I’m taking you time-traveling again! Just a short train or boat ride from the heart of London is one of England’s most famous pleasure palaces: Hampton Court Palace. From the heyday of Henry VIII to Shakespeare’s performances in the Great Hall, and from plans for the King James Bible to huge renovations under William and Mary—Hampton Court Palace has been at the heart of the British monarchy. In fact, during the Hanoverian reigns, it was the site of a queen fleeing while in active labor and the accusation of a baby smuggled into the palace in a warming pan! Since Queen Victoria opened Hampton Court to the public, people have flocked to see the palace, the gardens, the maze, and the wonders of a world gone by.
Thomas Wolsey was the first owner of Hampton Court. Wolsey’s extravagance certainly caught the eye of his visitors, and of his king. John Skelton, a well-known poet and former tutor of Henry VIII, wrote a satirical poem calling Wolsey’s wealth and influence into sharp focus:
Why come you not to Court?
To which court?
To the king’s court?
Or to Hampton Court?
Nay, to the king’s court!
The king’s court
Should have the excellence
But Hampton Court
Hath the pre-eminence!
In my opinion, this was the worst thing for someone like Henry VIII to hear. It was one thing for him to have Wolsey basically run the country while the king pursued his own interests and pleasures. It was quite another for people to joke about Wolsey having pre-eminence. That, combined with Wolsey’s inability to get Henry’s annulment from Katherine of Aragon, plus the whispers that Wolsey was conspiring with the Pope, turned Henry against his long-time devoted servant.
Wolsey maintained the whole point of Hampton Court was to glorify his King. The best apartments were for Henry VIII. Henry had always acted as if the place were his own when he visited. But as Wolsey proved unable to meet the king’s wishes, he found Henry wanted to take his sense of ownership further. In September 1528, Wolsey received a letter telling him to leave Hampton Court. The king was about to turn Hampton Court into his own pleasure palace.
Walk with Henry VIII, his wives, and his children through the Great Hall, the Great Watching Chamber, the royal apartments, the kitchens, the maze, and more! You can meet history at Hampton Court!
History shows us what's possible.
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