Hampton Court Palace Gardens

We took the train out to Hampton Court Palace.  It's about a 30 minute train ride from Waterloo station and the cost is GBP 24 return.  The entrance fee for Hampton Court Palace and Gardens is GBP16.50.  If you are a student, bring your card and you will get a discount.

Hampton Court was King Henry VIII summer palace.  It was built by Cardinal Woolsey and to get on the King's good side when Henry was dissolving the church, Woolsey gave it to the King. It was later enhanced with an "new" addition in the Georgian style by William and Mary.  I don't have any pictures inside, because I find it hard to take interior pics.  So look on the website here.  The ceiling of the medieval chapel is gorgeous. 

This used to be the front entrance to the medieval palace.  They had it closed off and we entered through Seymour Gate off to the side. 

Here is a pic from http://patrickbaty.co.uk/2009/09/03/a-tudor-garden/ showing the full court garden. The edging is from tudor times as well.  Click on above link to learn more of the meaning of the symbols and who used them.  This is very interesting to me right now because I am reading a book called The Sunne in Splendor which is about Edward IV King of England and his brother Richard III who was a Plantagenet and ancestor of Henry the VIII.  (The book is fascinated by the way, it reminds me of The Count of Monte Cristo). 

They have recently put in a Tudor garden based on pictures from that time.  They had wonderful symbols of their family arms on posts throughout the garden.  This is the Golden Lion of England.

The Red Dragon of Wales.

White Greyhound of Richmond.

The Spotted Panther

A Panther had been counted among the number of royal beasts since the time of Henry IV. The heraldic Panther is generally shown as “incensed”, with flames coming from its mouth and ears, which represents its fragrant breath. The flames induce all other animals to approach it; the Dragon alone retreats.

 The Black Bull of Clarence

George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence is a horrible, despicable person unlike the King and Richard III.  

 The Silver Falcon

 The White Hart

The Silver Yule of Beaufort

The Yale has the body of an Antelope, a Lion’s tail and horns which can swivel round to counter attack from all quarters. It is usually shown spotted with gold roundels (called bezants). The horns, hooves, tusks, tufts of hair and the crown about its neck and its chain are all gold.

This is a fascinating book and I would recommend reading it before a visit to London.  The people that you hear about at all the castle, palaces and wars are covered in this book. The book also mentions a lot of the French Kings and Dukes from that time period which we saw a lot of their palaces in France in the Loire Valley. 

The Kings Privy Garden

This was one of my favorite gardens

The William and Mary "addition" in the background of this picture.  

The flowers were just starting to bloom.

The Sunken Garden

Loved all the different designs on the rooftop chimneys.

Little blurry, but a good pic. 

The Rose Garden

The Rose Garden

This is a awesome place with a lot to see and many interactive programs.  Worth a day trip for sure.