Hampton Court Palace and Running away from Runnymede

Sunday September 7, 2014

Hampton Court Palace, Greater London, England
Runnymede, Surrey, England

Hampton Court Palace was built in 1514 and came into King Henry VIII's possession in 1529. Today the Palace is cared for by the Historic Royal Places charity. While I am more partial to our own Harlaxton castle, the Royal Palace was very intriguing. I liked how in each room they had a small history of the person or persons who inhabited it. There was a section of quarters belonging to King Henry VII and a section of quarters allotted to Prince William III. 

Details of a Ceiling within the Palace

Walls and ceiling surrounding a staircase

Interesting design on the wall created by swords and other weapons

Stained Glass Windows

View of the back of Hampton Court Palace

Of course my favorite part of Hampton Court Palace was the gardens. The gardens were immense and had a large variety of foliage. Flowers are always my favorite, there was a beautiful section devoted to roses.

 

Sadly we had to say goodbye to the beautiful grounds of the Hampton Court Palace and make our way to Runnymede. On the bright side, I got a glorious nap in, in between the two. In my opinion, Runnymede was not a worthwhile trip. Runnymede is where Magna Carta was signed. There is a memorial devoted to the event at Runnymede. But if you're interested in Magna Carta, you are better off visiting somewhere with an copy of it and more historical detail. Before the 30 minutes was up, we were ready to run away from Runnymede back to the coach to take a nap. ;)