Hampton Court Palace, East Molesey

Hampton Court Palace, perhaps the finest and most interesting of Britain's royal palaces, lies southwest of London on the north bank of the Thames. It is no longer a royal residence, but part of the palace is still occupied by persons who have been granted "grace and favor" apartments by the monarch. The palace was built between 1514 and 1520 as a private residence for Cardinal Wolsey, who presented it to Henry VIII in order to secure the king's favor.
Hampton Court Palace Map
Important Information:
Address: Hampton Court, East Molesey KT8 9AU, England
Opening hours: Mar 1 to Mar 26: 10am-4:30pm
Mar 27 to Oct 29: 10am-6pm
Oct 26 to Mar 27: 9:30am-4:30pm; Mon: 10:15am-4:30pm
Always closed on: New Year's Day (Jan 1), Christmas Eve - Christian (Dec 24), Christmas - Christian (Dec 25), Day after Christmas, St Stephen's Day, Boxing Day (Dec 26)
Entrance fee in GBP: Family £35.00, Adult £12.00, Senior over 60 £9.00, Students £9.00, Child 16 & under £7.80, Grounds / gardens only around attraction FREE, Child 5 & under FREE
Useful tips: Park open daily until dusk. Last admission 45 minutes before closing. Groups of 15 or more receive a 10% discount.
Disability Access: Partial facilities for persons with disabilities.
Guides: Guided tour included with admission.
Facilities: Gift shop, Restaurant or food service
Transit: BritRail: Hampton Court Station.
The Great Hall and other parts of the palace date from Henry's occupation. Five of his six wives (the exception being Catherine of Aragon) lived here as queen, and the ghosts of his third and fifth wives, Jane Seymour and Catherine Howard, are said to haunt the palace. It was a favorite residence of Elizabeth I, who heard of the defeat of the Spanish Armada while staying here. Charles I also lived at Hampton Court, both as king and as Cromwell's prisoner. The first major alterations to the palace were carried out in the reign of William and Mary, when the east wing was rebuilt by Wren in Renaissance style, the Tudor west part remaining unaltered. The palace was opened to the public in the time of Victoria.
The main features of interest in the palace itself are the Clock Court, with its astronomical clock, made for Henry VIII in 1540; the State Apartments, including the Haunted Gallery; the Chapel; the Great Hall, with its magnificent hammerbeam roof and fine tapestries; the King's Apartments; the kitchens and cellars, which give some idea of the problems of provisioning a palace of this size; and the Tudor tennis court, which is still in use from mid March to mid October.
Visitors should also take time to explore the grounds of the palace - the Privy Garden, the Pond Garden, the Elizabethan Knot Garden, the Broad Walk, the Wilderness. The gardens are at their best in mid-May, when the flowers are in full bloom. The Great Vine, over 200 years old, is of particular interest. Also in the grounds are the Upper Orangery and the Lower Orangery, which contains Mantegna's masterpiece, "The Triumph of Caesar". Another great attraction, particularly for children, is the famous Maze.

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Hampton Court Palace Music Festival

This two-week annual festival is not only acclaimed for its high-standard performers, but for its venue. The Hampton Court Palace is one of the finest palaces in Great Britain.

Coombe Conduit

Two small Tudor buildings connected by an underground passage which once supplied water to Hampton Court Palace.
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Map - Hampton Court Palace

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