Hampton Court Palace and Dramas in the Underground

Main entrance to Palace

Royal Chapel

After seeing Grace safely onto the train for Heathrow airport we made our way by train to Hampton Court Palace which is about 35 minutes out of the city centre.  If you have had no introduction to the history of the English Kings and Queens, Hampton Court Palace blows your mind away at the opulence and excesses that the royalty were accustomed to during that those eras.  Standing in the Base Court one can just imagine the clatter of horse drawn carriages bringing the many privileged guests to participate in the great banquets and feasts held in the Great Hall.

Originally a dining room for members of the King’s court, The Great Hall regularly seated 600 people for two meals a day. The Great Hall’s treasures include the magnificent 16th-century Flemish tapestries commissioned by Henry VIII, which depict scenes from the Story of Abraham, and a stunning hammer-beamed ceiling richly decorated with mouldings, tracery and intricate carvings.   Thanks to its distance from the city centre, it is often overlooked by visitors. This is a pity because it is a true Tudor gem with Henry VIII's magnificent hammer-beam roofed Great Hall, Chapel and Royal Appartments.

During the period AD 1485 to AD1703 the Thames was possibly seen in its greatest splendour. The Kings and Queens of these times loved the river and lived in their beautiful riverside palaces at Hampton Court, Kew, Richmond, Whitehall and Greenwich. These were all built during this period and bear witness to the amazing skill of architects and craftsmen working on the buildings. 


King Henry VIII loved his palaces at Greenwich and Richmond, but once he had sight of Cardinal Wolsley’s own little pad at Hampton Court he did not rest until he “persuaded” Wolsley to “give” it to him.

It seemed we walked miles around all the different kings and queens appartments and then finally view the wonderful gardens around the palace.  We arrived at Hampton Court railway station at 12.30 pm and left at 5.30 pm.  We were exhausted but thrilled to have experienced such a rich history in the space of one afternoon.


DRAMA IN THE UNDERGROUND


After an exhausting day we went back to Waterloo St Station Left Luggage and collected our cases and bags and finally were on our way to north London to stay over night with a friend there.  I, as usual, was racing ahead of Debbie confident that she would be too not far behind.  I had casually mentioned that we were on our way to Baker St Station via the Bakerloo line and then onto the Metropolitan line for Harrow.  I reached the platform for Baker St and looked behind and to my utter dismay there was NO Debbie!  You cannot imagine what this feeling is like, losing someone in the London Underground.  There are just millions of people in a rabbit warren of tunnels going everywhere.  Without going into all the details of the ensuing drama, not to mention a return to the left luggage office at Waterloo St where the duty officer allowed me to charge up my mobile phone so I could ring Debbie, we were finally reunited at Baker St where I found Debbie sprawled out on her back pack waiting patiently like a street person all of 45 minutes later.  This will always be one of those unforgettable moments of out Tour de Brit.