Hampton Court Palace

About Hampton Court Palace

Historic royal palace in Richmond, Greater London

Hampton Court Palace is a Grade I listed royal palace on the River Thames in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, 12 miles (19 km) south-west and upstream of central London. Building began in 1514 for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Archbishop of York and chief minister of Henry VIII; when Wolsey fell from favour in 1529 he gave the palace to the king in an attempt to save his life, and it became one of Henry's most favoured residences, enlarged soon afterwards to house his sizeable retinue of courtiers. Together with St James's Palace it is one of only two surviving palaces of Henry's many residences. In the early 1690s William III began a massive rebuilding intended to rival Versailles, destroying much of the Tudor palace; the work ceased in 1703, leaving the palace in two contrasting styles, domestic Tudor with its red brick, turrets and chimneys and grand Baroque with its regular facades, given unity by the pink bricks. George II was the last monarch to reside here. The palace and its grounds are cared for by the independent charity Historic Royal Palaces and are open to the public, displaying works of art from the Royal Collection. A visit can fill a whole day: the vast Tudor kitchens, the Great Hall, the Chapel Royal, Mantegna's Triumphs of Caesar paintings, exhibitions on Henry VIII, and 60 acres of gardens with the famous maze, the royal tennis court and the world's largest grape vine, while a seasonal ice-skating rink operates from November to January each year.

Where:

London, United Kingdom