Sweetbriar Dreams

So where shall we go on our journey today?

Friday 5 December 2014

Hampton Court Palace - Part 3 (Garden, Building... and Ice Rink!)

So, part three my dear Readers.  No time for sitting around, it's time to explore the building from outside and its magnificent gardens.
Those who have followed me for a while will know how I love old buildings and the plethora of different components that go into making a really interesting place to visit.  Well, Hampton Court Palace has chimneys... 
lots of chimneys!
241 to be exact!
Can you imagine how happy I was.  If I was given half the chance I would have just pointed the camera upwards the whole time.
This beautiful building just has so many amazing pieces of architecture.  The more you look, the more you see.  The imps are so intricately carved.
The funny looking statues with their individual expressions made me smile but demanded my attention.
The ancient brickwork as I looked up the walls.  So wonderful to touch.
The walls that surround the Base Court all individual in their own ways.  Sumptuous in their design.
It just takes your breath away. (There's that wine fountain again!).
The apartment doors look so inviting, I wonder what they look like inside?
Looking back at the entrance of Hampton Court from inside Base Court.  Can you imagine coming here to see the King?!
And there he is again...
Can you see the Tudor man against the wall just to the right of Henry in the picture?  This was another wooden figure depicting a man being rather the worse for wear after partaking of the wine fountain!

Now, here we have the most amazing clock you will ever see.  This is called the Astronomical Clock and has looked down at Clock Court for around 500 years.
The outer ring is stationery and depicts the hours of the day/night, yes a 24 hour clock.  The outer dial rotates annually and shows the position of the zodiac, the day of the year and the position of the sun.  The middle dial shows the solar dial and pointer which rotates daily telling the time.  The inner dial is the lunar dial giving the phase and visible portion of the moon.

The dials depict the sun orbiting the earth as this was the way of thinking in the medieval world.  Breathtaking!

We walked through to the Chapel Court which has a garden that would be similar to the one Henry VIII created in the 1500's.
Along the centre are some heraldic beasts which show badges of Henry VIII and his fated wives.
I wonder how many father's eyes looked down on this court hoping that their daughter was not going to represented!

A visit to Hampton Court must always include the Maze!
Miss Teen went in thinking, oh boring - where are the scary people jumping out?!  However, believe me, the longer you are in there, the higher the hedges seem to become!  We didn't manage to get to the middle as 'K' was getting a little anxious, and to be perfectly honest... so was I!!
Looking back at the beautiful Palace, William III's addition, the South facade, looks quite familiar.  This is because it was designed by a certain Sir Christopher Wren - he of St Paul's Cathedral fame.
How about the Fountain Gardens?  Time for a rainbow!
Then a beautiful view along the lakes.  They seemed to go on forever.
Now, it was the end of November when we visited, so the last thing we expected to experience was the rose garden.  However...
The fragrant smell was so welcome as the sun began to sink and the golden shadows started appearing.
The sculpture in the centre of William III's kitchen garden is called Abundance and shows a beautiful woman with her children.  Just perfection.
With the sun setting, our trip was nearly over.  But, Hampton Court had a final wonder for us as we made our way out.
A kaleidoscope of colour...
What a perfect setting to skate in front of...
So, this weekend I am back on a train back down to London to Camden Market for a little bit of 'different' Christmas shopping and then hopefully to see the Christmas tree at Trafalgar Square.

Have a wonderful weekend and thanks so much for your comments on my past two posts (I will eventually get round to you all - I mean, three posts in one week!  That's unheard of for me!!).

Take care.


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31 comments:

  1. Beautiful... as you always have wonderful pictures and words. I love the first picture on the bench. Very peaceful.
    Keep showing us your beautiful country. Your blog is like going on a virtual 'vacation.'

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  2. Oh yes, fond memories of getting lost in the Hampton Court maze!

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  3. Outstanding captures of Hampton Court. I get lost in beautiful works of architecture and this is truly one amazing place. Thanks for sharing!!

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  4. This is just amazing to see. All those chimneys! Wow. Such a grand building and the grounds are fabulous. thank you for sharing your beautiful photos of Hampton Court. Absolutely wonderful to see! Enjoy your weekend and I hope you get some pictures in London town. xx Pam

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  5. You have really captured the beauty of this castle Chel. I loved the photos with the brickwork ... and the one with the black apartment doorway really shows the incredible colours in the bricks. The chimneys are so intricate, and you can tell that the craftsmen that built them would have been so proud of their work. The trees are amazing, and getting lost in a maze is something I always wanted to do as a child (not sure I would enjoy the embarrassment of getting lost in one as an adult!). Thank you for sharing your lovely photos with us ... that first photo of the couple on the bench is really special :) Have a great time with your shopping etc. on the weekend! Wendy x

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  6. What a stunning place. Can't you just imagine Anne Boleyn and the other wives of Henry strolling through the gardens? The history in such places is just amazing to think about.

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  7. It's 14 years since I was at Hampton Court and you've captured bits I don't even remember, Chel. Wonderful shots - as usual! It would never have occurred to me to take a photo of brickwork, highlighting its texture, the way you have. It's just super!

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  8. Thank you for sharing this gorgeous piece of history! One day I hope to visit your fine country, but until then, I love to visit all these wonderful places through your eyes!

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  9. A wonderful end to your tour of Hampton Court!! I love the chimneys and all those little details that are up high, they are what makes a building so distinctive aren't they! xx

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  10. Such a gorgeous palace!!!! Those chimneys remind me of the ones designed by Gaudi' in Barcelona!!!!!
    xxxxxx Ale

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  11. Lovely post, Chel, I have to go and have a look at Parts 1 and 2.

    I am loving the beautiful architecture, you have pointed out so many interesting things I've might have missed. I do love those gargoyles on one of the buildings! The maze looks a little frightening to me. :)

    Hope you are off to a good start on your holiday shopping, it's quite hectic here!

    Jane xx

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  12. ♡Ƹ̵̡Óœ̵̨̄Æ·♡ Oh. My Goodness Chel you really outdid yourself I love the craftsmanship that went into the masonry it's absolutely out of this world I have never ever seen such beautiful masonry work in my whole 43 years, beautiful blog my friend and am looking forward to the Christmas tree on your visit.

    Take good care and have a beautiful weekend! ♥

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  13. How beautiful, thanks for sharing. Wish I could see all some day, but sad to say not in this life.

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  14. Wow...241 chimneys! And, they are so beautiful! Such a beautiful place and so rich in history. Love the 24 hour clock the most. The lights and ice skating are just magical. Thanks for taking us along again...it's always fun. Hope your weekend is wonderful. Sounds like it's going to be.

    Blessings, Vicky

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  15. These chimneys are really gorgeous and so many....... I love Hampton Court gardens, wonderful to have a walk there in November and an ice rink in front of this beautiful place, I'm fond of skating.

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  16. Oh, wow! The terra cotta elements are awe inspiring. I love this. SO much.

    I am going to try and find your address and email you.

    Thanks so much !

    xo

    Sheila :-)

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  17. Wow Chel. I have really enjoyed visiting Hampton Court, those chimneys are unbelievable, just beautiful. just love the history of England, the fact that this sort of thing is still there for people to see hundreds of years later. Thanks for sharing.
    Enjoy your Cristmas shopping.

    Diana

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  18. Those chimneys are works if art,

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  19. Oh, I had never seen it at night! It's like a whole new castle! Thanks for sharing all your visit.

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  20. The chimneys are wonderful and the water features just lovely, especially the one that seems to go on for ever!

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  21. Wow Chel, what a beautiful place Hampton Court is! I know I won't be able to visit England anytime soon so I really feel like I have a little get away every time I visit you blog! I loved al the buildings and chimneys. You take such beautiful photos and make me feel like I'm there with you! I bet London is gorgeous and beautiful at Christmas time! Oh how I miss London so much! You are so lucky and I hope you have fun there. Enjoy the holiday season and have a wonderful week.
    Hugs,
    Julie

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  22. Oh Wow! This place is amazing. So many awesome things to photograph. Those chimneys are fantastic and all the different figures around make for some wonderful photos.

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  23. Absolutely stunning photography Chel, what an amazing place!
    Merry Christmas my friend!
    Tammy x

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  24. I do love that ancient brick with all the muted colors. Even though it's a grand palace, you've shown many intimate spaces. I enjoyed my walk with you. (My neck would have been sore from looking up!)

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  25. I can't believe I've been missing these posts. Your photo's are amazing. I love the chimney's and the detail on the clock is beautiful. It's like having a virtual day out when I visit you :)
    Ali xx

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  26. This was such a wonderful tour. I never went there when in London. Happy shopping and Hope you have a warm winter and no rain. We are having a Nor Easter tonight in Maine and tomorow the roads will be ice. Thanks agan for this beautiful post. yvonne

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  27. I'm reading "The Other Boleyn Girl"at the moment so I found these posts incredibly interesting. Brilliant photos.

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  28. A spectacular tour, Chel! I'd love to see it in person someday, but this trip with you was a good substitute in the meantime.

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  30. I've thoroughly enjoyed your tour. Hampton Court will definitely be on our list of places to visit next year. xx

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  31. What a delightful way to open the post with the framed hedge shot and the astronomical clock is magnificent.. There are some very interesting artefacts that you have captured well and I never expected to see Hadrian there too. Lastly it's wonderful to see that you had the time to take some night shots too ... they worked really well.

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