River Thames bank: Historic royal palace of Hampton Court June 1, 2008
Posted by dodo in : England, Europe, Jerusalem, London, Museum, Spain , trackbackThe historic royal palace of Hampton Court stands on the north bank of the River Thames about 11 miles west of Charing Cross in London. This large complex is in fact two palaces in one, for as one moves eastwards from the west front the Tudor wings built in the time of Henry VIII yield to later work designed by Sir Christopher Wren for William and Mary. These two halves represent two distinct and important periods in the history of English architecture—the late medieval Perpendicular style tinged with Renaissance elements and the English Baroque affected by French and Italian influence. Yet overall unity is preserved by the use of warm-toned brickwork and the more-or-less symmetrical balancing of successive low wings.
But before examining the architecture of Hampton Court, it is necessary to take a brief look at its history. The manor of Hampton Court belonged to the Order of St John of Jerusalem until it was acquired by Thomas Wolsey, Archbishop of York, in 1514. In the following year, Pope Julius II made Wolsey a cardinal and the young King Henry VIII appointed him Lord Chancellor of England. During fifteen crowded years, Wolsey attempted with considerable success to fulfil his obligations to the pope and at the same time to advance the interests of the king. Since Henry was opposed to Luther’s break with the Roman Church, Wolsey was able to maintain this double loyalty for some years. His brilliant career was ultimately shipwrecked, however, by his failure to secure Henry’s divorce from his first wife, Catherine of Aragon.
Cardinal Wolsey poured much of his enormous wealth into the building and decoration of Hampton Court, which he had selected as his chief seat partly because of its healthy situation (attested by the doctors of Padua, so it is said) and partly because of its strategic position on the river route connecting Westminster with the royal castle of Windsor. Measuring 300 by 500 feet, Wolsey’s Hampton Court ranked in its time as one of the largest houses in Europe. There the cardinal built up a household nearly 500 strong, and he was reputed to keep 280 rooms in perpetual readiness for guests. When a French ambassador came to England to conclude a treaty in 1527 his retinue of 400 was sumptuously entertained at Hampton Court at Wolsey’s expense. Since he had started life as a butcher’s son, Wolsey’s ostentation can partly be explained by the classic insecurity of the nouveau riche. But the scope of his ambitions reached far beyond what he had achieved in England. Having scored some remarkable successes as a diplomat in Henry’s service, the cardinal cherished the fervent hope of becoming pope and thus perhaps the political arbiter of Europe, which was beginning to quake in the storms brought by the Reformation. But Wolsey’s continental schemes were destined to be defeated ; meanwhile his inordinate wealth offered a constant provocation and temptation to the king. The cardinal’s desperate bid to regain favour by presenting Hampton Court to the king came too late. In the same year, 1529, he was disgraced and charged with high treason. He died while being brought to London for trial. Henry VIII promptly set about enlarging the house for his own court presided over by his new wife, Anne Boleyn—a position that she held for only three years before she was beheaded for adultery. Henry’s son Edward VI (who was born there) held court at Hampton as did Mary, with her husband Philip of Spain, and Elizabeth. Charles I was detained there before his execution, and during the Protectorate, the palace was placed at the disposal of Oliver Cromwell.
The second great phase in the history of Hampton Court begins after the Bloodless Revolution of 1688 and the accession of William and Mary. The dampness of Whitehall in London aggravated William’s asthma, so he and Mary decided to ask their Surveyor- General, Sir Christopher Wren, to plan a rival to Versailles at Hampton Court. Wren wanted to pull down the whole of the old palace, with the exception of Henry VAT’s Great Hall, which was to form the nucleus of his own vast project. The architect visualised a grandiose approach leading to an imposing north front; the whole building was to be dominated by a large dome. This scheme was however discarded as too expensive, and the comparatively modest Fountain Court was laid out instead. Decoration of the interiors continued to be carried out during the reigns of Anne and the first two Georges— the last British monarchs to reside at Hampton Court. In 1839 Queen Victoria opened the state apartments to the public; today, as well as the parts on view, nearly a thousand rooms are used as ‘grace and favour’ apartments by retired servants of the crown.
The modern visitor usually approaches Hampton Court from the west, first passing through the Trophy Gates built by George II. A road runs across the outer Green Court, crosses a bridge spanning a moat, and reaches the Great Gatehouse in the centre of the west front. The symmetrical design of this facade (which stretches nearly 400 feet) is characteristic of Hampton Court. It should be noted, however, that the Great Gatehouse, with the arms of Henry VIII, was originally two storeys higher with turrets crowned by lead cupolas.
The Base Court, the first of the three courtyards reached by the visitor as he moves eastwards through the palace, has preserved its original character from the time of Cardinal Wolsey. On three sides it is surrounded by two-storey wings containing lodgings for retainers and guests. The gatehouse on the opposite (east) side is known as Anne Boleyn’s Gateway, since it was decorated during her brief sway as queen (1536-9). This gateway opens on to the second or Clock Court, where the varying heights of the wings (which were built at different times) contrast with the relative uniformity of the rest of the palace. On the left or north side stands Henry VIII’s Great Hall; the east side was largely rebuilt by George II and the colonnade on the south side is an addition by Sir Christopher Wren. The west side (with Anne Boleyn’s Gateway in the centre) belongs to Wolsey’s original house. In the Clock Court, the upper part of the Gateway incorporates the celebrated astronomical clock made for Henry VIII by Nicholas Oursian in 1540. It shows the hour, the day, the month, the number of days since new year, the moon’s phases, and the times of high water at London Bridge.
Before examining the state apartments around the Third or Fountain Court, which belong to the palace of William and Mary, we should turn to the interiors surviving from the Tudor complex. After the alterations of Henry VIII and the demolitions of William and Mary, little evidence remains to show the richness of Wolsey’s furnishings, though it is enough to whet the appetite. On the south side of the Clock Court is a small suite known as Wolsey’s Rooms, where we can see two original fireplaces, some good linenfold panelling and two ceilings, the first surviving specimens of the art of ceiling plaster that was to develop in 16th- and 17th-century England. A similar, though more elaborate, ceiling is found in Wolsey’s closet near the Queen’s Staircase, which is also decorated with a painted frieze of Netherlandish type depicting Christ’s Passion.
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