to Hampton Court by car as traffic in London can be very congested, but if you decide to do so you will find the palace on the A308. You will also be relieved to know that there is a limited (paid) parking lot on the premises, which you can pay by card too, and a few parking lots nearby. Disabled parking is available too.
Further Readings
If you are planning a trip to London, these other posts will be useful:
- How To Make The Most Of London In A Day
- How To See London In 4 Days
- A Great Itinerary To See London In 3 Days
- How To See London In 2 Days
- The Best Museums In London
- What To Wear In London
- Should You Visit London In Winter?
- Where To Get The Best Views Of London
- The Best Sunday Markets In London
- The Best Things To Do In Covent Garden
- Where To Stay In London
- The Best Places To Visit In London Off The Beaten Path
- How To Get From Heathrow To London
- How To Get London Eye Tickets
- How To Get Madame Tussauds Tickets
- A Guide To Visiting The London Dungeon
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