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The Great Gate House is the classic view
of Hampton Court Palace. The building has something of a history as it had been much taller but was
reduced by two storeys during the reign of Queen Victoria. 29th September 2008.
Visitors to Hampton Court Palace arriving
through the main gate are rewarded with this view of the buildings. The
normal public entrance is though the archway on the left. 29th September
2008.
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The first recorded building on the site of what was to become Hampton Court Palace was a barn.
The location was within the manor of Hampton. When The Knights Hospitalers of St John Jerusalem
acquired the manor in 1236 they erected a grange to store agricultural produce and to act as an administrative centre for the estate.
Nothing remains of this original building today.
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Beside the Great Gate House is this lion
statue holding an heraldic shield.
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King Henry
VIII
King Henry VIII was born at Greenwich Palace on 28th June 1491 to King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. His coronation
was on 24th June 1509.
King Henry VIII's six wives lived with him at Hampton Court
Palace:
Catherine of Aragon
Anne Boleyn
Jane Seymour
Anne of Cleves
Catherine Howard
Catherine Parr
Henry died 28th January 1549 at the Palace of Whitehall.
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To the left as visitors approach the
Great Gate House are the grace and favour apartments. It was here that a
fire began in recent times, which reached as far as the King's
Apartments in the main building. The relatively new roof tiles date from
the restoration of the structure.
This magnificent unicorn with heraldic
shield stands to the right of the Great Gate House.
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Thomas Wolsey
(or Woolsey) took out a 99-year lease on the property at Hampton in 1514. He was the Archbishop of York and later became a cardinal.
It was Thomas Wolsey who organised the construction of the first Hampton Court Palace
at a cost of 2000,000 gold crowns.
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Along the roof line there are
representations of a number of beasts.
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King Henry VIII's
First Wife
Catherine of Aragon was King Henry VIII's first wife. She was born 16th December 1485 to King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile. Her first marriage had been in 1501 to Arthur, Prince of Wales. Arthur died in 1502, leaving Catherine a widow.
Her wedding to King Henry VIII was on 11th June 1509 at a private ceremony at Greenwich Church.
On 23rd May 1533 her marriage to Henry was declared to have been illegal. She died at Kimbolton Castle on 7th January 1536.
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This dragon and heraldic shield are to
the right of the Great Gate House. Note the coat
of arms above the gateway.
The Great Gate House seen from beside the
grace and favour apartments. 29th September 2008. Visitors enter
the palace through the archway on the left, depicted in the next
photograph.
The entrance. The palace displays a
fine collection of ornate chimneys. 29th September 2008.
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King Henry VIII's Second Wife
Anne Boleyn was King Henry VIII's second wife. She was born in either 1501 or 1507 (accounts vary) to
Thomas Boleyn and Lady Elizabeth Howard.
Her first marriage to Henry was conducted in secret. Then when she became pregnant a second
marriage ceremony took place, also in secret, at London on 25th January 1533. She was crowned Queen of England at Westminster Abbey on 1st June 1533.
She was accused of adultery, incest and high treason, and taken to the Tower of London on 2nd May 1536.
At her trial she was found guilty and sentenced to be burned. This
was later commuted to beheading. She was executed at the Tower of
London on 19th May 1536. |
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As mentioned above, the palace has fine
chimneys. They display a variety of patterns. 29th September 2008.
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The building at
Hampton Court passed to King Henry VIII as a gift in 1528, and he set about enlarging it.
Henry VIII spent more than £62,000 rebuilding and extending Hampton Court Palace. This was an enormous amount for the time, being equivalent to about £18 million today.
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A small lion stands guard from the
rooftop. Behind is a leaded window. 29th September 2008.
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