Hampton Court Palace is a royal palace in London that can be visited by tourists. It was built in the 16th century and was home to King Henry VIII. The palace has gardens, a maze, an art collection, an astronomical clock, and is said to be haunted. The “Big Vine” and the Hampton Court Maze are the oldest of their kind. The palace chapel is magnificent and the gardens cover 66 acres. The palace is open every day except for three days at Christmas.
Hampton Court Palace, located in Richmond upon Thames in Greater London, is one of several royal palaces in the United Kingdom that can be visited by tourists. This palace was built in the 16th century and was for a time the home of King Henry VIII. Highlights of this palace include a chapel, gardens, a hedge maze, an art collection, an astronomical clock, live demonstrations and entertainment, and a chance to catch a glimpse of several famous ghosts. The architecture of the palace displays both Baroque and Tudor styles. Hampton Court Palace is open every day except three days at Christmas.
Two features of Hampton Court Palace are said to be the oldest of their kind. The “Big Vine,” a specimen of Vitus vinifera that produces up to 845 pounds (383 kg) of black table grapes annually, is known to be 240 years old. At its base, this ancient vine is about 12 feet (4 m) thick. The Hampton Court Maze is believed to be the oldest hedge maze in the world, having originally been planted in the 17th century. It is a large puzzle maze containing multiple dead ends and trapezoid-shaped twists and turns.
Another popular aspect of Hampton Court Palace is its gardens, which cover 66 acres (over 267,000 square meters). The gardens are only closed on Christmas Day. Many families and tour groups enjoy a self-catered picnic in the gardens of Hampton Court Palace in good weather. For those who prefer to eat indoors, food and drink can be purchased at a variety of cafés and restaurants within the palace grounds.
A gatehouse inside the building has a pre-Copernican astronomical clock. This clock was installed in 1540 and is still working today. Shows the moon phases and current star and sun signs, as well as the time, date, and more.
The palace chapel, featuring a Gothic vaulted ceiling, is said to be among the most magnificent religious sites in Britain. It is available for viewing throughout the week. Visitors can also attend the chapel’s religious services if they wish.
Some visitors may be intrigued by the areas of Hampton Court Palace that are believed to be haunted. The most famous of these areas is the Haunted Gallery, so called because it is said to be haunted by the ghost of the “screaming lady”. Some say this ghostly figure is Catherine Howard, the wife of Henry VIII who was executed for adultery. Another ghost, that of a nurse who tended to several members of the royal family during the mid-1500s, is believed to have been occasionally sighted in different parts of the palace grounds.
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