Hampton Court Palace was a maze. Each certain area designated to a certain royal was like its own little cocoon within the palace walls. I spent a lot of my time in William the III’s royal chambers and what struck me the most was the beautiful mural Verrio painted across the staircases walls and ceiling that you pass under to enter into his residence. The mural was huge! I wondered if he stood on a ladder all day and painted this masterpiece or if this was wallpapered onto the palace because the sheer size of his artwork was magnificent. I cannot imagine having to have painted for so long, especially for a king. Entering William III’s section of the palace, you are first met with these numerous public rooms that allow courtiers and servants to enter and stay waiting upon the king’s arrival. These rooms were lined with tapestries and paintings that depicted the meaning of each room. In King William III’s “bedroom” another Verrio mural painting was present that had the goddess Venus singing to sleep Mars the god of war. I think this was my most favorite mural in the palace. Little angels flew around Mars and Venus holding his armor and weapons and flying them away. Mars is at peace in this painting and that is not something we saw often in Roman mythology, so I found it quite cool that Verrio used this image to replicate the action of the room. A dark and scary king having his afternoon nap under the gaze of Venus. It is kind of hilarious.
As for the architecture in the palace, it was all constructed in very open spaced rooms, but the paneling and wood read very mundane to me. It was not until you looked at the artwork that was hanging from the walls that I began to read rich and royal from this space. The personal staircases also lent the idea that these people were quite wealthy and high in society. The stained glass in Henry VIII’s eating/party room for his six wives was quite beautiful and it is positioned in a way for Henry VIII to always be in an eye shot of his stained-glass doppelganger. Talk about conceited. But as for the foundation of this palace, I do not know, nothing caught my eye overwhelmingly until I was standing outside in the gardens where I began to appreciate the stone pillars and cobbled walkways. The cushioned toilet of William III did make me lose my mind. That cushion has got to be crustyyy.
But for most of my time, I spent it outside in the large courtyard where the stream ran through the grass and trees. Me and some ducks became good friends. It was so tranquil out there I kept forgetting I saw sitting in the grass that once belonged to an unjust and power hungry and hateful king. So gross. I picked some grass out of the ground to really stick it to the man. Just a little though; I was totally seeking out justice on my own time, haha. One thing these kings and queens sure knew how to do was import exotic plants and animals and make it feel like they are where they are supposed to be. I watched an Egyptian goose, and her children walk back and forth across the grass for a good hour, and I could not help but continue to think about how they do not belong here. I wonder if that’s how Henry’s wives felt. Trapped and imported from foreign lands to entertain him. To simply look pretty. I hope those ladies had a pact together of some sort that kept them safe in the simplest ways they could. I am sure this palace felt like a prison for most. Especially Anne and Catherine. Godspeed sisters.
Theatre in London U of A 