Hampton Court Palace
Hampton Court Palace is an hour trek outside central London via public transit. You'll need to change trains two or three times (depending on what line you start off with in London), but it is well worth it. This Tudor era palace has a history spanning from King Henry VIII through to the Georgian era (think American Revolution). It's seen hundreds of years of turmoil and change, and that is reflected in the architecture itself. It's a great place to escape the city! A visitor who takes the train need only to follow the sign out of the station and across a bridge to get to the Palace. Those who don't necessarily wish to visit the Palace have the whole town just to the left of the train station. There are boat trips offered at the base of the bridge, and a line of cafes and shops along the high street just across the road. It astounded me that a place only an hour outside of London central feels like a totally different place.
The entrance to the Palace is a grand arch, which I think at one point had a very scary gate that could be dropped to stop any possible invaders or party crashers from entering. Visitors are currently being redirected to a smaller entryway which does not offer the same sense of grandeur as the main courtyard. We went on a day they were setting up for a music festival, so the main entrance and courtyard had been turned into a stage and seating. With the visitors entrance changing, the beginning of our tour changed a bit. Visitors are recomnede to start in the kitchens. Three large rooms, each bigger than my flat here, made up the kitchens of Henry VIII. Something like 6 huge fireplaces were all used whenever there was a feast, and it is said that during meal prep, working in the kitchens was like working in hell. What amazes me is that the kitchens take up about half of the Palace. These are not the only kitchens in the palace, there are also smaller privy kitchens of Elizabeth I that were added when she became queen, and also the Chocolate Kitchens, where Elizabeth enjoyed the brand new delicacy from the Americas.
There is a lot to do at Hampton Court Palace, beginning with the original Tudor part of the Palace. The front half of the palace is Tudor, whereas the back half is baroque construction. It was actually commissioned by William of Orange and Queen Mary and built by Christopher Wren. He brought all the latest styles from mainland Europe, so the architecture has a French flair. King William III and his wife despised the orange brick of the Tudor era, and it was incredibly outdated by the time they wanted to move in, so they brought in Wren to the eyesore. The original plans kept only the original chapel and great hall (both in the centre of the palace), while everything else was to go. Construction was only completed halfway before Queen Mary died and William was too distraught to continue with the renovations. So as you walk through the halls, you get to a point where the orange brick and cobblestone turns into marble, it's a very clear line and it quite amusing.
I could go on and on about the rest of the palace, there is so much to say in terms of history and who lived there, died there, were sentenced to death there, and who potentially haunts it (Catherine Howard is the most prominent person said to haunt the palace. She's said to be heard screaming for her life after Henry condemned her to death for adultery). I will mention though that the gardens are a must see. I probably spent over two hours wandering the vast amounts of plants and fountains. They are so peaceful and if you go far enough, you can find a bench looking over the river where no one will be likely to disturb you because of its distance from the castle.
With just over 500 years of history, Hampton Court has left quite the mark on history. Before Henry VIII, I don't know if there was a real sense of Englishness, or nationalism in the country. I would say that his reign and his father's legacy of unification of the houses of York and Lancaster helped to cement an uncontested reign. The cruel history of Henry is not really a happy thing to remember, but it was a time of relative peace. I say relative because there was a religious war that started up when Henry left the Catholic church. It is also worth noting that this was potentially the start of isolationism, that cemented England as it's own entity. From here on out, there would not be any more conquering like what the Saxons, Normans, and Vikings did. It gave the country a chance to grow and figure out who the English, and then the British really were. This time was a turning point in so many ways, it was potentially the birth of a nation and the birth of an identity.
The international environment was that of hostile towards the English, with the French trying to get in from the South, Italy trying to restore power by going through the French, and Scotland waiting to swoop in for power from the North. Henry was surrounded in terms of people who wanted to usurp him. You then have the rise of the English Church as an institution which stood, and stands, as an emblem of certainty, that the UK is its own sovereign nation and no one can change that. The interests of the monarchy was to protect the power they had, even though the people ended up suffering for that. All of these things brought together changed what it meant to be English. It now meant being strong, not waxing in the face of potential conflict, and not bowing to the pressures of other nations. Henry brought these about and was instrumental in the new world order.
The entrance to the Palace is a grand arch, which I think at one point had a very scary gate that could be dropped to stop any possible invaders or party crashers from entering. Visitors are currently being redirected to a smaller entryway which does not offer the same sense of grandeur as the main courtyard. We went on a day they were setting up for a music festival, so the main entrance and courtyard had been turned into a stage and seating. With the visitors entrance changing, the beginning of our tour changed a bit. Visitors are recomnede to start in the kitchens. Three large rooms, each bigger than my flat here, made up the kitchens of Henry VIII. Something like 6 huge fireplaces were all used whenever there was a feast, and it is said that during meal prep, working in the kitchens was like working in hell. What amazes me is that the kitchens take up about half of the Palace. These are not the only kitchens in the palace, there are also smaller privy kitchens of Elizabeth I that were added when she became queen, and also the Chocolate Kitchens, where Elizabeth enjoyed the brand new delicacy from the Americas.
There is a lot to do at Hampton Court Palace, beginning with the original Tudor part of the Palace. The front half of the palace is Tudor, whereas the back half is baroque construction. It was actually commissioned by William of Orange and Queen Mary and built by Christopher Wren. He brought all the latest styles from mainland Europe, so the architecture has a French flair. King William III and his wife despised the orange brick of the Tudor era, and it was incredibly outdated by the time they wanted to move in, so they brought in Wren to the eyesore. The original plans kept only the original chapel and great hall (both in the centre of the palace), while everything else was to go. Construction was only completed halfway before Queen Mary died and William was too distraught to continue with the renovations. So as you walk through the halls, you get to a point where the orange brick and cobblestone turns into marble, it's a very clear line and it quite amusing.
I could go on and on about the rest of the palace, there is so much to say in terms of history and who lived there, died there, were sentenced to death there, and who potentially haunts it (Catherine Howard is the most prominent person said to haunt the palace. She's said to be heard screaming for her life after Henry condemned her to death for adultery). I will mention though that the gardens are a must see. I probably spent over two hours wandering the vast amounts of plants and fountains. They are so peaceful and if you go far enough, you can find a bench looking over the river where no one will be likely to disturb you because of its distance from the castle.
With just over 500 years of history, Hampton Court has left quite the mark on history. Before Henry VIII, I don't know if there was a real sense of Englishness, or nationalism in the country. I would say that his reign and his father's legacy of unification of the houses of York and Lancaster helped to cement an uncontested reign. The cruel history of Henry is not really a happy thing to remember, but it was a time of relative peace. I say relative because there was a religious war that started up when Henry left the Catholic church. It is also worth noting that this was potentially the start of isolationism, that cemented England as it's own entity. From here on out, there would not be any more conquering like what the Saxons, Normans, and Vikings did. It gave the country a chance to grow and figure out who the English, and then the British really were. This time was a turning point in so many ways, it was potentially the birth of a nation and the birth of an identity.
The international environment was that of hostile towards the English, with the French trying to get in from the South, Italy trying to restore power by going through the French, and Scotland waiting to swoop in for power from the North. Henry was surrounded in terms of people who wanted to usurp him. You then have the rise of the English Church as an institution which stood, and stands, as an emblem of certainty, that the UK is its own sovereign nation and no one can change that. The interests of the monarchy was to protect the power they had, even though the people ended up suffering for that. All of these things brought together changed what it meant to be English. It now meant being strong, not waxing in the face of potential conflict, and not bowing to the pressures of other nations. Henry brought these about and was instrumental in the new world order.
Comments
Post a Comment