Day two - Hampton Court

I know I've been before and shared many pictures before, but when has that ever stopped me!

Arriving just after ten, the sun was bright (I had my sunglasses today, luckily)

 it's a lovely walk up the drive

as you know I love the chimneys, they are all so varied in design

 statues on the way in

 there are carvings and things of interest at every turn

 passing through the archway you enter

 Base Court

 I decided to head first to the kitchens ( a couple of noisy tour parties were going in a different direction!)

love this courtyard

the sign on the wall tells you this is the Master Carpenter's court

 the blackened wall tells you this fire has been burning for many hundreds of years

Henry VIII's wine cellar - wonder how many glasses each one used to hold!

 I love the gardens at Hampton Court, with the yew trees (planted by Lancelot 'Capability' Brown)

 I put the wide angle on and shot close up to exaggerate the size of this urn (you can see it in the wide angle shot above at the corner of the grass)

 the 'newer' part of the Palace designed by sir Christopher Wren is fabulous

 I am sure these display boards were here last time but I don't remember... I certainly didn't photograph them

It was lovely and warm - I soon shed my fleece jacket (forecast misled me again!) despite the clouds scudding across the sky

 love the ornate gates at the end of the path on the canal

 cute little hut on wheels, with old farming/gardening implements inside

 no,I didn't got for a ride in this

 the Broad Walk bed runs for what seems like miles along the wall of the Privy Garden and it is a broad bed, but I prefer the one at Kew!

 I took a walk across the grass, the yew on the left looks as if something's taken a great bite out of it!

 told you the gate was ornate!

 the yews were laden with berries

view of the Long Water - it looks so different without the pontoons they construct for the Flower Show

 I love this statue...

 which is actually (or was, it looked a bit unused) a drinking fountain

 as I walked back up the path to the fountain,
something caught my eye in the spray and bright sunshine....

 a rainbow!!

it was beautiful

as I walked round the edge of the pond and the sun changed angle behind me, the rainbow wasn't visible any more

 I headed back across the grass, past the Palace, to..

 the Privy Garden

I could hear a lawnmower....

which was being operated by remote control along the slope -  fabulous idea!!

 Whilst my style of gardening is loose and informal, I love a well maintained formal garden!

 the box trees were being clipped...

was going to ask how often they have to do them, but didn't

 these haven't bee done yet

as you know, I am a sucker for a fountain!

 love the clouds hurrying over the Privy Garden

 there was a sign up saying that the grapes on the Great Vine were ready for harvest so I followed the path to check..

always like this sunken garden

 and some more chimneys!

 past Queen Mary (wife of William III)'s citrus trees (well, obviously not the same ones!)

 as the sign above says, they are only outside in summer









let's have some more chimneys..

 the Great Vine...

 as you may be able to see they are indeed, harvesting the grapes - there was a sign saying they were for sale in the shop - but which one I didn't take not of, or find!

one of the things I love about Hampton Court is the little alleyways and corridors... always a chimney there too!

I followed the exit signs from the garden, back to Base Court and headed up to tour the State Apartments..

didn't really take much notice of which ones were which, but started with Henry VIII's apartments - the Great Hall has stunning stained glass windows,

I know I will have shown you them before, but here they are again!

 the ceiling is pretty impressive too.

 and the tapestries, or wall coverings are still fabulous

 a State Drawing Room (William and Mary era I think)

 ceiling painting

 i don't think I'd like to sleep in a four poster bed with the drapes drawn, too claustraphoic!

 another little alleyway

 back in Base Court, I went through the arch and kept going, rather than up the stairs to the apartments...

because you can't not see Clock Court and the amazing Astronomical Clock telling the time and date

 ok, ok

 a few wide angle shots now

 I peered through a doorway closed off by a rope and looked upwards - liking the staircase and the comforting thought that it's being held up by scaffolding!

 I headed back out of the main Palace and took a left...

past

 the Rose Garden, which is past it's best...

 but you get a good view of the Palace

 I went for lunch and on the way back to the exit,

 caught some more chimneys on the tower entrance

 before taking the exit - the river looked low, the tide must have been out

 the bridge (nearly put Kew Bridge then, am so used it to being Kew Bridge!  over the Thames and the walk back to the station

 love the clouds

last time I was at Hampton Court Palace (not the flower show) it rained as I left... this time, the clouds just looked threatening

layers of them!


Thanks for sharing today....

back to London tomorrow, not sure which bits I'll be seeing yet!