Hampton Court Palace: The Official Illustrated History

by Lucy Worsley, David Souden

Tells the compelling story of one of the finest palaces in Europe, situated on the banks of the River Thames south-west of London and a centre of court life in England from 1529 to 1737. Celebrates one of the most visited and intriguing architectural ensembles in Britain, including the palace’s original sixteenth-century buildings of Henry VIII’s reign to the late seventeenth-century Baroque additions by Sir Christopher Wren. Includes full coverage of Hampton Court’s famous and ever-popular formal gardens, a precious survival of gardening three hundred years ago. Reveals the lifestyles of monarchs, mistresses and courtiers as well as life ‘below stairs’. In the same series as Merrell’s highly popular official illustrated histories of the Tower of London and Kensington Palace

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Travel, Tudor Period

128 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2005

About the author

I was born in Reading (not great, but it could have been Slough), studied Ancient and Modern History at New College, Oxford, and I've got a PhD in art history from the University of Sussex.

My first job after leaving college was at a crazy but wonderful historic house called Milton Manor in Oxfordshire. Here I would give guided tours, occasionally feed the llamas, and look for important pieces of paper that my boss Anthony had lost. Soon after that I moved to the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, in the lovely job for administrator of the Wind and Watermills Section. Here I helped to organise that celebrated media extravaganza, National Mills Day. I departed for English Heritage in 1997, first as an Assistant Inspector and then as an Inspector of Ancient Monuments and Historic Buildings; Bolsover Castle, Hardwick Old Hall, and Kirby Hall were my favourite properties there. In 2002 I made a brief excursion to Glasgow Museums before coming down to London as Chief Curator of Historic Royal Palaces in 2003. Yes, this is a brilliant job, but no, you can’t have it. (Bribes have been offered, and refused.)

You might also catch me presenting history films on the old goggle box, giving the talks on the cruise ship Queen Mary 2, or slurping cocktails.

***

Lucy Worsley, OBE (born 18 December 1973) is an English historian, author, curator, and television presenter.

Worsley is Joint Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces but is best known as a presenter of BBC Television series on historical topics, including Elegance and Decadence: The Age of the Regency (2011), Harlots, Housewives and Heroines: A 17th Century History for Girls (2012), The First Georgians: The German Kings Who Made Britain (2014), A Very British Romance (2015), Lucy Worsley: Mozart’s London Odyssey (2016), and Six Wives with Lucy Worsley (2016).

-From Wikipedia

Reviews

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

So pretty!

If you can't get over to England and actually take a guided tour of Hampton Court, this is the next best thing, a gorgeous display of the history, art, architecture, and people of this fascinating palace.

[Stella Luceat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frustrating. Although it has a map in the front, it doesn't tell you what all the places are! There is MUCH to the palace not spoken of!

It is a brief overview of the history of the palace and never gets too awfully detailed. Pretty much just highlights.

[Hugh Coverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Souden and Lucy Worsley present a wonderfully vivid survey of Hampton Court Palace in their story of the famous home of Henry VIII. Their story covers the period from the property’s mention in the Doomsday Book through to the present day. It’s real history begins with Cardinal Wolsey, who eventually lost his house to his sovereign, Henry VIII. The survey then runs forwards through all Henry’s successors until Victoria opens the palace to the public in 1838. During those three centuries the palace experienced both neglect and renewal. Much of what we see today can be traced back to William and Mary’s revisioning of the palace as a rival palace to France’s Louis XIV’s famously transformed hunting lodge at Versailles. Fortunately, Sir Christopher Wren’s plans, which included demolishing most of the old Tudor palace, were not fully realized. Today we have a wonderful fusion of Tudor and Baroque architecture. The final third of the book relates to the history of the restoration challenges and achievements to the palace has experienced in the past two centuries. As the last line in the book notes quite correctly, with a minor notation: “Hampton Court Palace is [English] history made visible.”

[Rachel McNeil · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I bought it after I had enjoyed the one about The Tower of London in the series. Hampton Court Palace is a maze of history and it still is a bit of a mine field in trying to understand whether the brick your looking at is Tudor etc. I loved the book for giving me a detailed oversight of the changes in the buildings and it’s interiors. A worthy read.

[00100100 00100100 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic history of HCP. I bought this before a visit and found it a really great read, with lots of information that you wouldnt have found out on the visit itself. The information is really accessible and the images are fab too.

[Katharine · Rating 4 out of 5]

After touring the Palace I was so curious about how it evolved and was used, this book was a perfect answer to my questions.

[Catherine McClelland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting and informative. I want to go back and visit again.