Hampton Court Palace

From his public dramas to his private life, King Henry VIII is one of the most compelling kings in history. Explore Hampton Court Palace - the former home of this remarkable royal. Henry VIII extended and developed this grand palace after acquiring it in the 1520s. Its many royal occupants have furnished the palace with decadent tapestries and paintings throughout the centuries.

Set in 60 acres of formal gardens, including the famous maze and Great Vine, this palace is well worth a visit. It was Cardinal Wolsey, Henry VIII’s Lord Chancellor, who began Hampton Court Palace’s transformation from an ordinary country house to a magnificent palace in 1514, on the north bank of the River Thames. The location of the Palace was significant in allowing fresh water to flow throughout the building - a rarity at the time. Wolsey’s ambitions to create a grand building where he could host the King, the royal court, and monarchs from across Europe was a resounding success, as Henry VIII loved the Palace so much, he eventually took Hampton Court for himself.

The King used the Palace as a symbol of his status, demonstrating his power through lavish banquets, decadent court life, and extravagant works of art. By the 1530s, the Palace was also a hotel, a theatre, and a sprawling leisure complex. And the 17th century saw the Palace as a venue of firsts. Hamlet and Macbeth were first performed at Hampton Court Palace by Shakespeare’s ‘King’s Men’ for the new Stuart king, James I.