Hampton Court Palace Revealed

Hampton Court Palace, to the south-west of London, is one of the most famous and magnificent buildings in Britain. The original Tudor palace attracted the attention of Henry VIII and became the centre of royal and political life for the next 200 years. Visit the Great Hall where vast meals were served, where court life was played out and where Shakespeare and his players performed to royal hosts. Less than a century later, William III and Mary II introduced the Baroque architecture of Sir Christopher Wren and French court etiquette to the palace by the river. The extensive gardens are a delight, in summer and winter, with immaculate lawns, an avenue of clipped yew trees, restored formal historic gardens, extensive floral borders and the world's oldest grape vine. View the tennis court where Henry VIII played, (probably a good idea to let him win), and test your sense of direction in the puzzle maze. In the early autumn the daliah display is simply magnificent.