Hampton Court

On Sunday, my bf and I decided to go to Hampton Court Palace. It’s somewhere that we’ve both been itching to go to, yet neither of us have ever been. Since tickets are half price at the moment if you book online, we decided to go – be warned though, just because the entry is half price, expect to pay over the odds for parking and food! The palace was originally built by Cardinal Woolsey but became famous for being the palace of King Henry VIII. 

Once we had parked up, collected our tickets and received our audio guides, we made our way rom the central courtyard to King Henry VIII’s kitchens. I started listening to the audio guide but to be honest I always lose interest or get distracted so I gave up on it before we’d even left the first room. My bf on the other hand always listens to the guides in full so I just rely on him to filter out the key bits of information for me.

The kitchens were huge and were situated in an outbuilding with high ceilings and large open fires. The chefs would regularly cook for 600 people – and could even cater for banquets of up to 1,200 people – so it’s not surprising that the kitchens were so large! 

This is Elizabeth I’s hot chocolate kitchen!! She actually had a personal hot chocolate maker!!

We then decided to stop off for some lunch at the cafe, and ate in Queen Elizabeth I’s privy. She intentionally had her kitchen and privy away from her living area so that she would not be able to hear or smell the food cooking! We both had baked potatoes; my bf had chilli con carne and cheese and I had ratatouille and cheese!

A French horn recital was taking part in the Chapel so we decided to sit and watch the performance. Unfortunately I wasn’t allowed to take photos, sad times!

The game is played by two unequal sides. The first player is in control of the FOX , trying to destroy the geese, while the second player controls thirteen GEESE trying to trap the fox so that it cannot move. The FOX can move one space forward, back, left or right (but not diagonally) and can KILL a goose by jumping over it if the space behind the goose in empty. The GEESE can only move one space forward or to either side but cannot jump.

I have no idea who scratched their hand-print into the stone window ledge, but they had massive hands!

The palace also had an area commemorating the Georgians. When they invited guests to banquet with them they would decorate the tables with centrepieces made from starched linen.

After we left the house we decided to trek around the infamous Hampton Court maze and take a stroll around the gardens. As it’s January it was quite cold and so we didn’t stay for too long!

The palace is located right next to the River Thames.