Hampton Court Palace in pictures.



This courtyard is in the center of the palace.
 The opening in the walls of the upper towers is where the ladies used to stand to watch the jousting
matches that were held in the courtyard.



The Hampton Court Palace Astronomical Clock.  The astronomical dial dates from at least 1528.  This clock is really neat, it shows the date, time, moon phases, zodiac signs and more.

This room is completely decorated with weaponry.  There are over 3,000 weapons in the room,

which is located in the King's apartment area of the palace.

The Great Vine in the Hampton Court Palace Gardens is the oldest and largest known vine in the world.  The Great Vine is more than 230 years old and 120 feet long. It is believed to have been planted by Lancelot "Capability" Brown around 1768.  This one vine crop averages of 500 to 700 bunches of grapes that weigh 507 to 705 lb.



 The kitchens at Hampton Court Palace, extended by Henry VIII in 1729, occupied more than 50 rooms and some 3,000 square feet or 279 square meters. In their heyday, they were staffed by 200 people providing two meals a day for the 800 members of the king's court who were entitled to eat there.

Each place setting had their own desset made from sugar and marzipan, and then painted with pure 24 carat gold.



No, there aren't real peacocks - they were made from marzipan and painted.

Tracy Porter and I outside Hampton Court Palace