Divorced, Beheaded, Died...

Where in the world is Jenny? Hampton Court Palace!

In order to learn about the effect of the Reformation in severing British art from the Catholic tradition, my art history class took a day-long field trip to King Henry VIII's home in East Molesey: Hampton Court Palace. You know the king I'm talking about...divorced, beheaded, died; divorced, beheaded survived? Ring any bells?

Unfortunately, some of the palace's rooms were blocked off due to the presence of camera crews. Turns out a movie was being filmed at the location...more on that later... ;-)

Cameras? Film crews? Security?

Turning our attention back to the palace itself: The building was bought by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey in 1514, which he rebuilt with the aim of making it the grandest house in England. When Wolsey failed to convince the Pope to let King Henry VIII get an annulment from Catherine of Aragon, Wolsey gave the estate to the king in hopes of appeasing him. However, Henry was not at all happy. He had the cardinal arrested and sent to the Tower of London. En route to the tower, Wolsey actually died from fright. What a dreadful way to go, don't you think?

Henry VIII lived in Hampton Court Palace until his death in 1547. During his stay, this building housed the birth of the future Edward VI, the death of Jane Seymour, and the dragging away of Catherine Howard when she was accused of adultery (I actually got to stand in the gallery she supposedly still haunts...no ghost sightings though!). In 1689 to 1694, Sir Christopher Wren carried out a second phase of building for the Stuart monarchs William III and Mary II. The last phase of building occurred for George II in 1732.

I was able to see impressive architecture...

The Fountain Court

...beautiful window decorations...

The Great Watching Chamber 

...intricate ceilings...

...various chambers...

Queen Mary's water closet

King's Guard Chamber, note the weapons and armor decorating the walls

...and of course, lots of artwork...

The big man himself 

Daddy-o (aka Henry VII)

Why hello Professor Donnelan!

Overall, I thought the palace was quite interesting. The grandiose rooms were cold and uninviting, yet as the rooms got closer to the king's bedchamber, they became smaller and more cozy. If you lived in the palace, the goal was to receive a room as close to the king's as possible.

As previously mentioned, several parts of the palace were blocked off. Here's a hint as to the reason:

When my professor asked a guard why we couldn't go out to the maze, she informed us that filming for the Sherlock Holmes sequel was taking place on the other side of the gate! Immediately, my classmates and I scrambled to get a better look. I was sadly unable to pull out my camera in time to get a shot of Robert Downey Jr. as he walked by, BUT I did get a few photos of Jude Law!

HEY JUDE!!

I have a future in the paparazzi business, no?

I may have been cold at the palace, and I may have missed out on some rooms, and I may have been hungry because the film crew even blocked off the cafe, but who cares...I saw Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law!

Oh, and some rooms once inhabited by the Tudor and Stuart dynasties. ;-)

Side note: Thank you all for your kind "get well" wishes! I am feeling much better now, just in time for my first major weekend trip! I will be visiting the capital of an eastern European country, where people raise their glasses and proclaim, "Na zdraví!"(not "nice driveway," Dad). Any guesses???