Hampton Court

Found on the banks of the Thames in a leafy suburb of west London, Hampton Court Palace is a distinctive site of unparalleled majesty. Surrounded by a regal array of gardens and grounds, this historic palace has become an integral part of the city’s royal identity.

Built in the early 1500s, King Henry VIII gained ownership of the palace in 1530 and began work on enlarging and expanding the structure. This remodelling hugely altered the governing style of the original palace and, to this day, the palace now encompasses a number of different architectural styles.

Entirely open to the public, visitors can poke around the palace’s many rooms and revel in the well-loved 17th-century hedge maze. Based on the outskirts of Bushy Park – London’s second largest Royal Park – visitors will also be able to go deer spotting at their own leisure.

• The palace was originally built for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, the Archbishop of York.
  
• In 2015, the palace celebrated its 500th anniversary.
  
• During the 2012 London Olympics, the palace was the venue for the Road Cycling Time Trial.
  
• Parts of the palace also featured during the filming of a number of high-profile films such as Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.