Hampton Court 20 April 2018

On a very fine day in April I met up with these two lovely ladies at Hampton Court. I'm not really sure why it's taken so long to get here - it's on every tourist radar. Getting there is a bit of a mission - an hour and a half drive or even longer by train, but so worth the effort. Also a place which will begs for return visits.

First, plan of action. Gardens. Well, part of the gardens. The whole estate is huge The gardens cover an area of 26.7 hectares (66 acres) and the wider estate covers an area of 304 hectares (750 acres). It's spring time and there are blossoms and blooms everywhere. You'll have to imagine the fragrance.

A few of the biggest attractions were closed for maintenance - the Maze, Henry VIII's kitchen, the Mantegna Gallery - quite disappointing considering the entry fee of £22.70, no reduction there.

Still, lots to see, so let's not get snotty, just relax and have some fun.

Where to now? For me, first time visits are all about that initial impression. I tend not to do much initial research. Preparation for the blog is when I read and research and overlay my initial impressions with facts. Follow up visits are more focussed. I know, backwards, and what happens if I don't go back? My impressions today - warmth, sunlight, bees, space, time, age, wealth.

The Palace ...

As it was still relatively cool we decided to walk through the Palace to the Great Fountains Garden and then explore the Palace in the heat of the afternoon. But it was hard not to be distracted by the amazing buildings. More of those later.

There were originally thirteen fountains between 1689 and 1702, but only one remains.

The Yew trees were planted by Queen Anne between 1702 and 1714 - so these specimans are more than 300 years old!

Lunch time... The Privy kitchen. Where the hoi polloi gather.

In the heat of the afternoon, it was good to be inside. So much to see, so much history to ingest, so little time. Back in the day, though we did cover African history, a large part of the syllabus was European and English and of course, with an English mother, taste and direction in literature was heavily biased. Stories of the kings and queens are embedded in my consciousness, so to be in this Palace and see all the historical objet and accoutrements is surreal.

From Cardinal Wolsey in the 16th Century to Henry VIII who took it away from him and brought all six of his wives here, to William III and Mary II, to Queen Victoria who opened the Palace to the public in 1838, this Palace has seen it all.

To this sneakily shot pic of Queen Elizabeth by Andy Warhol which is apparently a screen print with diamond dust. I do rather like it. In a day filled with history and age, it's so refreshing to come up against something so modern and bright.

Now, for aspiring hostesses, this is how you fold napkins ..

From the 1760's the palace was used for grace and favour apartments awarded rent-free to applicants for past service to the crown. Apparently up until 2015 there were still a few residents! Presumably that is what these labels are.

This is the Copernican Astronomical Clock installed in 1540 and is still functioning. Showing the time of day, phases of the moon, the month, the quarter of the year, the date, the sun and star sign and high water at London Bridge! This is of interest to those travelling by boat where apparently the low water at London Bridge created dangerous rapids. Isn't it beautiful?

The King's staircase by the Italian painter Antonio Verrio.

This is the King's Guard Chamber and it took me a while to realise that the displays are all firearms and weapons and pieces of armour. I suppose, what else would you do with this number of unusable guns? They make for interesting patterns.