Hampton Court, London Cardinal Wolsey made the critical error of outshining Henry VIII in constructing his palace just outside the city.
People were starting to talk about how magnificent it was.
Wolsey compounded this error by not managing to get Henry his divorce from Catherine of Aragon. Exit Wolsey. Hampton Court Palace then became Henry’s favorite residence.
The main entrance is under renovation, so we entered through the kitchen area. The food preparation and cookery rooms are huge, as they had to accommodate feeding an enormous court and the accompanying staff several times a day.
The main courtyard in under renovation, but Henry would have entered through there to his apartments, which are directly across from the main gate. The most impressive room is the great hall, which would have definitely impressed visitors.
All six of Henry’s wives lived in the palace, some quite briefly. But all left their mark, and the palace continually evolved, from Elizabeth I, last of the Tudors, on to the Stuarts and then the Hanoverians. (Skipping some interruptions.) It is still a living palace, and a gracious museum of royal history.
In what had been the field where tilting took place, there are some lovely gardens sheltered against a wall, each representing the favorite flowers and plantings of one of Henry’s queens.
The sport of tilting is also brought to life, and a rose recalling the Tudors blooms nearby.
Well-mannered school children are in great evidence, treated to history which comes alive here. What a wonderful way to learn.
Don’s Food Corner
We had high hopes for the café, at Hampton Court. Beautifully situated in the middle of what had once been Henry VIII’s “tilting garden,” which was the location for jousting games, the café seemed to offer the full array of traditional British dishes, from sausage rolls to Victoria sponge.
Set up like a cafeteria, Jo went down the offerings and selected what looked like deep-fried fish, but without the chips. She also selected some potatoes that looked like classic roast potatoes as well as a serving of Caesar salad with croutons and awfully heavy dressing. She regretted her choices immediately.
I went for a cream tea, with the usual scone, clotted cream, strawberry jam and an Earl Grey tea.
The scone, while not quite as hard as the one we suffered through in the basement of Westminster Abbey, was still pretty hard. Plus, it had an unpleasant aftertaste of a little too much baking powder. The baking powder might have given it some lift for height that the Abbey scone lacked, but it brought with it another unwelcome dimension. The jam, clotted cream and Earl Grey tea were standard issue. Grade: C+.
Jo’s fish tasted “fishy” and the breading was soggy. But what could you expect from something that had been sitting on a cafeteria hot table? The potatoes were like little cold rocks. And the salad was swimming in so much dressing that it all almost slipped off the plate. All in all, disgusting, and barely consumed. (A diet plan.)
What was a surprise and a treat was a table of enthusiastic young people offering strips of grilled steak to sample for free. There was no signage or explanation of why this delicious treat was being offered, but Jo became their best customer and they were very generous with the samples. Again, there was no clue as to why or who, but the steak strips made up for everything else.
But overall, not a good food day.
What an exciting place. I loved my visit several years ago. I could just imagine young Catherine Howard running down the long hallway screaming for Henry after she had been arrested. The history there is so vibrant. You captured it so well. I did eat in their cafe and Don was very generous with a C+.
scone looks like something they would serve you on a discount airplane. Too bad!
King Henry would not have eaten that scone. LOL.