10 nights 6 wives of one King tour
Day one
On the first day of spring we were first through the gates of Hampton Court palace having stayed the night before in a riverside hotel right across the road from the palace gates. We went straight to the great hall where it was so quite that we were whispering to each other.
Hanging in the Great hall, are a series of magnificent tapestries commissioned by Henry VIII and made with real silver thread that mad them so expensive to make that each one cost more than a battleship to make at the time. They are, Crown jewels apart, the most valuable artefacts in the whole country.
Henry VIII himself was to be found walking about the Palace. It was great to see parties of school children fall absolutely silent as he walked past. The teachers had no difficulty in controlling their charges as they were in thrall to the King and he played the part very well indeed!
There was a story to follow throughout the day with costumed enactors speculating as to whether the King might marry again, very entertaining and engaging.
The gardens were just coming into spring bloom but the daffodils were everywhere carpeting the parkland around the palace.
We walked through Bushy Park next to the palace. Herds of dear still roam wild in the park, descendants of the dear that Henry would have hunted. In amongst the herd was a very rare sight, a white deer!
No comments:
Post a Comment