Hampton Court Palace

Hampton Court Palace Review

The beloved seat of Henry VIII's court, sprawled elegantly beside the languid waters of the Thames, this beautiful palace really gives you two for the price of one: the magnificent Tudor red-brick mansion, begun in 1514 by Cardinal Wolsey to curry favor with the young Henry, and the larger 17th-century baroque building, which was partly designed by Christopher Wren (of St. Paul's fame). The earliest buildings on this site belonged to a religious order founded in the 11th century and were expanded over the years by its many subsequent residents, until George II moved the royal household closer to London in the early 18th century.

Highlights

Wander through the State Apartments, decorated in the Tudor style, complete with priceless paintings, and on to the wood-beamed magnificence of Henry's Great Hall, before taking in the strikingly azure ceiling of the Chapel Royal. Well-handled reconstructions of Tudor life take place all year, from live appearances by 'Henry VIII' and his elaborately-costumed court, to a small retinue of cook-historians preparing authentic Tudor feasts in the 15th-century Henry's Kitchens.

Feel a chill in the air? Watch out for the ghost of Henry VIII's doomed fifth wife, Catherine Howard, who literally lost her head yet is said to scream her way along the Haunted Gallery. Weirdly, the ambient temperature really is prone to drop noticeably and nobody knows why. Latter-day masters of the palace, the joint rulers William and Mary (reigned 1689-1702), were responsible for the beautiful King's and Queen's Apartments and the elaborate baroque of the Georgian Rooms.

Don't miss the famous maze (the oldest hedge maze in the world), its half mile of pathways among clipped hedgerows still fiendish to negotiate. There's a trick, but we won't give it away here: It's much more fun just to go and lose yourself.

The Lower Orangery Exotic Garden shows off thousands of exotic species that William and Mary, avid plant collectors, gathered from around the globe.

In summer months, consider arriving in style by riverboat

Tips

Family tickets offer huge savings, with £44 covering two adults and up to six children. (£36 if you buy them in advance online).

Choose which parts of the palace to explore based on a number of self-guided audio walking tours. Come Christmas time, there's ice-skating on a rink before the West Front of the palace.

Are you brave enough to explore the Haunted Gallery by candlelight? Evening ghost tours (£25 per person) are held throughout the year. Not only are they entertainingly spooky, but they're a great opportunity way to see the older parts of the palace without the crowds. Call or go online to check dates.