13 August, Hampton Court Palace

This is where we are staying for the next couple of days:

Fish Court, at Hampton Court Palace:

Fish Court. The bedroom we are using is directly above the front door. It is very quiet at night. The door in the left foreground leads into Henry VIII's kitchen complex. 

Landmark Trust is a charity that buys and restores historic properties and then lets them out to people for holidays. I keep pinching myself that we are actually staying in the Palace itself. The flat is large enough for six people. The main floor contains two bathrooms, two bedrooms and the kitchen, then two separate staircases lead to three other bedrooms-ideal for families, because kids and adults can get some space. The accommodation is comfortable, but no mod cons-no television, radio or wi-fi and one of those weird hand-held showers. The flat has been available for holidays since 1993 and it is a delight to read the Log Books, full of long and enthusiastic entries, often by children. Here are some photos of the interior that don't appear in the web-site:

Main bedroom, looking over Tennis Court Road.

The kitchen contains all basic equipment. There is no freezer. 

The living room contains a bookshelf full of books about Hampton Court including biographies, histories, novels, reference books and children's books.

Landmark Trust also lets Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning's apartment in Florence, the apartment above the one Keats stayed in next to the Spanish Steps in Rome and a Palladian Villa, amongst others. 

We attended the morning service at the Chapel Royal this morning. As week-day services are small, they are held in a small chapel upstairs and today there were only four people in the congregation, including me and Trevor. The service was given by Reverend Canon Mullinar and was similar to this one. Cardinal Wolsey built the Chapel, Henry VIII and all subsequent monarchs worshipped there the King James bible was authorised there. Jane Seymour' died of puerperal fever at Hampton Court Palace and her heart may be interred in the Chapel. 

Chapel Royal Ceiling. 

The Palace fell out of favour with the monarchs in the late 18th Century. Suites of rooms were then granted to members of the royal family and personages, such as Professor Michael Faraday and Scott of the Antarctic, as "Grace and Favour" accommodation. There are only two Grace and Favour residents remaining, both elderly, and no further grants will be made. The Palace is also home to staff who keep the place running, for example the Keeper of the Vine, a horticulturalist who tends the grape vine planted in 1769 by Capability Brown. The vine is believed to be the largest and oldest in the world and it is still productive. 

Here is a page from the Log Book. I have seen so many happy little faces around the palace, it is a wonderful place for children.