curiouswombat (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
curiouswombat) wrote2006-04-21 09:39 pm
curiouswombat) wrote2006-04-21 09:39 pm
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London Trip - part 2.
I have just got around to loading a few more of my pictures from London onto Photobucket. These are some of the ones I took at Hampton Court.
Hampton Court Palace was built by Cardinal Wolsey for his own personal use. However Henry 8th decided that it was much too impressive for a man of God, and that Wolsey was getting a bit above himself – so he basically commandeered it as his own palace.
It is a thirty minute train journey from Waterloo station to Hampton Court – and Hampton Court Station is literally three minutes walk from the gates of the Palace. If you make this journey by train I would recommend getting your rail ticket on line – queuing for our rail ticket took twenty-five minutes, whilst for our entrance ticket – two minutes!
This is the entrance walkway to the gateway of the palace -
It shows the original Tudor frontage – and I just loved the ‘guardians' – these are my favourites -
Aren’t they wonderful?
The palace was beginning to look rather out of date and unfashionable by the time of the Restoration, and eventually William and Mary decided on a complete re-vamp – they built a whole new frontage on the opposite side of the palace to this, accessed through a series of courtyards, with new formal gardens.
Daughter-dear took some photos of the inner courtyards – I might ask her for some in a couple of days time, and she also took pictures of the large formal gardens. Photography in most of the rooms is not allowed – and I think this is quite right, because I think a constant flashing would be very distracting.
William also had formal gardens built to the side of the palace, onto which his own formal rooms looked out. Over the years since the Royal family stopped using the palace, in the late 1730s, these gardens had been totally overgrown, and even subdivided into small plots for the people who lived in ‘Grace and Favour’ apartments in the palace between then and now.
In the last ten years an archaeological project undertook to discover the shape, layout, and artefacts from, the original Privy Garden – and coupled with contemporary paintings, they have been able to recreate the garden. These are pictures of this garden -
I mentioned ‘Grace and Favour’ – there was a special exhibition on, covering this period of the palace’s history, which I found very interesting.
When no longer required by the royal family, the palace was used as a series of apartments, some with twenty or so large impressive rooms, others in what had been the servants’ quarters, up 80 or more wooden stairs. The residents ranged from the widows of army officers to minor royal aunts and uncles. You paid no rent, but were responsible for the upkeep of your own apartment. This system continued until very recently – in fact one or two of the apartments are still lived in by members of the ground staff – such as ‘The Keeper of the Great Vine’.
(If you want to read more of the history of the palace, try here http://www.historicroyalpalaces.org/history/default.asp?sectID=4&id=4 )
We spent all day at Hampton Court – and even then we didn’t venture into the famous maze. We thought it was actually pretty good value for money - £11 for me and £9 for Kat, which covered the palace, the grounds, the maze etc. We had a wonderful lunch in the Tiltyard café – an excellent freshly baked quiche, with some very imaginative salads – I’d never had roasted squash as a salad before and it was scrumptious – the home-made cakes were just to die for as well – and again we were amazed at what good value it all was, especially as they have a ‘captive audience’ so to speak. There were also good picnic facilities, if anyone is thinking of a visit and wants to take their own butties!
There were live events on whilst we were there – including a talk about Tudor cooking and dining. We didn’t take any pictures of this, as the crowd was quite big, and we were nowhere near the front. However one of the highlights of the day, for both of us, was the attempt of a young man standing near us to take a picture of the ‘Tudor steward’ by holding his camera up and hoping for the best. He brought the camera back down and went to look at the result – it was a perfect picture of the steward from waist to thigh – a really good close-up of his ornate cod-piece! The guy taking the photo just shook his head, but we had both spotted it, and had a lot of trouble not falling on the floor with laughter!
Hampton Court Palace was built by Cardinal Wolsey for his own personal use. However Henry 8th decided that it was much too impressive for a man of God, and that Wolsey was getting a bit above himself – so he basically commandeered it as his own palace.
It is a thirty minute train journey from Waterloo station to Hampton Court – and Hampton Court Station is literally three minutes walk from the gates of the Palace. If you make this journey by train I would recommend getting your rail ticket on line – queuing for our rail ticket took twenty-five minutes, whilst for our entrance ticket – two minutes!
This is the entrance walkway to the gateway of the palace -
It shows the original Tudor frontage – and I just loved the ‘guardians' – these are my favourites -
Aren’t they wonderful?
The palace was beginning to look rather out of date and unfashionable by the time of the Restoration, and eventually William and Mary decided on a complete re-vamp – they built a whole new frontage on the opposite side of the palace to this, accessed through a series of courtyards, with new formal gardens.
Daughter-dear took some photos of the inner courtyards – I might ask her for some in a couple of days time, and she also took pictures of the large formal gardens. Photography in most of the rooms is not allowed – and I think this is quite right, because I think a constant flashing would be very distracting.
William also had formal gardens built to the side of the palace, onto which his own formal rooms looked out. Over the years since the Royal family stopped using the palace, in the late 1730s, these gardens had been totally overgrown, and even subdivided into small plots for the people who lived in ‘Grace and Favour’ apartments in the palace between then and now.
In the last ten years an archaeological project undertook to discover the shape, layout, and artefacts from, the original Privy Garden – and coupled with contemporary paintings, they have been able to recreate the garden. These are pictures of this garden -
I mentioned ‘Grace and Favour’ – there was a special exhibition on, covering this period of the palace’s history, which I found very interesting.
When no longer required by the royal family, the palace was used as a series of apartments, some with twenty or so large impressive rooms, others in what had been the servants’ quarters, up 80 or more wooden stairs. The residents ranged from the widows of army officers to minor royal aunts and uncles. You paid no rent, but were responsible for the upkeep of your own apartment. This system continued until very recently – in fact one or two of the apartments are still lived in by members of the ground staff – such as ‘The Keeper of the Great Vine’.
(If you want to read more of the history of the palace, try here http://www.historicroyalpalaces.org/history/default.asp?sectID=4&id=4 )
We spent all day at Hampton Court – and even then we didn’t venture into the famous maze. We thought it was actually pretty good value for money - £11 for me and £9 for Kat, which covered the palace, the grounds, the maze etc. We had a wonderful lunch in the Tiltyard café – an excellent freshly baked quiche, with some very imaginative salads – I’d never had roasted squash as a salad before and it was scrumptious – the home-made cakes were just to die for as well – and again we were amazed at what good value it all was, especially as they have a ‘captive audience’ so to speak. There were also good picnic facilities, if anyone is thinking of a visit and wants to take their own butties!
There were live events on whilst we were there – including a talk about Tudor cooking and dining. We didn’t take any pictures of this, as the crowd was quite big, and we were nowhere near the front. However one of the highlights of the day, for both of us, was the attempt of a young man standing near us to take a picture of the ‘Tudor steward’ by holding his camera up and hoping for the best. He brought the camera back down and went to look at the result – it was a perfect picture of the steward from waist to thigh – a really good close-up of his ornate cod-piece! The guy taking the photo just shook his head, but we had both spotted it, and had a lot of trouble not falling on the floor with laughter!
no subject
I think there are still grace and favour residents there - it's ojne heck of a big place. The fire there in the 80s was caused by one, an old dear who refused to use electricity, had only candles to light her home and knocked some over. She died in the blaze, poor old thing. Tragically the Chief Fire Officer killed himself a week or so later because he felt he had failed to protect the Palace. His daughter was in my class at the time. :-(
I love the effect you get when you walk from the Tudor bit through into Wren's Fountain Court - stepping a century and a half forward in time.
Did you see the Vine? And the Mantegnas?
I'll stop rambling now.
no subject
There are almost no G&F residents any more - less than half a dozen I think. They have produced not only an exhibition about them - in one of the third floor apartments, so lots of stairs - but a book, which I bought, because I love these behind the scenes real people things even more than the big formal apartments.
no subject
I must look for that book next time I have spare book money.
no subject
Here is a link to the G&F book - http://www.historicroyalpalaces.com/product_info.html?products_id=1262
It's a nice little paperback that you can read in a short time, but will go back to for the pictures now and again, I think!
no subject
no subject