Henry VIII received Hampton Court Palace from Thomas Wolsey, Archbishop of York, in the mid to late 1520s, although the Archbishop retained apartments there, as well as at all the other royal palaces until he fell from favour and was arrested.  Henry made many additions to the Palace and most of the Tudor parts were built by him. Henry enlarged and rebuilt his own apartments, parts of the kitchens, the Chapel Royal, replaced most of the Great Hall and added tennis courts. Henry also laid out the overall plan for the gardens at Hampton Court, the basic structure of which is still seen today.

 

Parts of the Palace were pulled down when construction began on a new building for William and Mary. The change in architecture styles is very marked as is the dramatic difference in the colours of the bricks.

 

 

Events in Tudor History at Hampton Court

 

In 1537, Jane Seymour gave birth to the future King Edward VI at Hampton Court. The baby Prince was christened in the magnificent Chapel Royal a few days later. Jane fell very ill after Edward's birth and died in the Palace only two weeks after giving birth to the new heir.

 

Henry VIII spent three of his honeymoons at Hampton Court, as did his daughter Mary I when she married Philip of Spain. It was at Hampton Court that Henry VIII was told of the infidelity of Kathryn Howard, which would eventually lead to her arrest and execution (and according to some, why her ghost inhabits the Haunted Gallery.)

 

Henry also married his sixth wife, Katherine Parr, in the Holyday or Queen's Closet at the Palace, adjoining the Chapel Royal.