In The Footsteps Of Henry VIII - A Hampton Court Palace Tour

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 bought him some time but a frustrated and enraged Henry stripped Wolsey of all his titles apart from 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 a 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 which 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 inventorized the goods and made payment. We enter the boiling room where joints could be part 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 flavor. 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 faraway 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 and interclock 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, 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 Amberlyn gatehouse, look up at another fan-vaulted ceiling. See the large Tudor rows and other small bosses. Notice two that have the initials A and 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 into 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 then 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 yeomen 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 James 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 corridor. This is the privy closet leading into the royal chapel. It was here that Henry VIII married Catherine 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's 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 Immediately you can see the difference with the king's staircase with murals from Antonio Vario. It feels like you've just stepped into an Italian palace. William wanted his guests to experience awe 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 armor. 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 bedchamber, 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 bedchamber. 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 William'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, more plain than the king's 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, this is no longer there. There are various family portraits on the wall, this 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 were 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 splendor of the table and the food that was presented to the king. Here you can see starched 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 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's 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 splendor. 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 remodeled 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 is also very interesting using overfired bricks to blacken them changing their color. I love this corner of the palace that's so easily missed. This glass house contains the great vine planted by none other than Lancelot Capability Brown who was 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 grape vine. 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 pass the royal tennis courts. Henry VIII loved a game of tennis in his day. These ones were built in the reign of Charles I that 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 center 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 hothouses 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's 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 please do subscribe, give us a like and maybe give us a comment, we'd like to hear from you too. So thanks very much and we'll see you again soon.