Hampton Court Palace, London: Day 7

Sunday, April 25th, dawns overcast, but bright enough to go ahead with our plans to visit Hampton Court Palace, located in the borough of Richmond, southwest of London.  Despite being a half hour out of Central London, this former residence, much beloved by Henry VIII, and containing the most exquisite gardens, is worth the trip.

As in our other travels throughout this great city, public transport - in this case, inter-city rail - is our choice, and just as our experience with the Tube so far, it is equally as efficient, affordable, and enjoyable. On the short journey, we pass quaint villages and lush, rolling landscapes. I remark how, despite being on an island, the English countryside seems quite spacious. Villages and suburban communities do line the railway routes, but these do not make up the majority of the view. Instead, verdant fields dominate the landscape, dotted with small farms with grazing animals. Of note is the seeming effort at preserving the architectural styles, landscaping, and urban planning of the past, which adds to the scenes' charm and appeal.

After a short walk from the train station, we arrive at the adorned gates of Hampton Court Palace, built around 1514. Greg and I review the site map, before proceeding to the front entrance. The site consists of several components, including the Clock Tower, the multi-courted main palace, the Chapel, the Banqueting House, the Great Hall, and the extensive gardens.

Despite its association with King Henry VIII, Hampton Court Palace was initially the residence of Cardinal Wolsey, the King's most trusted confidant and advisor, who, because of his rising influence and wealth as the second most powerful leader in Britain, was able to indulge his love of architecture.

Hampton Court Palace became Wolsey's passion, one on which he lavished a small fortune and seven years building. His intention was to demonstrate how a British cardinal's lifestyle could rival that of any in Rome.

The palace is mainly Tudor in style, but contains a mix of Italian Renaissance and Gothic Perpendicular styles, which are reflected in the palace's ornamental details. Despite its increasing wealth and power at the time, England was still influenced by the art, architecture, and designs of Italy, Belgium, and France - the so-called low countries - which had been cultivated and established long before those of England. Much of Hampton Court Palace's buildings, for instance, were constructed by Italian - not English - craftsmen who had settled in England in the sixteenth century.

At its completion, Hampton Court Palace became Wolsey's home for only a few years. By the 1520s, he was losing favour with the King, and felt the pressure to appease him. He offered Henry VIII Hampton Court Palace as a gift and died a year after the King took ownership of the residence.

Greg and I are impressed by the palace's enormous scale and classical features, a result of Henry VIII's own expansion of the palace. He added to the building, before moving in, partly in order to accommodate his enormous court, which consisted of 1000 people.

Equally impressive is the number of priceless tapestries - a few of which are on display - that we learn Henry VIII amassed for the residence. These were handmade of wool, silk, silver, and gold threads and whose massive scale is a testament to their cost: it often took craftspeople years to finish one tapestry. As with other aesthetics of the time, including fashion and art, the ownership of tapestries was a reflection of an individual's wealth and power, wielding great influence on those who beheld them. Henry VIII, determined to impress the other European heads of state of increasing English political and economic power, was particularly adept at using art, culture, and aesthetics as tools to promote England on the international stage.

Much of the palace's decor and furnishings date to the Tudor and Stuart periods of English history. These include - in addition to the aforementioned tapestries - paintings, ceramics, furniture, and a royal loo, upholstered in red velvet. Greg and I marvel at the superb fabrics and impeccable workmanship of the objects displayed, which are now part of The Royal Collection, owned by and kept in trust for the British Royal family and its successors. The majority of these thousands of items of art, furniture, ceramics, and paintings are displayed in the various royal palaces throughout Britain, including Hampton Court Palace.

As we move from room to room, we are struck by the expert use of colour, which we presume are accurate to the various periods and stages the palace underwent throughout the centuries. These not only complement the enormous spaces, but seem contemporary in their execution and seeming consideration of proportion and balance. There are wonderful sage greens, creams, scarlets, and golds that are used lavishly on furniture, on walls, or as accents.

Henry VIII consulted the best craftsmen, artists, and designers of his time. These included Hans Holbein, the German painter who not only created many of Henry VIII's portraits, but who also designed precious objects, including jewellery and silver plate.

The enormity of this palace and its countless rooms is reflective not only of Henry VIII's passion for architecture, but also of his successors' own initiatives at demolishing, adding to, and extending the palace buildings. Of note is King William of Orange and his wife, Queen Mary's, effort at modernizing the palace to reflect the Baroque style of the 17th century, adding not only new wings of rooms to the existing palace, but employing new architects, craftsmen, and artists to oversee the tasks. These included Christopher Wren, who designed completely new buildings that would replace all but the Great Hall of Henry VIII's original buildings, and Antonio Verrio, who created some of the exquisite frescoes in King William's staircase.

The extent and beauty of the palace buildings is rivaled only by its extensive grounds, much of it cultivated into various garden styles. In all, there are 60 acres of gardens and 750 acres of parkland. On leaving the main building, Greg and I separate, each drawn to a different part of the palace gardens. I am initially attracted to the clipped yew trees, laid out along two wide walkways, extending from the palace's south entrances. These are enormous and beautiful, softening the garden's otherwise symmetrical design.

From there, I move on to the rose garden and maze, each with their own distinct choices of flowers and plants and design layout. Being early spring, the gardens are starting to reach their full beauty and with their extensive varieties of plants, flowers, and trees, I am struck by the novelty of it all. In addition to the rose garden and maze, the Palace's gardens also include the Great Fountain Garden, the Lower Orangery Exotics Garden, and the Pond Gardens. Short of time, we cannot take all the gardens in, but resolve to return some day to carry on where we leave off.

In addition to the information provided here, much more can be learned about Hampton Court Palace by visiting the Historic Royal Palaces website. This charitable organization maintains five royal sites, including Hampton Court Palace, Kensington Palace, and Kew Gardens, and does so without government funding.

References:
1. Wikipedia
2. TimeOut Guide [London 2010])
3. Design & the Decorative Arts: Tudor and Stuart Britain 1500-1714 (Snodin & Styles)

See slide show below to see more images (click on slide show to enlarge):