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| Hampton Court Palace |
If things such as history, architecture and
archaeology interest you, then you can head, without a second thought, to the
historic royal palaces of London.
Hampton Court
Palace, Kensington
Palace, Banqueting House, Kew Palace and
Tower of London
are some of such places that offer you a peak into the history of England. If
such things don’t interest you, the beautiful palace gardens would all likely
to suit your senses.
Though I’m not much into history, I had
some idea about King Henry VIII – I read stories about his six unsuccessful
marriages, about executing his own wives by beheading them and about his majestic
royal residence built way back in early 1500’s.
So, on a cloudy morning, we headed for this
oldest surviving Tudor palace in England. Located at London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, Greater
London, in the county of Middlesex, the palace has a 60-acre
riverside garden. On entering the palace, we saw some musicians dressed in
Tudor inspired costumes, playing ancient music of that age. As we were exploring
the inside of the palace, the live commentary about the history of this palace
was being played on the audio gears provided by HRP (historic Royal Palaces) –
an independent charitable trust that maintains the palace.
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| Tudor styled musicians - Hampton Court Palace |
We walked down the history lane and
explored the corridors, church, royal halls, King Henry’s state rooms and Tudor
kitchens. For painting lovers, one major attraction of this palace is a series
of nine paintings titled -Triumphs of Caesar, created by the Italian
Renaissance artist Andrea Mantegna between 1484 and 1492.
Regret! Completely oblivious about paintings, we didn't care to take a snap of
these paintings. We came to know about them only after coming out of the palace.
Alike, we happened to heard eerie stories about the palace’s haunted halls only
after leaving the place!
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| Inside Hampton Court Palace |
After having enough of history, we turned
towards the palace garden to see the blooming flowers, the famous maze, and the
huge grape vine. While we were walking along the small pavements of the garden,
it started to drizzle. It was cold and hungry we headed to have some warm food
cooked at a Tudor kitchen! The food was a delight.
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| Hampton Court Palace Garden |
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| Hampton Court Palace Garden |
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| Hampton Court Palace Garden |
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| Hampton Court Palace Garden |
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| Hampton Court Palace Garden |
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| Great Vines - Hampton Court Palace Garden |
Hampton Court Palace may not be as architecturally sophisticated as the likes of
Versailles Palace of France. However its garden is enchantingly beautiful and
its history is as fascinating as the history of any other royal dynasty. Just a
walk through this palace, offers a glimpse to the history of old England.
