Hampton Court

Prelude: I don't know if anyone recognises this, but if you've been a fan of James Bond, you should. This building not only featured in The World Is Not Enough as the headquarters of MI6 (You see Bond explode out the front in a powerboat after a villain), but is the real-life headquarters of MI5. Pretty cool. In this day and age I almost expected to be approached by somber, faceless men wanting a quiet word.

Anita, Jus and myself all trekked out to Vauxhall station, prompting Monopoly flashbacks and caught the train to the London borough of Richmond upon Thames, a quaint little British river village with one of the most impressive castles in the UK.

Hampton Court has an absolutely fascinating history. In 1514 the Archbishop of York, Thomas Wolsey, aquired the lease to the then-modest property, converting it over a period of years to a magnificent castle. Without going into the whole messy saga, political intrigue abounded, causing Wolsey's meteoric rise - and even more spectacular fall. Wolsey had the misfortune to tie his fortunes to Henry VIII, tempting fate with political intrigue and ostentatious displays of wealth.


In the end, he fell foul of Henry VIII over his most famous attribute - that of dispensing with wives. Over the course of his downfall, Wolsey was stripped of Hampton Court, York Place and even the tomb he had designed for himself.






Over the years since, Hampton Court has played host to Royalty and Nobility with extensive renovations that reflect the style and era of many different periods in English history.



It was sunny when we arrived, with a weirdly incongrous ice-skating rink setup outside the gates of the castle. In keeping with its long tradition of rebuilding, the front fascia was undergoing renovations. We were ushered in after purchasing our tickets by guides dressed in period costume, getting into their roles with just a little more enthusiasm than a crap weekend job would normally require.

The audio tours were excellent, after our initial confusion with playing back the right tour for the right moment. Filled with vast amounts of information, people wandered the many varied halls of the great palace almost oblivious to their fellow tourists. Some of the outter areas have re-creations of daily life, such as this abbatoir setting.

It's a great day's outing. Unfortunately, the don't allow photography inside, so I was only able to sneak a few shots out of one of the windows of the bedroom of one of King Henry's wives.

It's truly incredible the varience in architechture throughout the palace. It's no wonder Henry took it for himself.

Tonight is our last night in London. Tomorrow we proceed with the only part of our trip that's actually been planned: We fly to Austria.