Long time, no blog! I’m back everyone, and this time I’m so excited to talk about our visit to Hampton Court Palace.
After a nice morning train ride out to the Hampton Court area, we began our journey through the hallowed halls. Kaylee and I split off from the main group pretty quickly, and with the help of our trusty audio guide, we made our way through some beautiful rooms, stairwells, and courtyards. The architecture of Hampton Court Palace is magnificent to behold, and I was constantly in awe. Each room surprised me with gorgeous artwork, elaborate furniture, dazzling tapestries, and more. Not to mention the stunning gardens with their clear air, colorful flowers, and secret passageways. While the palace itself was stunning, I think the gardens were my favorite part of the tour. We saw baby ducks and orange trees, and we discovered gorgeous passageways covered in greenery.
When touring the halls of Hampton Court, I enjoyed listening to the audio provided by the guide. I will confess that at Bath I did not enjoy the audio guide. I found it boring and difficult to focus on with so much happening around me. However, the guide provided at Hampton Court was very engaging, and it walks you through each room, discussing the pieces found in each room, what the room was used for, and who would have seen the room or had access to it during the time of Henry VIII or William and Marry. The guide makes you feel like part of the story, and it engrosses you in the world of the palace such that one could imagine what life might have been like in that time. From what I gathered during my exploring, Hampton Court would have been a pretty sweet place to live, as long as you knew how to follow the rules and stay on the royalty’s good side. Provided you could do that, the palace offered spaces for parties, meetings, and wandering through the gardens. There was space to explore and play but also space to take care of the business of the day. However, if you did not understand the rules for greeting royalty or know how to stay in favor with the King, Hampton Court would likely be one of the last things you saw (provided you made it there to begin with). There was no shortage of guard’s rooms, and one could only imagine what it would have been like to face down the intense and large guard present at the palace.
Getting back to the architecture, it was incredible to see the blending of styles present at Hampton Court, particularly the blending of Baroque and Tudor style buildings and rooms. While other styles were present as well, those two stood out to me the most. The Tudor style, while absolutely beautiful, is much more subdued than the extravagant artwork and carvings seen in the baroque rooms. From the outside, the differences are less jarring (though still present), but when you see the incredible baroque murals on the the ceilings inside, the difference is undeniable. The murals were stunning and constantly took my breath away, but some of the artwork I found most compelling and incredible to see were the tapestries present in so many rooms. Many of them were the size of the wall they hung one, yet the detail work was flawless throughout. When I think about the hours it must have taken to weave the tapestry with such care, it boggles my mind. I took photos of almost every tapestry I saw because they drew my eye immediately.
Overall, I would say that Hampton Court Palace was my favorite of the historical places tours we’ve done on this trip. I would happily go back and spend hours just wandering the gardens, but alas, I will be saying goodbye to London soon. There is nothing quite like walking through an old palace, maintained to look as it would have hundreds of years ago. It made the history come alive, and I could understand and feel the presence of the people who used to live there better because I was seeing the space as they presumably would have. It was an incredible experience, and the gardens made my dream of running through a tunnel of greenery and relaxing in a secret garden come true. I hope I get to return to Hampton Court someday, but in meantime, I will look forward to visiting Kew Gardens soon!!
Theatre in London U of A 