A five hundred-year-old structure today, Hampton Court Palace was originally built in 1515 before later attracting the attention of King Henry VIII, who bought all of his wives here to enjoy over-indulgent dining, dancing and everything else that the Tudor court had to offer.
Today, the palace is open to the public and makes a great place to visit when staying in any of our 5-star hotels in Mayfair, but with so much to see and do, why not take a look at our quick guide to some of the best attractions on offer before you visit?
Known for his overwhelming appetite, you can visit Henry VIII’s royal kitchens and discover a few recipes from the Tudor period that would have been served to the King and his royal entourage.
Wonderfully maintained, the kitchen still has many of its original features and visitors can enjoy learning more about the small army of kitchen staff and the roles they played in keeping the large royal court fed and watered on a daily basis.
If pigeon pie doesn’t take your fancy, you can still look forward to a delicious lunch at our Hankies Montcalm once you’ve browsed through the rest of the palace attractions.
Immaculately maintained, Hampton Court Palace’s gardens are a real joy to visit at any time of the year. Featuring traditional plants that would have been sowed during the Tudor period, this is one of the most historically correct gardens in London, and some of the plants have a long ancestry having been grown from cuttings of plants dating back hundreds of years.
Before you leave our 5-star hotels in Mayfair, make sure you pack a lightweight jacket as you’ll still want to take a turn around the gardens even if the weather changes suddenly.
No visit to Hampton Court Palace would be complete without discovering the great hall. Hosting a variety of feasts, Tudor entertainments and royal functions, marvel at the impressive dimensions of this room as you imagine all of the Kings and Queens that dined in this space.
It takes just under an hour to reach Hampton Court Palace from our 5-star hotels in London, so make sure you dine like a king or queen at Hankies Marble Arch before heading off for the day.
The Haunted Gallery
Lovers of all things supernatural can walk the ornate gallery to try and catch a glimpse of the many spectres that are known to frequent the haunted gallery.
The beheaded Queen Catherine Howard can, according to rumours, be seen running through the Haunted Gallery towards King Henry’s private apartments at Hampton Court Palace screaming for mercy, so this part of the palace isn’t for the faint-hearted!
This is also the area that the royal procession used to take through the palace, so you too can walk in the footsteps of royals from a bygone era.
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