Our second day trip outside of London-proper took us about an hour out to another beacon of English history. And an extra boon to it just so happened to be that it held the history of one of my favorite pieces of English history, the life (and wives) of Henry VIII. If you know anything about Henry (or happened to have read the blog title), then you’d know I’m talking about his most-loved residence: Hampton Court Palace.
Our tour of these awesome grounds was similar to our trip to the Roman Baths. We were all free to explore at our own pace aided by some handy-dandy audio guides. With those we started our journeys out mostly in a similar area before splitting off. The first of these areas were the kitchens.
Right off the bat, I envy the guy. A whole extensive building just for making your food feels like the definition of royalty. However, these rooms were used for a lot more than just making Henry VIII’s food. These kitchens fed all of his staff their meals as well as prepping refined meals for Henry, whichever wife he had at the time, and his and/or her guests. The staff largely ate their meals in the serving area in the kitchens. However, Henry and the rest of the more esteemed residents would take their meals in the Great Hall or rooms of Henry VIII’s Apartments.
The first area of the apartments was, as I mentioned, the great hall. I failed to get a solid picture of the full room, so I hope one of Squirt on the little barrier will do. One of the most impressive aspects is seen in the pictures through the original tapestries that are still preserved to this day. However, my favorite part can be seen in the scattered in the distance of the picture are the elk heads all over the walls. These, and some small heads carved and painted into the walls and roof are called the “Eavesdroppers.” These were meant to signify to guests there that they were always be watched, so discussions of treachery and such would not go unheard.
One of the fascinating things about the apartments as a whole is the range of architecture throughout. The gilded ceilings and painted glass of the Great Watching Chamber almost feel like they don’t belong in the same room while just down the hall it is attached to the distinctly 1700s design of Christopher Wren with the Queen’s staircase ceiling. The variety speaks to how this palace has been used and added onto over many centuries.
Similarly to the architecture, the many paintings of the apartments caught my attention throughout my tour. I honestly have hardly anything to say about them outside of some words of appreciation at the fact that all of these pieces of art covering so many different figures and times were able to be preserved and displayed in this one place. Just remarkable.
My favorite area and the main room that truly allowed me to feel like I was a part of the world and time of Henry VIII was the Council Chamber. This was done through the audio-visual presentation where you could sit at the council table and feel like you are taking part in the debates of the time. I sat in the seat of Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, a powerful noble and “mortal enemy of Thomas Cromwell” was “uncle of both Queen Anne Boleyn and Queen Catherine Howard” (both as per the label). The discussion I sat in for, heard in the video above, would have taken place in 1540 as it discussed the annulment of Henry VIII’s marriage with Anne of Cleves and Cromwell being gifted earldom of Essex both of which happened in 1540. It was super fun to actually sit in the seat as the voices of these nobles played and their hand movements were projected onto the table in front. Me and a few strangers who also sat down started acting out the discussion, mouthing the dialogue and mimicking the hand motions of our respective nobles. This was honestly a highlight of my time at the palace. If it lacked all the treachery and possible loss-of-head, I would totally go back in time and be a noble in Henry VIII’s council. I mean, just think of the drama!
To close out my ramblings on this trip, here are some pictures of the stunning Georgian Story of the palace. Honestly the final multi-walled painting above shows enough of the beauty that this section had to show. I will be honest however that I spent so much time over all the Henry VIII-related areas that I ended up not having near enough time to truly appreciate this area. Nonetheless, I was shocked by how such a distinct period of history could be portrayed so closely to that of a different century entirely. As a closer to this day trip, it was truly a worthwhile sight altogether. However, now I must close fully with my required Squirt Asteroid-Destroyer related section.
As is fully necessary, I had to save a little time for a photo shoot with Squirt. Not all the shots are winners, but I think this was one of our more successful overall shoots. I can’t say much for myself, but Squirt is certainly quite the photogenic fella. And now he has some great pics to use on his dating profile. Lucky quacker.
Theatre in London U of A 