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Recommended
Internet
Sites
Official
Hampton Court Site
There
are over 60 acres of gardens to explore at Hampton Court including
the Maze, the Great Vine and the newly restored Privy Garden.
The buildings of Hampton Court cover 6 acres and comprise many
courtyards and cloisters. One of the greatest pleasures of visiting
the palace is strolling around them admiring the harmonious blend of
Tudor and Baroque architecture and curiosities such as Henry
VIII’s Astronomical Clock and Cardinal Wolsey’s coat of arms in
Clock Court. |
Henry
VIII is probably Hampton Court’s most famous occupant and its
first royal owner. All his lavish private rooms were demolished in
the early 18th century but the two most magnificent public rooms
still survive - the Great Hall and the Chapel Royal, which is
still a place of worship today.
King William III’s Apartments are the finest and most important
set of Baroque state apartments in the world. They are still
furnished with the magnificent furniture and tapestries which
graced them in 1700 when they were completed for the King. Today
you see them restored after the terrible fire of 1986. An
exhibition under the colonnade in Clock Court near the entrance to
the King’s Apartments explains the restoration and the function
of the state rooms. |