London: Day Four

On Monday, we went to Hampton Court, a beautiful Tudor palace. We took the 11:36 train to the Hampton Court station, arriving around 12:12. The palace was a short three minute jaunt from the train station, and the first, breathtaking view was the red brick towers rising up over the Thames. I was absolutely amazed to be standing on the actual site of a place I have ready about so many times. Imagine my surprise (and delight!) when just upon entering, we came across a historical re-enactment of an argument between Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII, and several other influential courtiers (yes, yes, I know, I'm a dork, but I don't care. I was in heaven!).

The palace was so interesting; the brochure we got at the airport (although I had already planned to come here, of course) said to allow at least three hours for your visit; we easily spent five there, and we still didn't see everything. The palace is divided into two distinct time periods; the Tudor and the Baroque. William & Mary (from the early 1700s, I believe) wanted the palace to be re-done in the Baroque style, so work began on that, but then after several fatal accidents among the workers and the money running out, they had to abandon renovation. So, as a result, we have this great palace that showcases two very different (but both very fascinating) eras.

We saw William's state apartments, which I thought were interesting, although of course I was much more fascinated by the Tudor apartments. We saw an exhibition of the life of the young Henry VIII (which covered the time up until he divorced Katherine; by the way, I didn't realize that Kate shares a birthday with Mary, daughter of Katherine and Henry. I knew Mary's birthday was in February but I thought it was the 19th, not the 18th. But it is the 18th, so there's a fun little tidbit), and then we went to his actual apartments. The great dining hall was amazing; you could still see a discreet H&A carved into the wood (for Henry and Anne). Henry had ordered all of those destroyed once she was executed, but it appears this one was forgotten. I could not believe I was actually in a Tudor palace! It was interesting to walk along the floor in such a beautiful dining hall, and it was so enthralling to think that the actual Tudor monarchs that I have read so much about (including my favorite, Anne Boleyn) had walked in this very place.

We also sat in Henry's privy chamber, and they had four separate screens, each with a different actor portraying a part, so it was like you were actually part of the Privy Council, listening to their discussions. Very interesting! We also saw the beautiful hallway where Catherine Howard (his fifth wife, who was also beheaded) is said to be seen haunting the palace, as well as the privy closet where Henry married his sixth and last wife, Catherine Parr. The Chapel Royal was beautiful (although no photographs allowed, unfortunately!) and the Tudor kitchens were fascinating. They provided food to over 600 people on a daily basis! So crazy to see how that was done. The kitchens were huge, spanning multiple rooms. The Tudor diet consisted of 75% meat; ewww (as Kate would say).

Then we walked the gardens for a bit; the rose garden was our favorite by far (although all were of course beautiful!) One was very pretty, on the Baroque side of the palace; it was very French with a beautiful fountain. We didn't even get to the formal gardens, or Queen Mary's apartments, but the palace closed at 6 so we headed out at 5:40 after going through a cool maze made out of the hedges (I was about ready to give up and just take the wheelchair exit out, but Dan persevered and his engineering, analytical mind got us out). Then we took the train back to Waterloo Station, and then the tube to our Paddington station, which is only a block from our hotel. Then we headed to dinner at this Monkey Puzzle Tavern, exhausted (in a good way!) from our day.

Anne Boleyn. Man, if I didn't have kids... and I lived in London... and I was younger... I'd love to have this job. Going to work every day and re-enacting some of the events of the most interesting people in history, in beautiful dresses, no less? Yes, please!

 Why is this guy in my picture? He's not even dressed in period costuming!

 This guy was playing Anne Boleyn's brother, George. He was actually quite funny; very good at ad-libbing!

A copy of the famous portrait of Anne that is probably her most recognizable picture; I wanted to see the original, but when we went to the National Portrait Gallery, it was undergoing conservation. Agh!

This is in the William & Mary side; it's quite an elaborate dinner for two people! But that's royalty, I suppose...

 The ceiling in the dining hall

Behind this table there was the "watching room", as they called it, and they actually had a bunch of games and other entertainments that people who have had during the Tudor era. Very cool to see!

 Dan trying his hand at one of the games in the watching room

 This is the pages' room, and all the furniture is authentically Tudor

This scroll epitomizes why I am so fascinated with Anne Boleyn; the daughter that resulted from Anne's "failure" to produce a son turned out to be one of the most successful and dynamic monarchs England ever had. This scroll reads, in part, "Henry VIII never knew that his most famous and successful heir would not be a son at all, but his youngest daughter...."

 Eating a quick snack in the privy kitchen restaurant; we had a cheese and onion patsy. It would have been good if it weren't for the onions... ugh.

 The Tudor kitchens re-created to look as they would in the 1500s, complete with slabs of (fake) meat.

 I was so flustered when they walked by us, I didn't know what to say, and they were just actors! I guess I definitely would not have been a glib courtier had I actually lived back then.

 A garden on the Baroque side of the palace.