One look at the facade of Hampton Court Palace, seen above, and you know this was no ordinary building project. And in fact, the immense complex was added to, renovated, re-organized and redecorate almost continuously from its beginnings in 1514 until the royal family lost interest in it in the middle of the 18th century.
Each of the many monarchs who lived there, of course, needed a sizable suite of rooms, and another for his or her spouse, and others, and if the rooms they inherited were not to their taste, there were always craftsmen ready to change the appearance.
So, when you wander through the palace with the excellent audioguide, you are constantly introduced to a seemingly endless line of monarchs: Queen Mary’s rooms. King William’s rooms. Queen Caroline’s suite. King George’s. But after a while, you realize that while the early monarchs added the various buildings and wings that form the campus, their names are attached to few rooms, because they bear the names and tastes of their later successors.
But despite the fact that there is little on the premises truly connected to him, in the public mind, it seems, it will always be Henry VIII’s palace. It is one of only two of his more than sixty residences that survive; St. James in London is the other.
But the Hampton story begins even earlier; it was built by Cardinal Wolsey, a close confidante and advisor to Henry. He is said to have wanted to show his fellow cardinals how powerful his master was by showing them what a magnificent place his servant could own. And, it came with a special royal suite to entertain the king on his visits.
But Wolsey’s star began to fade, and some believe that in part it was because Henry became jealous of Hampton Court. Be that as it may, within ten years of its building, Henry decided he’d rather be the host there, than a visitor, and Wolsey, who was still hoping to regain favor, made a gift of it to the King.
Henry made many changes to the palace, but only two are still prominent features. One is the Great Hall, meant for banqueting, performances and entertaining in general. Its vaulted ceiling, stained glass and tapestries make it a very impressive space; when William and Mary planned to demolish almost all of the palace for a more modern building, the Great Hall was all they planned to keep. But then wars, budget crises and the death of the Queen changed the plans.
Henry’s other significant contribution lies in the more practical realm. The palace is more than a residence; it became a machine for monarchy, capable of caring for the food and laundry needs of up to a thousand nobles, soldiers and hangers-on, each class entitled to different food on different schedules. Henry built immense kitchens and cellars to keep it all going; scores were employed there cooking, counting, preserving, serving and more.
The process starts in one of the inner courtyards, where supplies were received and scrupulously accounted for; penalties for theft were serious. All this was explained to a large group of visitors by the first of our costumed greeters, playing a senior clerk.
Big cooking needs big stoves and ovens, or in the case of Hampton, originally, huge fireplaces. Hundreds of pounds of meat were boiled in large cauldrons before being roasted over open fires.
When you’re cooking for a crowd, it takes a lot of tableware, even if forks were not yet in common use. This room stores serving dishes in great quantity.
Beer and wine in good quantity were needed, and especially cider. The cellarer who was responsible for storage, and for dispensing, was held to account for quantity, but was allowed for himself whatever remained in the barrels below the level of the spigot.
And a kitchen garden to supply herbs and spices, and some of the vegetables for the king’s table. And the knights’ table. And the clerks’ table. And…
The Clock Court, with Anne Boleyne’s Gate was also built in Henry’s time, including the astronomical clock that marked phases of the moon, the time, day, year and more—including the time of low tide at London Bridge, well downstream. That was important because travel between London and Hampton was mainly by boat, and dangerous rapids could form at low tide.
As time rolled on and tastes changed, the earlier Tudor Gothic style gave way in new construction to Renaissance styles, influenced by travelers to Italy and by Italian artisans hired do do much of the new work in William and Mary’s time, even though only a little of their grand plan was carried out. The facade above, in the Fountain Court, is by Christopher Wren.
Audiences with the king took place in the Privy Chamber, above, with only a few close family and friends in the room; others stayed outside in the Great Watching Room, just above, looking for signals to enter, or trying to speak to those who had been allowed in.
Speaking of Privy Chambers (the other sort) this toilet, with a velvet-lined seat, was used by King William III (the male half of William and Mary). It’s on plain view now, but was concealed in an alcove in his time.
The King’s guards, with some always on duty, used this chamber, whose walls are decorated with a plentiful supply of working muskets, pistols, swords and more. The decorative arrangement was made by John Harris in 1699; the bill for the work is in the files.
Walking through the different sets of royal apartments, it is easy to lose track of whose was whose, but never possible to lose track of how rich and varied the furnishings and designs are.
And yet, even a palace fit for a king may not make a king happy. King George III, held in far better esteem in Britain than in the U.S., of course, hated the place, and never lived there as king. Estranged from his abusive grandfather, George II, he was already living in London with his widowed mother when he came to the throne in 1760. He is said to have never spent a night as King in the house he associated with George II.
Today, the palace is open to the public, under the auspices of Historic Royal Palaces, which also manages the Tower of London among other sites. It’s only a short walk from the Hampton Court rail station, which is served by several lines from London.
