Hampton Court Palace April 25, 2012 - Part 2

I bought my ticket for Hampton Court Palace online at home. £14.40. 

There were two reasons I wanted to visit this place, outside and inside.

1. There is a maze.
2. Out of curiosity, because of an obscure, not-blood-related family connection to someone who lived there.

In the 18th century King George III abandoned this palace as a royal residence. A little background from the net:  Eventually the palace was sub-divided into apartments of varying sizes. Initially 53 homes were created that were known as 'Grace and Favour' residences. The apartments and houses were allocated by the Lord Chamberlain to individuals who had served the monarchy or their country in recognition of their dedicated service.

Living in one was a Lady Torrens. Who was she? I don't really know but for some reason the sister of my grandmother's uncle's wife was visiting/staying with her, not here but elsewhere. How they knew one another is something I will probably never know. (I just learned that Lady Torrens had a monument for her husband erected in St. Paul's Cathedral.)

On a better day and with more time, it would have been nice to have taken a Thames riverboat. I arrived by bus though, which stops very close to the palace entrance. Across the street (above right) is a hotel.

There is the palace but I will go in later.

The grounds are vast with wild and manicured garden areas. Finally I spied a sign that pointed to the right for the maze.

The path within the maze is apparently half a mile long. Umbrellas don't work well in the narrow space.

Two women from Chicago were lost in there so they followed me. Ha! As if I knew where to go. But I knew there was a 'trick' to the maze so whatever I did worked.

I did the audio tour inside the palace but kept wandering off course when I saw something interesting. I liked it there better than I thought I would.

King Henry VIII lived here too.

Henry VIII trivia from the net:
When he died in 1547 Henry VIII had more than 60 houses, but - in the second half of his reign - none were more important to him, nor more sumptuously decorated, than Hampton Court Palace. In just ten years Henry VIII spent more than £62,000 rebuilding and extending Hampton Court. This vast sum would be worth approximately £18 million today. (Or over $28 million Canadian.) 

It's still raining outside.

Interesting that the Tudor brick chimneys are all in different styles.

According to a website, this is a portrait of Queen Maria, the second wife of
James II.

Astrological clock at Anne Boleyn's Gate.

All of King Henry VIII's wives were in this castle.

Looking toward the Great Gatehouse.

A firepit in the middle of the floor? You can just imagine the chicken bones being tossed around in this room.

Paper torture devices.

Still raining.

Now I had to figure out how to get back to London. At the train station was an outdoor kiosk selling coffee and a grand assortment of baked goods. Food is never far away in England. Their plumbing may not be as good as ours, but I think the English excel with refreshments. Even in the most out-of-the way places, there is often a tea room or cafe.