Thursday, July 16, 2015

Hampton Court Palace (at 500) - another day out

2015 sees Hampton Court Palace celebrating 500 years, most of it as a Royal Palace and there are special events laid on to mark the occasion.
 the sweeping walk way from the ticket office to the main entrance
 statues everywhere
 to the side of the main entrance
 above the main gateway into the Palace
the impressive main entrance
 inside the main entrance into the Base Court

 from the main entrance gateway
 the Astronomical Clock, giving the inner courtyard it's name, Clock Court

 there are various mini-tours you can take within the Palace, depending on how long you have for your visit. These tapestries are in Henry VIII's Great Hall

 and amazing stained glass windows
 the Georgian Apartments occupied by George I (1714-1727 George II (1727- 1760)
 royal bedchamber - Queen Caroline (wife of George II)


 another royal bedchamber

 William III (1689-1702) staircase


 Henry VIII family tree
 amazing that you can take photographs anywhere (except in the Chapel Royal)

 William III's Guard Chamber, the walls all lined with weapons
 the King's Presence Chamber
 long long corridors

 outside the Chapel Royal
 courtway behind Henry's Kitchens
 Henry's wine cellar

 the food may be props, but the fire was real, and hot!  the Spit Boy (in the red trousers) encouraged the kids to have a go at turning the handle


 narrow little courtyards and walkways

you need to keep looking up, you never know what you'll see
love this lion on the chimney.
 the Time Plays - short pieces of entertainment take place in various places throughout the day, from different times in the Palace's history.
Here, in the Great Watching Chamber, the King (Henry) rehearses a new song. (I missed most of this one!)
 and later, in the Great Hall, Shakespeare and his King's Players are rehearsing a scene from a new play called Macbeth...it's 1606

 this is Shakespeare in the black...

it was very funny!

As you can see, a big crowd gathers...




 Decided it was time I saw some of the gardens..
this is the Great Fountain Garden, with the rows of yew trees dating back hundreds of years.
The Great Fountain Garden was originally laid out in 1689




I loved this garden 5 years ago when I last went, and still love it today.
 running along the sides of the Palace, the Broad Walk is bordered by what is apparently the longest herbaceous border in the country - it's certainly beautiful!



 round the edges of the Fountain Garden, are formal beds, a few different designs, repeated round the whole garden.



 the Privy Garden, on a site first laid out by Henry VII but this version was restored in 1995, from William III's 1701 garden..

repeating patterns, with a central fountain




 and statues












William's wife Mary, created a garden too
 there are also a series of Pond Gardens, sunken gardens - this is a  beauty!

  
 this one not quite so pretty right now, in my mind.









Hampton Court is also home to the largest Vine in the world, was planted in 1768 for George III and is still growing strong!



 the Rose Garden is on the site of Henry VIII's Tiltyard Gardens - site of jousting and tournaments
 and of course, more statues


 the Vegetable Garden
 beautiful flowers

 teaming with wildlife




 I'm finishing with some amazing chimneys


 they all look slightly different..


 and lamp posts
 except of course I couldn't finish - these are on the walk back to the train station

Hampton Court bridge..


that's it, folks!! thanks for looking

7 comments:

Artmadnana said...

Fabulous photos again Helen. A lovely nostalgia trip back into the many visits I've made here both as child and adult. You did it proud. Love the photo of the bee on the flower.

Lin said...

excellent piccies Helen!! Love that place :-) xx

Hazel Agnew said...

Stunning photos Helen! Never been there myself! Great to see your pics! Xx

snazzyoriginal said...

Through your generosity I've just had a lovely trip down memory lane. Fab photos, love that lamppost x

Unknown said...

Another beautiful place I've never been to so thank you for showing it through your eyes. Beautiful photos and lovely narration. Where are you going next, lol?

hugs
Lesley Xx

sam21ski said...

Another lovely day out for you accompanied by great photos. Love the scenes from the Shakespeare play and your tour around the gardens.

Kirsten said...

Wow! Hampton court looks amazing, especially the gardens - stunning. Thanks for taking all the great photos.