Year 8 Hampton Court Palace Trip
Published on 12/04/23
In February, Year 8 visited Hampton Court Palace. Here are two experiences of that day.
Zachary P said: “On the trip to Hampton Court Palace, we saw remnants of many religious changes during the Tudor Period. Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Henry VIII's chief minister at the time, designed the palace. A few years after construction was finished, the palace was given to the king to regain his favour. However, this was not enough, and Thomas Wolsey had all his roles taken away from him.
We walked around the palace and into the many rooms, such as the Great Hall, which had priceless tapestries of the story of Abraham. These tapestries cost as much as a battleship at the time, composed almost entirely of gold and silver thread. We also saw the waiting room, where people at the time would wait days just to speak to the king or queen. We learned about how the people in this room would change as the religion and politics of the country changed. In different circumstances, it would be fully Catholic, fully Protestant, or sometimes a mixture, with a few Spanish people added too. We then saw the kitchens, where there was one kitchen per type of food. There were specific places where meat would be roasted, bread would be baked, and confectionery would be made. The people who were making these foods were very well fed. It was a fantastic day!”
Merryn M said: “Last month, Year 8 visited the world famous Hampton Court Palace, an old Tudor royal residence. We spent the day exploring the palace that hosted many monarchs, including King Henry VIII and his many wives.
We explored the palace in two tours: one about how different religions had impacted the construction of this building and the other viewed the great kitchens where huge meals for kings, queens, guests and servants (often over six hundred people at a time) were made.
We learned about many aspects of the construction of Hampton Court Palace and how they were designed to display the power and might of the king. These included lavishly decorated rooms with stained glass windows, tapestries that could buy a fully stocked battleship each, and ceilings adorned with twenty-four carat gold! Additionally, huge amounts of food were served to those inhabiting the palace, including the servants and workers, which was a demonstration by Henry of his wealth and status. We were also told many tales about life in the palace including the gripping tale of Jane Seymour’s ghost (Henry VIII’s third wife) who is said to haunt the gallery of Henry’s processional route to the royal chapel. Everyone really enjoyed the trip to Hampton Court and we all found it very informative and entertaining. Thank you to all the teachers for organising this fantastic trip!”