Hampton Court Palace

About Hampton Court Palace

Hampton Court Palace sits on the north bank of the Thames in East Molesey, just southwest of central London. It began as the grand home of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey in the early 1500s, but after he fell from favour it passed to Henry VIII, who expanded it into one of his favourite royal residences. The palace is really two buildings in one. The older half is all red-brick Tudor, with its great kitchens, the vast Great Hall, and the astronomical clock in Clock Court. The other half, built for William III and Mary II in the 1690s, is a baroque palace designed by Christopher Wren, with state apartments and a very different feel. Walking between the two is like stepping across two centuries in a few minutes.

The grounds are as much a reason to come as the building. There are around 60 acres of formal gardens, including the riverside Privy Garden and the Great Vine, planted in 1768 and still producing grapes. The famous hedge maze, laid out in the late 17th century, is the oldest surviving one of its kind in the UK and still trips people up. Inside, costumed interpreters and restored kitchens give a sense of how the Tudor court actually ate, worked, and lived, and the state rooms are hung with paintings from the Royal Collection.

Most visits run three to four hours if you want to see both the Tudor and baroque sides plus the gardens, longer if you linger in the grounds or tackle the maze. The palace is well outside central London, so allow travel time. Trains from London Waterloo to Hampton Court station take around 35 minutes, and the station is a short walk across the bridge. Entry is paid and a ticket is required. In summer the gardens and maze get busy, so booking ahead and arriving earlier in the day helps.