Through the doors behind me is
500 years of British Monarchy the likes of Henry Viii, Anne Boleyn,
Jane Seymour, Cardinal Wolsey have all walked the halls and corridors of this
majestic palace. Let's go and explore. To the southwest of London on the banks of the
River Thames, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey started the creation of this wonderful palace in 1514 having
bought the land and a manor house on the site. Wolsey was becoming a powerful statesman,
Archbishop of York and top advisor to King Henry Viii, in fact, this palace
was originally built for Wolsey to live in, to entertain foreign guests and
receive the king when he visited. All was well between Henry and Wolsey until the
king wanted to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon in favour of Anne Boleyn. Wolsey's attempts
to persuade the Pope failed and he gifted the palace to Henry in 1528 as a way of appeasing his
wrath. It brought him some time but a frustrated and enraged Henry stripped Wolsey of all his
titles, apart from the Archbishop of York and removed him from Hampton Court in 1529, making the
palace his own by spending huge sums of money over a decade, making it more magnificent and to his
liking and a favourite out of the many he owned. As we walk over the moat take note
of the 10 heraldic animal statues The King's Beasts, they represent the ancestry
of Henry and his third wife Jane Seymour. We enter the palace through the west gate, we visited during Halloween hence the
pumpkins cobwebs and spooky music. As you pass through the gate look up
at the incredible fan-vaulted ceiling. In the centre is the coat
of arms of Queen Victoria, around it a number of other smaller
bosses including the Tudor rose. This is base court a place where
Henry would have had his courtiers and important guests wait
until he was ready to see them. They would have arrived up the long driveway
to the palace Henry would have travelled by boat along the River Thames disembarking
via a water gate that no longer exists. Now you might think that this is
some sort of water feature fountain but in fact, it's a drinking fountain
that probably stood here to quench the thirst of those waiting for the King. It's
widely thought that on special occasions it might have been switched to wine, hence the
carved characters looking a bit worse for wear. From here you can explore a number of
walking routes around Hampton Court and a map is handy to grab as you come
through the west gate because there are a huge amount of things to see and it can get a
bit confusing. We'll start in the King's kitchens. Henry had a large court and anywhere between
450 and 1500 people needed feeding twice a day up to 200 staff were required to support this. The
courtyard is where all the provisions would arrive to be sorted and sent to their respective areas
for storage or straight into the various kitchens themselves. A delivery has just been made to stock
up on ale and wheat. The master cook would have controlled the daily running of the kitchens and
the board of the green cloth, a group of officials inventoried the goods and made the payment. We
enter the boiling room where joints could be partly cooked to save on roasting time later
and pies were filled and prepared for cooking Dried fruits spices and herbs would
have been added to enhance the flavour. Imagine the smells from the boiling room and
the hustle and bustle of staff working non-stop. This narrow alleyway was Fish Court, getting less
light during the day it stayed cool and was the perfect place to store fresh fish in storerooms
that would have been behind these green doors. Seawater fish was covered in seaweed and live fish were kept in the ponds in
the garden of the palace. The great kitchens are now split into three
areas but were one large room in Henry's day. Additional walls and preparation areas were added
later to improve what could be produced here. Large chunks of meat, mostly beef were
skewered and spit-roasted for hours constantly being hand-turned and the fires
maintained. Six large fires span the rooms from time to time the largest fire is lit and they
roast a joint so you can see it in all its glory. The food that was produced here was of the
highest quality something very important not just for its taste but as a sign of the king's
wealth and power. Spices, exotic fruits and oils from far away lands were acquired and used
to spoil Henry and his guests. It's probably why Henry slim and athletic in his early life
became bloated and fat from all the good food. Incidentally, Henry had his own master
cook so ingredients and produce for him would have been taken to another
smaller kitchen and handled separately. At the end of the kitchens are hatches where
the food ready for the great hall or elsewhere would have been placed to be quickly checked by a
clerk and then grabbed and taken away for serving. Of course, we cannot forget all the
washing up and cleaning required and in Serving Place the clerk would sign out
all the expensive pewter dishes bowls and cups and then ensure they were all
accounted for on their return. To accompany the meals were the
ales and of course, fine wines rolled into a number of cellars in the palace,
dark and cool I'm sure they never stayed here long before being drunk at the huge number of
events and gatherings organized by Henry. Back out in Base Court we'll head for
Henry Viii's apartments but first, let's walk straight through the gate known
as Anne Boleyn Gatehouse into Clock Court. You can see the side of the great hall, the heart
of the Tudor palace and we'll visit that shortly. If you turn around you can see the
500 year old astronomical clock, above it is the bell from the manor house Wolsey
bought and once stood here before the palace. The stationary outer ring shows the hours of the
day. The outer dial rotates annually showing the day of the year, the position of the sun in the
zodiac and the date. The middle dial rotates daily showing the time and the inner dial rotates
monthly and shows the position of the moon. It really is a clever and wonderful timepiece,
apparently, it can even tell you when high tide is handy to know when you're arriving and
departing by the River Thames. Notice the terracotta roman faces added by Wolsey, you can
see a number of them at the other gatehouses. Whilst Henry wiped most references of Wolsey from
the palace during his extravagant alterations, one that was rediscovered and
restored in the 19th century is his coat of arms you can see
this below the astronomical clock. Coming back under the Anne Boleyn Gatehouse
look up at another fan-vaulted ceiling. See the large Tudor rose and other small
bosses. Notice two that have the initials, A H, Anne and Henry tied with a knot denoting
their marriage. These should have been destroyed when Henry had her executed but somehow still
remain. Climbing the steps and through the door, we arrive in a hallway just outside the
great hall. The food and staff would arrive here from the kitchens using another
entrance, not the one we just walked through. The great hall was the hub of the Tudor palace.
In the 16th century twice a day up to 450 staff in two sittings would eat here. For important feasts
involving the King and his senior courtiers, candelabra, tapestries hanging from the
ceiling along with hundreds of candles would have turned it into a lively feasting hall
with entertainment, dance, drama and ceremony. It's the largest room in the palace at 32
meters long, 12 meters wide and 18 meters high. A great deal of restoration was done here in the
1840s. This is the top table where Henry and the Queen would have sat during events. Long after
his reign, this room was used by future monarchs in fact Shakespeare appeared
here more than once for James I. None of the stained glass windows are
original to the 1500s they are 19th century. This window was commissioned by
Wolsey but Henry liked it and kept it here. This is a view from outside in the Clock Court. We move into the Great Watching chamber attached
to the great hall where yeoman of the guard would keep an eye on goings-on and protect the
entrance to the King's private apartments. Much has changed in this room as William iii
made his own alterations but the restored ceiling is original with Tudor bosses and
ones relating to Jane Seymour his third wife. Moving further into Henry's apartment rooms
we walk through the processional route and at the end into the gallery. Catherine
Howard his fifth wife is alleged to have run through this corridor screaming for Henry having
just found out that she'd been accused of adultery but was seized by guards before finding him. Her
ghost is reported to still roam the corridors. This is the privy closet
leading into the Royal Chapel, it was here that Henry Viii married Katheryn
Parr his last wife on the 12th of July 1543. The Royal Chapel is still in use today 500 years
after Wolsey built it. It's absolutely incredible. Henry would have sat above here in the royal
pew rather than down in the main church area. The vaulted ceiling is just outstanding and Queen
Anne renovated the interior in the early 1700s, it's here you can also see a
replica of Henry Viii's crown overlooking the chapel quite
stunning even if it is a replica. This brings an end to Henry Viii period at
Hampton Court, we now move into the Baroque part of the palace created by William iii and
Mary ii with the help of Sir Christopher Wren. From the Clock Court, you can
enter the William iii apartments. Immediately you can see the difference with the
King's staircase with murals from Antonio Verio. It feels like you've just stepped into
an Italian Palace. William wanted his guests to experience ore as they climbed the
steps, this was most definitely achieved. At the top of the stairs,
we enter the guard chamber full to the ceiling of weapons of war
created by 2850 pieces of arms and armour. There was a talk going on so we'll
have to swiftly move through this room. The King's presence room where apparently
you would bow even if he wasn't present. Members of his court would meet the
King here under his ruby red canopy. The King's great bed chamber, his inner sanctum
very few would have had access to this room but on occasions, very senior courtiers would have
had conversations with him whilst he was being dressed by gentlemen of the bed-chamber but
they would have been kept well back from him. The King's closet with a walnut desk and chairs
so he could conduct his most private one-on-one meetings. The room behind or the close stool
contains the royal toilet. This padded seat with a chamber pot inside was William's
personal loo. The groom of the stool would personally deal with the king's stool and even be
in attendance whilst the king was on the toilet. We are passing through
Williams's private drawing room for entertaining close friends
and heavy drinking after dinner. In the dining room after Mary's death, he
moved a set of paintings that you can just see in the poor light The Hampton
Court Beauties as they were known. Before we head out and explore
the wonderful grounds of the palace there is one more area to
see during the Georgian period. This is the Queen's staircase, plainer than
the Kings but decorated by William Kent at the request of Queen Caroline
wife of George ii in 1734. We enter a large room forming part of the
Queen's apartments. The Queen's guard chamber. The yeomen of the guard are seen here again
controlling the access to further rooms that get more elaborate sumptuous and
small as you get closer to the royals. Out of the window, we get a quick glimpse of
the Fountain Court which we'll see shortly. This was the presence chamber
in George and Caroline's time, there would have been two thrones and a canopy
to receive guests, these are no longer there. There are various family portraits on
the wall one of King George ii himself. This is the public dining room, a strange
name but it was where the King would eat and the public was able to watch.
George I hated this tradition but it was resurrected in the reign of George
II and was welcomed by the people who would come to see the splendour of the table and the food
that was presented to the King. Here you can see starch linen transformed into various animals and
creatures to decorate the table at special events. Now let's head down the stairs
and walk around the Fountain Court there is some restoration going on
at the moment which is a shame but you can still see what Christopher Wren created
here using wonderful portland stone on the facade. This is the palace's east side that introduces you
to the wonderful gardens here at Hampton Court. They're probably the most
recognizable in the country. The great fountain garden was formerly part of
Henry Viii's hunting park but William iii turned it into a formal garden with ornate yew trees and
at one time 13 fountains, just one remains today. This is a lovely area for a stroll and a place to
eat your picnic which you might bring with you. Long water at the end of the garden
stretches into the distance added by Charles ii in 1660 with its scented
lime trees and resident swans. Four times an hour at the far end a 15 meter
jet of water from the Jubilee fountain soars into the air added in 2002 as part
of Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee celebrations. Heading back to the palace you can see the
east side baroque facade in all its glory, hard to believe that it's the same
palace as the Tudor west side. The privy garden in all its splendour,
Henry Viii did have a garden here during his reign with heraldic beasts on poles
and fluttering flags but it was William iii again that remodelled it in 1702 and today
it's a pretty good likeness from that period. Pruned yew trees, holly trees, annuals and box
hedging make this a delightful garden to explore. Bordering the river at the end
is a very ornate iron screen built by a french master blacksmith Jean de Joux,
you can see more of his work around the palace. As you walk around this area of the
gardens you get to see just how many chimneys the palace has, 241 in total.
They're all ornately decorated and it's so clever how they adapted the bricks to get
the design. The diamond shape on the walls are also very interesting to use over-fired
bricks to blacken them changing their colour. I love this corner of the palace that's so easily
missed. This glasshouse contains the Great Vine planted by none other than
Lancelot Capability Brown who was the chief gardener and lived
in Hampton Court between 1764 and 83. Can you believe it's still
going strong, the black dessert grapes are harvested each year some 600
pounds. It's the world's largest grapevine. The roots extend out into this
area which is left unplanted and manured so the vine gets all it
needs to continue to grow and thrive. Also on the south side of the palace are the
sunken pond gardens. It was here the live fish for the table may well have been kept during
Henry's reign in sunken compartments of the pond. Queen Mary drained the ponds in 1690
so she could use it for her exotic planting. Heading to the north side of the
palace our last area to explore, we passed the Royal Tennis Courts. Henry viii
loved a game of tennis in his day. These ones were built in the reign of Charles I but are sadly
unavailable for us to see today for some reason. In search of the royal maze we
head further into the north gardens planted in 1700, it is still a source
of fun and amusement by visitors today trying to find the centre and then the exit
of this finely trimmed yew hedging puzzle. The palace had a large kitchen garden to
provide produce for hundreds of staff and guests. This recreation planted in 2014 is
laid out as it might have been in the 1800s with rare varieties of fruit and vegetables. Hampton Court's kitchen garden
was one of the finest in europe and a team of gardeners would tend to it using
hot houses to produce crops out of season, tender fruit trees like pears and nectarines would
have been trained along the walls. When the royals left the court in 1760 the gardens declined
and it was Queen Victoria that allowed local producers to use the land for fruit growing.This
is a recreation of the head gardener shed, full of garden tools and paraphernalia to aid in
the year-round maintenance of the kitchen garden. This brings us to the Rose garden enclosed
by walls this garden would have once been Henry's kitchen garden. There are some
lovely views of the palace and the great hall from this area and it's certainly
another decent place to have your lunch. There we are I hope you enjoyed your time here
with me at Hampton Court. It really has been very interesting. If you like this video you may well
like our Tower of London video, we'll put a link to that at the end. If you want more like this
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