Castles!

It's hard to believe that I have been in London for five weeks! If page views are any indication, my weekly blog posts have been a success (over 400 views so far, not counting mine). If you have been enjoying them, please take a minute this week and leave a comment. I removed most of the barriers to commenting and I would love to have some feedback. (For example: Are their topics you'd like me to cover? Should I include more pictures and fewer words? More words and fewer pictures?)

My theme this week is castles and palaces. I mentioned in the post about my trip to Dover that I love visiting sites that have many layers of history, and the castles and palaces of the British monarchy certainly fit that description. It's not that I'm obsessed with the royal family. (In fact, I would have a hard time telling you who its current members are if they had not had so much trouble keeping their clothes on recently.) It's more the buildings themselves, their past inhabitants, and the historic events that took place there that interest me. So, here's a little bit about the ones I've seen so far, using a few more pictures than usual. (I've taken about 350 pictures so far and I know no one is going to want to look at them all when I get back.)

Kensington Palace

Kensington Palace is a close neighbor of mine. It's less than half a mile from my building and I go past it almost every day either on my morning run or my walk to work. It is most famous for two things. First, it was the childhood home of Queen Victoria, who ruled Britain and its empire for more than 60 years. Some of you might have seen the movie The Young Victoria a few years ago. There's a scene in it where she is told that her uncle, King William IV, has died and that she is now Queen. I saw the room where that actually happened! Second, Kensington Palace was the official residence of the former Princess Diana, after her divorce from Prince Charles. There is a gate on the south side of the building where people continue to leave flowers for her every day.

This is the side of Kensington Palace that faces Kensington Gardens, a popular park that adjoins Hyde Park. Behind this building is a wing that still serves as a residence for some members of the royal family.

Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace is the Queen's official London residence. It's closed to visitors for most of the year, but they open it up in the summer while the Queen is in Scotland. I've seen the outside several times, but this was the first time that I've been here when it was possible to go inside. Unfortunately, they do not let you take photographs. As the tour guide said, "We don't want you to catch the Queen in her housecoat." She also said that anyone caught taking a picture would be "taken directly to the Tower of London." That's a pretty obvious joke, but a good one. I'd use it if I worked there. So, you'll have to take my word for it, the state rooms are impressive. Decorated by George IV, they are every bit as opulent as you would expect. Getting inside was like going through security at an airport. This is understandable, especially since they're having a special exhibition of all the Queen's diamonds, in celebration of her Diamond Jubilee.

This is the view of the palace that you are probably familiar with. I never realized that this portion of the palace is used primarily by visitors.

This is the back of the palace. A view only visible from the gardens, which are inside the palace walls. I included it here so you would believe that I went inside.

Windsor Castle

When the Queen is in the London area, she spends most weekends at Windsor Castle. Windsor is about a half-hour train ride from central London. (I don't think the Queen takes the train, though.) On the audio guide that I listened to, Prince Charles said that Windsor "looks exactly like people expect a castle to look." It sounded a bit pompous when he said it, but I have to admit, it's true. The town seems just right, too. It has a very medieval feel to it. The shops, pubs, and other buildings are built, literally, right up to the very imposing castle walls. Begun by William the Conqueror in the 11th century, Windsor is the oldest, and largest, occupied castle in the world.

This is the view of the castle walls that you get as you walk up the path from the main entrance. It is part of what is called the Upper Ward.

The Round Tower is the most impressive structure in the castle. It was built by Henry II in the 12th century. If the castle walls were breached, it would be the final stronghold.

This is the central court of the Upper Ward. On the left is the official entrance to the state apartments, where the Queen, other members of the Royal Family, and their guests stay.

St. George's "Chapel." This is home to the Order of the Garter, founded in 1348. It is the real-world equivalent of King Arthur's legendary Knights of the Round Table.

Kew Palace

Kew Palace was built in 1631 and was one of the residences of King George III. If you've forgotten your history, he was King during the American Revolution. He spent quite a bit of time here later in life while he was suffering from "madness." There's a great movie called The Madness of King George about his struggle with mental illness. Kew Palace is located within the beautiful Royal Botanical Gardens. I'll post some pictures of it another time.

A great view of what King George's daughters called "Little Kew." Compared to Windsor, it is pretty modest. Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her 80th birthday with a dinner here.

Hampton Court Palace

This is the last one, I promise. I know I'm pushing it. Hampton Court is probably my favorite of those I've included here. If you were a fan of the Showtime series The Tudors you already know something about this palace. Built by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey in the early 16th century, he "gave" it to King Henry VIII in 1528. (Wolsey's power and influence had peaked and his enemies were already starting to bring him down.) But the Tudors are only half the story. In 1689, the famous architect Christopher Wren was commissioned to reinvent Hampton Court for William and Mary, the new King and Queen. The Wren additions stand in stark contrast to the original Tudor palace.

This is the front entrance to the original Tudor portion of the palace. 

Base Court, just inside the main gate pictured above, is the largest courtyard in the palace.

A partial view of Great Hall, added by Henry VIII during his marriage to Anne Boleyn, the second of his six wives. This is an amazing room.

One of my favorite parts of the palace was the Tudor kitchens, where meals were prepared for Henry VIII and the 600 members of his court. Food historians have done a lot of interesting research here.

What was for dinner? Usually meat. The racks in front of this giant fireplace were used to cook it on spits. There were five more fireplaces just like it. 

This is part of Christopher Wren's addition. You'd never know it was the same palace if you didn't see the two parts together.

The Gardens at Hampton Court are amazing. They go on for miles and include, among other things, a maze. This is a small, but beautiful portion.

I ran into Henry VIII while I was visiting. I wanted to talk to him, but he had been arguing with Anne Boleyn and was in a foul mood.

As if these were not enough, there are several other palaces in the London area. The Banquet House, which has a beautiful ceiling painted by Peter Paul Rubens, is the only part of Whitehall Palace, where Henry VIII actually lived, that is still standing. It's right in the heart of London about halfway between Trafalgar Square and Parliament. Then, of course, there is the Tower of London. That's worth a post of its own, so I'll restrain myself.

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to leave a comment. Cheers!