Famous as Henry VIII’s palace, Hampton Court Palace is located in the London borough of Richmond. The palace’s rich history and succession of owners make it a showcase for a unique blend of architectural styles.
Originally, Hampton Court belonged to Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Henry VIII’s administrator who bought the property in 1514. In 1529, the king removed the cardinal from Hampton Court and Henry lived there with his wives. The palace then became an official residence for future royals, and the owners improved Hampton Court according to the tastes and fashions of their time.
On the west side of the palace, Henry VIII’s apartments showcase the Tudor style, best seen in the building’s red brick façade, the vast great hall, and the royal chapel’s vaulted ceiling.
To the east side of the palace, William’s III apartments were built in a 17th-century baroque style designed by Sir Christopher Wren. One of the highlights is William’s III baroque entrance, leading to the richly furnished chambers.
A century later, the palace saw its final change under the reign of George II and Queen Caroline, with the addition of the Georgian story, with Georgian apartments and art galleries filled with Renaissance paintings. After George II, no other British monarch lived at Hampton Court again. In 1839, young Queen Victoria opened Hampton Court to paying visitors for the first time to finance a restoration.
The complex, with over 60 acres of formal gardens and a historic maze, is a beautiful setting for a royal residence.
The astronomical clock above Anne Boleyn’s gatehouse is enclosed by a red brickwork façade, small windows, and two turrets. Dating from Henry VIII’s time, the clock features complex gears and gilded dials representing a medieval world, in which the sun orbits the earth. The outer black ring shows the hours of the day in Roman numbers, while the outer dial rotates annually and shows the date and the position of the sun in the zodiac. The middle dial represents the solar dial, and the inner dial represents the lunar dial. The top of the Tudor building is complemented by a bell in the late-medieval style. (Mistervlad/Shutterstock)
Fountain Court is where Henry VIII and his wives had their private apartments. Between 1689 and 1694, most of this was rebuilt in the baroque style, as shown by the building’s columns, round arches, formal windows, and statues, inspired by some of the Renaissance’s building techniques. Underneath each arch are carved flowers, each topped by a carved head of a classical god or mythic creature. (Ion Mess/Shutterstock)
The Great Hall is the largest room of the palace at 106 feet long, 40 feet wide, and 60 feet high. Located in Henry VIII’s apartments and built in the 1530s, it owes much of its current appearance to its 1840 restoration. The walls are lined with tapestries chosen by Henry VIII, depicting the story of Abraham. Above the tapestries are stained-glass windows and hunting trophies, as Hampton Court was a famous hunting lodge. (The Picture Studio/Shutterstock)
The wooden timber ceiling of the Great Hall features an impressive hammer-beam roof designed by James Nedeham, the King’s Master Carpenter, and is painted in blue, red, and gold. The unique ceiling is another important element of the Tudor style, inspired by both the English Gothic style (Perpendicular Gothic) and the European Renaissance. The stained-glass windows are typical of English Gothic architecture. (Ion Mess/Shutterstock)
Installed in the chapel in the 1530s by Henry VIII, the vaulted ceiling was painted in blue by Sir James Thornhill for Queen Anne in the early 1700s. The celestial ceiling features a playful scene of gilded cherubs playing musical instruments, adding a baroque element to the Gothic ceiling. In the right corner, in white letters is the motto of the royal family: “Dieu et mon droit” (God is my right). (Ion Mess/Shutterstock)
A marble staircase connects the floors of William III’s apartments. Here, visitors can admire the colorful illusionistic painting with gilded frames while climbing up the marble staircase to reach the principal floor, all features of the baroque style. William III commissioned Italian painter Antonio Verrio to create the illusion of a great Roman hall, depicting a competition between Alexander the Great and Julius. (Gordon Bell/Shutterstock)