FIT FOR A QUEEN

HAMPTON COURT PALACE

SURREY

The jewel of England’s Tudor palaces witnessed a fair few important events during Henry’s reign – if only the walls could talk

One of the most important residences during Henry VIII’s reign, Hampton Court Palace is a treasure trove of Tudor history.

In January 1515, the then Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Wolsey commissioned for himself an extravagant palace fit to entertain the King, into whose hands it fell after Wolsey’s later fall from grace. Henry continued to expand the palace to create a permanent royal residence, adding private apartments as well as a tennis court, tiltyard and magnificent Great Hall.

It’s believed that at some point all six of Henry’s wives visited or stayed at Hampton Court, and it was from here, in 1530, that the King sent his first letter to Rome threatening to break with the Catholic Church as he tried to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon.

Many of the early alterations Henry made to the