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The traffic of hundreds of bodies, the roar of a large open fire, the harmony of Renaissance music and the smells from enormous and bustling Tudor kitchens are probably just what visitors to Hampton Court Palace encountered five hundred years ago, when it was the premiere location for courtiers around the realm. Tourist can get a taste of this life because many aspects of it have been carefully preserved and recreate in the hopes of educating them about what life was like that long ago, as well as something about what has happened in the interim.

HISTORY OF HAMPTON COURT

The palace was originally built by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Henry's powerful prelate. It was not built in the style of English stonework common to the times. Wolsey meant to pattern it after the great royal palaces and cardinal

residences of Europe. That is probably what first drew Henry's eye - he aspired for the acculturation and prestige of European kings. When Wolsey began to get in hot water after failing to deliver on the king's Great Matter, he gave it to Henry as a peace offering.

The heyday of the Tudor palace was in the 1530's and 1540's, seeing royal events such as Edward VI's christening and Henry's Sixth marriage. Successive monarchs, primarily William III and his wife Mary II, had major alterations and upgrades conducted with architects including Christopher Wren. The death of Mary and structural hurdles prevented the palace's total transformation into a baroque or Georgian structure. So the eventual abandonment and
neglected of the residence by the 1800's was fortunate in that continuous use would likely have meant continued destruction of older parts of the palace.

It is one of the most complete Tudor Palaces in existence, representing one of Henry VIII's only existing building projects.

TOURING HAMPTON COURT

The biggest mistake that visitors to Hampton Court Palace make is to not allow enough time. Adequately exploring the sixty acres and five hundred years that the palace covers will take at least a day, and perhaps two. Access to the palace is easy. The location near Richmond is about half an hour away by train and the palace grounds are in easy walking distance from the train. In addition, the palace is reachable by boat on the Thames, which was the way Henry VIII most often traveled between there and London.

It is best to begin early, as there are numerous historical reenactments and other activities during the day. These include primers on Renaissance music and dancing performed

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