London Weekend Break

Hampton Court Palace

Hampton Court Palace and Gardens remain one of Britain’s iconic estates with a history dating back to the sixteenth century when the palace was originally commissioned (and built over an existing mansion) by Cardinal Wolsey.

From 1525, when it was acquired by King Henry VIII, the castle became Britain’s primary Royal residence and in 1690 the castle saw large scale additions and refurbishments designed by Sir Christopher Wren.

The palace, which was always intended to be the grandest in Britain, has a distinctly Italian style to it and is built of red brick. It is considered the finest brick structure in Britain, if not the world.

Although the palace is most usually recognized by its long and elegant frontal façade, it is truly monumental in scale and has a depth and width that few appreciate until they actually visit it. The design incorporates a myriad of rooms along with significant servant quarters and has a courtyard to the front of its formal entrance.

Along with the palace are the stately grounds which include landscaped gardens and the world famous 300 year old hedge maze covering an enormous area of almost one third of an acre. This amounts to almost half a mile of paths and corridors in which to get lost, confused and frustrated.

Hampton Court Palace opening to the public

The palace saw a royal demise of sorts when, in the late eighteenth century, King George III chose alternative London residences in favour of Hampton Court. This royal loss was however to be the peoples gain when Queen Victoria opened the building to the public in 1838 and it has remained in that domain ever since.

Over the years numerous fires have caused damage to various parts of the building and the last major refurbishment finished at the end of the twentieth century. The palace was and remains amongst the best of its kind in Europe and is a must see visitor attraction for anyone fortunate enough to have the time to visit it.

Every attraction at Hampton Court is open seven days a week from 10.00am to 6.00pm between the months of March and late October and the house itself remains open all year long except for a short Christmas break.

A charge is levied for entry in to the palace and gardens.

This is no underground (tube) stop at Hampton court, although you can get there by rail and a short walk on foot. You can also combine the tube with a bus or boat trip to reach the palace.