I have always been a fan of history, its a known fact I am quite the history geek. All things tudor in particular. Of course I have had a long love affair with world war 2, world war 1, the black plague, mediveal periods and etc.. but the tudors.. thats the sweet spot for me.
So when I finally made the trek out to Hampton Court Palace with brett in tow a couple of weekends ago it was like all the phillipa gregory books had come to life for me.. of course historicial fiction doesnt compare to the real thing.. but little did I realise that on one sunny saturday I would be kneeling before the king himself, curtsying and taking in all the finery of court life and hear his booming voice which used to strike fear into the hearts of many a courtesan..
When we arrived there I had enviosned his palace , wel the palace in which he spent much of his time to be grandiose and mangificient much like the man himself and it didn't dispaoint. afterall this is the place where he spent three of his honeymoons to his six wives here, his children Mary, Edward and the infamous Elizabeth the 1st spent all their reigns at this palace so to me, it seems possibly more notable and famous then the current Buckingham palace today. Certainly richer in its history that is.
First stop was the erver popular maze, which wasn't as large or as scary as I first thought but I dd feel the rising panic as we trundled our way through it, reaching dead end after dead end.. depiste it being a beautiful blue day you do feel quite isolated while making your way through it/ I was glad to see the end and I even came across a squirrel that seemed to have lost its bearings in that maze.
We timed our visit perfectly with a royal tour which takes you through the royal rooms, royal hall, and out to the courtyard. Itr is such a shame that when WEilliam and Mary took over reign theat parts of the palace were pulled down. You can actually see the diving walls where tudor style meets french georgian srtyle archiecture. It is so devstating that Henry's sitting room, royal reception, bedroom chamber and were all demolished as I would have loved to have stepped into the rooms where he once slept and etc. But what remains is still breathtaking. The courtyard is home to the astronomical clock. Its one of hte most famous in the world, it was made in 1540 which shows the hours and days of the year, the times of the tides, phases of the moon and the golden sun travelling around an imobile earth. Something which was believed to be true at the time. Henry was most taken with all things astrological, astrology, stars signs and mysticism intrigued him and the clock itself is certianly a sight to behold..
We were in the middle of our tour when suddenly a horn bellowed and everyone around me dropped to their knees.. all the tour stff are dressed in tradtional tudor service and upper class clothing. So following example I kneeled and turned to the sound. There stood a Henry VIII look alike with a young Anne Boyelyn.. Complete with bandage around his wounded leg and ostrich feather cap he was entrancing to watch. He bellowed out to the crowd and a senior royal court official bowed to him and discussed some matters of the court. Henry paraded the courtyard and spoke to several people before proceeding into the royal greeting room. Luckily due to my pushy nature I was one of the ones to be granted into the room where you can watch all the activities of court life. I have to say for a history buff like me it was as authentic as the real thing. Someone who approached Henry turned his back on his and was reprimanded for turning his back on teh king and forced to sit in a corner for his behaviour.. this man was just on the tour like I was.. it would have been hilarious had it not been so realistic.. his temper flared and before long I left.. he put on such a good show you felt nervous of his tempers and moods.. you could feel the accusational eye he used to survey his royal court with boring into you and I had enough..
Next there were the costumes from the other boylen girl movie which were interesting but what was most captivating was the gardens which have been kept in much the same style as traditional tudor times. It was beautiful, three separate gardens with fountains and a massive lake which turns into a ice skating rink by winter. A massive nature reserve for deer which Henry used to hunt and goregous chestnut trees which border the property.. horse drawn carriages carted before to and fro throughout the grounds. You could spend an entire day or weekend here.. I loved it and was loathe to leave it after just two hours... While I am into history and love it.. sam if you havent been here you have to go you will love it! like me she is a tudor fan.. but even if you aren't the history which Hampton Court is steeped in is unforgettable, the characters on display, the authenticity of the place, the church, maze and gardens make it a perfect introduction to historic royal life..
I am constantly overwhelmed by the history that seems to be a part of everything you touch over here.. just half an hour out of London and there are villages which have been there for centuries and there is a certain sense of satisfaction and fulfillment that comes with experiencing these areas for yourself. As everyone says, London isn't england, england itself I am really starting to love. I am really looking forward to getting into the heart of it. Hopefully I will be going on a roadtrip son to oxford, cambridge, stratford upon avon and bath - stonehenge.. a beautiful introduction into traditional british countryside.
Henry's palace is only one of many castles, palaces and old english manors I would like to become aquainted with a few which are on my list are:
- Windsor Castle - the queens official residence
- Warwick Castle First built by William the Conqueror in 1068, this medieval castle looms over Warwick town.There are archery, falconry and knights-in-armour battle displays, but the real highlight is the castle itself which is supposed to be big, old and impressive as hell.
Tintagel - Where the original authurian legend is supposed to have started.. where there is a sword in the stone.. set on the windswept north-west coast of Cornwall. King Arthur’s fabled castle Camelot is supposedly based on this castle, which is also home to explore Merlin’s Cave where the wizard is expected to have lived.
Bamburgh Castle - . Originally built by the Normans in the 11th century, the fortress was home to kings and queens for centuries, only to be all but destroyed in 1464 during the War of the Roses.
Leeds Castle -The castle (in Kent, not Leeds) dates from the 12th century and has seen its fair share of royalty through its gate, including King Henry VIII it is complete with moat, gardens, maze and roaming peacocks.
and that is just a sample of some of the ones on my list.. this season or summer i am going to go do a tour of buckingham palace - to see the banquet hall set up in its finery and get a real feel for royal life as it is today..
I suppose you coudl call me a royal geek but I wouldnt have it any other way.. and england is the best place I could possibly be to indulge in this addiction..
so beware family of friends there is a real danger I will eventually return home a history nerd in every sense of the word... may the royal history frivolty begin!
