10 Interesting Facts about Hampton Court Palace

Some say that his rather (ahem) unsentimental approach to serial monogamy was Henry VIII’s greatest weakness. But actually it was his love of food. It’s for this reason that, when the King ‘acquired’ Hampton Court Palace from original owner Cardinal Wolsey in 1529, he quadrupled the size of the kitchens, incorporating fish larders, pastry rooms, chocolateries, six enormous fires, and a dairy. This 16th-century labyrinth of more than 50 rooms spans some 3,000 square feet and, at its peak, would have employed 200 staff to feed the whole court every day. That’s something in the order of 600-800 meals prepared twice daily. No mean feat, and all the more surprising given the kitchen crew was likely drunk on ale most of the time…

All that food had to be scoffed somewhere, and that place is the magnificent Great Hall. Henry had this vast space built in the medieval style, complete with eye-popping hammer-beam roof, thus creating a suitably opulent setting in which to host his bacchanalian banquets. It’s here that the king and his cohorts cultivated their gout while feasting on hog roasts, great meat pies, swans, conger eels and the like. Yummy. But that’s not all. Gaze up to that magnificent ceiling and you might just spot the initials AR – Anna Regina – carved there, along with Ann’s coast of arms and famous falcon badge.

Anne Boleyn isn’t the only one of Henry’s queens whose presence can still be felt around the palace. Wife #5 Catherine Howard’s screaming ghost is a regular in the aptly named Haunted Gallery, while the spectral apparition of what was once Jane Seymour (#3) is said to frequent the Silverstick Stairs, carrying a lit taper. Perhaps she’s looking for her heart – Henry had it buried beneath the altar in the Chapel Royal here, and the rest of her at Windsor Castle.

It’s not just restless royals either: ‘Grey Lady’ Sybil Penn, a loyal Tudor servant who nursed Elizabeth I through smallpox then died of the disease herself, has also been seen knocking about the place.

At a mere 500 years old (give or take), Henry and his ghostly queens are practically still babies. No match in other words for the mighty set of fossilised elk antlers that hangs proudly in the (also aptly named) Horn Room. The antlers – said to be somewhere between 15,000-20,000 years old – were gifted to Charles II by his friend the Duke of Ormond in the 16th Century.

Surprisingly, Hampton Court’s Great Vine post-dates wine glutton aficionado Henry VIII. In fact it was planted by legendary landscaped Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown in 1768, during the reign of George III. Nearly 250 years later, in 2005, it was certified by Guinness World Records as the largest vine in the world, with a (then) length of 246ft, and a circumference of 12ft 5in at its widest point. Pretty chunky, in other words. You can marvel at its great girth from viewing platforms alongside the great arched glasshouse that (just about) contains it. Bottoms up!

Hampton Court’s fiendish trapezoid maze has been puzzling visitors for more than three centuries. Commissioned by William III in the early 18th Century, its tall yew hedges conceal dozens of dastardly twists and turns designed to baffle, bemuse and befuddle those who dare to take it on. Our advice? Make sure your phone is fully charged, let friends and family know where you’re going and also, ideally, leave a trail of breadcrumbs to help you retrace your steps.

Never one to settle for the understated where the outlandish and ostentatious would do, Henry VIII commissioned this mechanical marvel in 1540 for yet another aptly monikered part of the palace – the Clock Court. Like a Tudor precursor to the calendar app on your phone, it could tell you the date and time, plus which phase of the moon and sign of the zodiac you’re in, and even the times of high tide at London Bridge. Handy.

Did you know that the largest privately owned art collection in the world belongs to the British royal family? Well, now you do. And you can see some of the Royal Collection’s most magnificent pieces within the walls of Hampton Court Palace. Check out the decorative Stories of Abraham tapestries that adorn the Great Hall and were almost certainly commissioned by ol’ Henry himself; ogle regal 16th-century portraits in the Haunted Gallery (when you’re not dodging Cat’s wailing wraith, that is); and see masterpieces by the likes of Rembrandt, Holbein and Gainsborough in the Cumberland Art Gallery.

Hard to believe, but before he fully gave himself over to gluttony and its attendant side effects – gout and diabetes – Henry VIII was a lithe and athletic young man who absolutely loved to play tennis. There were courts at Hampton Court Palace as early as the Cardinal Wolsey era in the 1520s, and it’s here that Henry and pals – when not jousting or hunting – took their daily exercise. Though not quite as old, the current court at the palace still has some pedigree, having been built for Charles I back in 1625. Three of the court’s walls date from this period and the external wall by the viewing gallery is a Cardinal Wolsey original.

Well of course there is! You’ll find it in the Base Court. Well, usually, though it does occasionally get moved around. Alas, it's a 21st-century replica of the original, an elaborate fountain filled with free-flowing wine that was commissioned by (who else?) Henry VIII for the lavish Field of the Cloth and Gold festival in 1520. This showboating meeting between the courts of Henry and French King Francis I was held in France over 17 days, so you can only imagine how much the drinks bill ran to…