Who Lived at Hampton Court Palace? Cardinal Wolsey, Henry VIII and William III

Begun by Cardinal Wolsey in 1514, taken over by Henry VIII and rebuilt for William III and Mary II, Hampton Court Palace is two palaces in one, a Tudor court and a Baroque one.

Visit

Palace, gardens and maze on one all-day ticket. Hampton Court Palace Tickets.

Location

Hampton Court Way, East Molesey KT8 9AU, on the Thames. Directions.

Visit duration

Historic Royal Palaces suggests at least three hours. Plan your visit.

Highlights

The Great Hall, Henry VIII's kitchens, the Chapel Royal and William III's apartments.

Nearby

Bushy Park, Home Park and the river towns of Kingston and Richmond.

Hampton Court Palace in Brief

Hampton Court Palace is a royal palace on the Thames in East Molesey, south-west of central London. It is really two palaces in one: the red-brick Tudor palace begun by Cardinal Wolsey and enlarged by Henry VIII, and the Baroque palace Christopher Wren built alongside it for William III and Mary II.

For more than two centuries it was one of the great homes of the English crown. Henry VIII's son was born here, the King James Bible was set in motion here and Charles I was held here as a prisoner. No monarch has lived here since George II, and the palace has been open to the public since 1838, cared for today by the independent charity Historic Royal Palaces.

Why Hampton Court Palace Matters

Edward VI was born here in 1537; his mother, Jane Seymour, died at the palace two weeks later.

The Hampton Court Conference of 1604 led to the King James Bible, published in 1611.

Shakespeare's company performed for James I in the Great Hall over Christmas and New Year in 1603 and 1604.

Queen Victoria opened the palace to the public in 1838.

The Great Vine, planted in 1768 under Capability Brown, is the largest grape vine in the world.

Who Built Hampton Court Palace? Cardinal Wolsey's House

The site was a manor of the Knights Hospitaller before it was a palace, and Sir Giles Daubeney leased it from 1494 and began to enlarge it. The palace itself begins with Thomas Wolsey, Henry VIII's chief minister, who took the lease in 1514.

Over seven years Wolsey spent lavishly and built what was called the finest house in England, with Base Court, Clock Court and a suite of grand rooms for entertaining the king. Henry came as his guest in 1525.

Wolsey fell from favour when he failed to secure the annulment of Henry's first marriage, and by 1529 the palace was the king's. The oldest surviving rooms, the Wolsey Rooms, are still part of the visit today.

Henry VIII at Hampton Court Palace

Henry turned Wolsey's house into a palace for a court of about 1,200 people. He enlarged the kitchens, built the Royal Tennis Court and, from 1532, the Great Hall, the last great medieval hall built for an English monarch, with his and Anne Boleyn's initials carved into its screen. The astronomical clock went up on the gatehouse in 1540.

The palace saw the best and worst of his marriages. Jane Seymour gave birth to Edward VI here in 1537 and died soon after. In 1541 Catherine Howard was confined here when her affairs came to light, before her execution three months later. Henry married his sixth wife, Catherine Parr, at the palace in 1543.

The Tudor and Stuart courts kept coming back. James I held the Hampton Court Conference in 1604, which led to the King James Bible, and Charles I was held prisoner here in 1647 before he escaped. During the Commonwealth, Oliver Cromwell lived at the palace.

William III, Wren and the Baroque Palace

The second palace arrived with William III and Mary II. From 1689 Christopher Wren rebuilt part of the Tudor palace in the Baroque style, creating Fountain Court and new royal apartments while keeping Henry VIII's Great Hall. Work slowed after Mary's death in 1694.

The Georgians used the palace until George II, the last monarch to live here. From the 1760s its rooms became grace-and-favour apartments for servants of the Crown and their families, and in 1838 Queen Victoria opened the palace to the public.

In 1986 a fire destroyed part of the King's Apartments. The restoration that followed brought the rooms back, and the whole palace is now cared for by Historic Royal Palaces.

Is Hampton Court Palace Haunted? Catherine Howard's Ghost

Hampton Court is famous for its ghost stories, and the best known belongs to Catherine Howard, Henry VIII's fifth wife. In 1541, the story goes, she broke away from her guards and ran down the gallery towards the Chapel Royal to plead with the king, and was dragged back before she reached the door.

She was executed at the Tower of London three months later. Her ghost is said to run through what is now called the Haunted Gallery, crying for mercy. The gallery is part of Henry VIII's processional route to the chapel and is included in a palace visit, lined with 16th-century portraits of Henry and his family.

What Hampton Court Palace Is Famous For

The hall Henry built

Henry VIII's hall, begun in 1532, has a hammerbeam roof and the Abraham tapestries, woven in Brussels with gold and silver thread and first hung in 1546.

A puzzle planted for William III

William III commissioned a hedge puzzle around 1700. It is the oldest surviving hedge maze in Britain, and it still takes about 20 minutes to reach the centre.

The palace on the river

Before trains and roads, the Thames was the royal way to the palace. Boats still run upriver in summer from Westminster, Richmond and Kingston.

Feeding the Tudor court

The kitchens were built to feed a court of about 1,200, turning out more than 800 meals a day with some 200 cooks and servants.

Hampton Court Palace, Gardens & Maze Tickets

Highlights

Experience the grandeur of Henry VIII’s former residence.

Enjoy guided audio tours available in multiple languages.

Wander through vast Tudor and Baroque architecture.

Explore over 60 acres of beautifully maintained gardens.

Challenge yourself in the palace’s historic maze designed in the 1700s.

Seeing Hampton Court Palace for Yourself

One ticket covers the palace, the gardens and the maze for the whole day, with an audio guide. The palace is open from 10:00 to 17:30, and opening days change with the season, so check before you travel. Allow at least three hours, and more if you want the gardens too.

Hampton Court Palace Photos

Hampton Court Palace Questions: Wolsey, Henry VIII and the Court

Who lived at Hampton Court Palace?

Cardinal Wolsey, then Henry VIII and his court, and later monarchs including James I, Charles I, William III and Mary II, up to George II.

Who built Hampton Court Palace?

Cardinal Thomas Wolsey began it after taking the lease in 1514. Henry VIII enlarged it, and Christopher Wren rebuilt part of it for William III and Mary II from 1689.

When was Hampton Court Palace built?

Wolsey's building began in 1514, Henry VIII's Great Hall from 1532, and Wren's Baroque palace from 1689.

Did Henry VIII live at Hampton Court Palace?

Yes. He took it over from Wolsey in 1529 and spent heavily enlarging it for his court.

Which of Henry VIII's wives lived at Hampton Court?

Several did. Jane Seymour died at the palace, Catherine Howard was confined there and Henry married Catherine Parr there.

Is Hampton Court Palace haunted?

Legend says Catherine Howard's ghost runs through the Haunted Gallery. The gallery is part of the palace visit.

Does anyone live at Hampton Court Palace now?

No monarch has lived there since George II. It has been open to the public since 1838.

Who looks after Hampton Court Palace?

Historic Royal Palaces, an independent charity.