Hampton Court Palace Review
Reviewed by Lynn Short
The sun was shining and there were no reported traffic problems on our stretch of the M25 as we set off for what promised to be a great day out. We were not disappointed.
The Palace opens at 10.00 am; we arrived about 10.30 and parked on Hampton Court Green which is a walk of about 500 metres from the Palace gate. On the left of the main drive from the gate you will find the ticket office, information desk and a shop. We already had our tickets so just popped in there for a map and special events leaflet. Our tickets were scanned at the main entrance to the Palace itself and the guides were able to give us advice on what to see and suggest an order in which to visit the various sections.
On passing through the main entrance archway we found ourselves in Base Court and immediately noticed the attractive fountain in the middle of the courtyard which we later discovered was a wine fountain. We consulted our map, got our bearings and headed for the information centre where we were able to pick up audio guides – these are included in the admission price and are available in English and 8 other languages (subject to availability). The audio guides were easy to use and very clear.
We decided to start with Henry VIII’s Apartments (1509-1547) and listened to the guide as we proceeded through the various rooms – the Buttery, Great Hall, Great Watching Chamber, Council Chamber and the Chapel. The theme running through the commentary was the preparation for the marriage of Henry VIII to Katherine Parr, his sixth wife. The story was being told by Thomas who had been in the service of the Court since he was a boy and the narration was engaging, interesting and enlightening. In addition to the audio guide there were room stewards available to answer any questions and also information boards to read. There were several costumed characters going about their daily business. The walls were adorned with many paintings and tapestries which were stunning. I particularly liked the Chapel.
Next, we went to William III’s Apartments (1689-1702) and heard or read about Queen Mary and King William’s time at Hampton Court. These rooms were also lavishly furnished and contained beautiful works of art – the King’s Guard Chamber, Privy Chamber, Great Bed Chamber, Orangery. Since we had spent so long in Henry VIII’s rooms and listened to the complete audio guide for that area, we decided to read the boards and ask questions in this section of the Palace – we were concerned that we might not otherwise have time to see everything.
We then stopped briefly for a snack in the Privy Kitchen Café (bowl of soup with a chunk of bread £5 and a cup of hot chocolate £3).
We resumed our tour by visiting The Georgian Story (1714-1737) and saw the Queen’s Guard Chamber, Public Dining Room, State Bed and Queen’s Gallery. Again, we read the information boards and talked to the room stewards. As before these rooms all contained amazing works of art and beautiful tapestries.
I knew very little about William and Mary or George I and II, so I found these sections particularly informative.
Next, we visited Henry VIII’s kitchens. The approach to these was through narrow passages rather than grand courtyards and we used the audio guides for this area and found them helpful. It was quite astonishing to learn how much food was consumed by the royal household. In one kitchen, there was a roaring fire and the steward was roasting a joint of meat (roughly 11lbs) on a spit.
After the kitchens, we went outside in to The Great Fountain Garden. We sat in the sunshine for a while and admired the yew trees and various flower beds and the herbaceous border before going to see the Royal Tennis Court where a game was in progress. We then walked back through the Privy Garden and past the Knot Garden and Pond Gardens before going to see the Triumphs of Caesar in the Mantegna Gallery – these are very important paintings in the Royal Collection.
We had done a great deal of walking and been up and down numerous grand staircases by this time, so my husband decided to sit on one of the benches in Clock Court (so called because of the astronomical clock over the archway) and enjoy the sunshine while I continued in my efforts to see as much as I could in the time remaining.
We had returned our audio guides to the information centre when we went outside as they are not permitted outside the buildings. I regretted not having one with me when I went to Young Henry VIII’s Story as I felt I was missing a lot of information.
The Cumberland Art Gallery displayed many beautiful paintings by eminent artists. If you are interested in art you would probably want to spend a reasonable amount of time in here. My time was by now limited so my visit was unfortunately rather short.
My final visit was to see The Baroque Story – this was a video presentation lasting about 13 minutes relating how the Palace changed under William and Mary.
I had a brief look at the Buggy Park and family room – as it suggests this is where you can leave pushchairs and there is a room with bean bags and some toys where parents can relax for a while with their children. I was pleased to see that there was a very clear and nicely illustrated “family tree” of the Monarchy.
All areas of the Palace are accessible except for Young Henry VIII’s story.
We had had a thoroughly enjoyable day and learned a great deal. We spent just over 7 hours at Hampton Court but still did not manage to see all the gardens or experience the famous maze. We found all the members of staff friendly, welcoming and helpful.
Hampton Court Palace is easy to get to and is clearly marked by brown tourist signs from the main routes. Hampton Court train station is about 200 metres from the Palace gate and is served by trains from Waterloo. There are buses from Kingston and Richmond. It is also possible to get there by river boat but these journeys take quite some time (4 hours for the one from Westminster) and would reduce the amount of time available for your visit. Hampton Court Palace is in Zone 6 if using London Transport.
There is a car park on site at the Palace. This has 9 disabled bays and parking is currently free to blue badge holders; the cost for other vehicles is £1.60 per hour. We were told that this car park is normally full by 11.00 am. There is all day parking at the train station and this costs between £6 and £7 for the day. The parking on Hampton Court Green is £1.50 per hour, but until 25th August all day parking costs £6.
Tickets can be purchased on the gate, online or by phone. It is cheaper to purchase online. Prices on the gate are £20.90 for adults, £10.45 child aged 5-15, £17.10 concessions (over 60, disabled, full time students), Family 1 adult and up to 3 children £37, Family 2 adults and up to 3 children £51.70, under 5s are free. Online prices are £18.40 adults, £9.20 child, £14.80 concessions, £32.30 Family 1, £45.40 Family 2. Telephone bookings can be made on 0844 482 7799 and there is an additional £2 transaction fee.
This was a really good day out and I would thoroughly recommend a visit to Hampton Court Palace.
Rating: 5/5
For more information or to book tickets online visit www.hrp.org.uk.
Hampton Court Palace, East Molesey, Surrey, KT8 9AU | 0844 482 7799
