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AMPTON COURT isa memorial of the past fo which all English
people should in duty bound make a pilgrim: Four hundred
years have passed away since Wolsey built his. splendid palace
on the banks of the Thames. the glory
solemnity of the House of Orange, haunt these mellow, brick-built halls.
alace has witnessed the triumphs and misfortunes of thirteen
English. sovereigns
The Cardinal ‘began the erection of his new mansion in 1515.
Wolsey was then but forty years of age, and at the very zenith of his
power and influence. The craftsmen and the workshops of Europe and
the East were called upon to decorate its outer walls and to adorn its
chambers. Priceless tapestries, which the Cardinal himself brought
from the Low Countries, still hang upon the walls. Costly carpets from
Damascus, draperies from Ypres and from Bruges
olsey’s palace had five great courtyards, connected by turreted
gateway s and its own waterworks, the supply being brought by means
of lead conduits from Coombe in Surrey.
The Tennis Court, still existing, was built by Henry about the same
time, and that wonder o dizval craftsmanship, the Astronomical
Clock, set up on one of the gateways.
period of a century Hampton Court was a favourite place of
residence with the English sovereigns. Charles I., at Hampton Court,
assed many happy years prior to the outbreak of the Civil War, when
his palace became, for a time, his place of confinement.
During the Commonwealth the beautiful stained glass windows of
the Great Hall were ruthlessly destroyed by the Puritans. Under
Charles IL, the low range of buildings used as barracks on the jeit
of the main entrance were built, the gardens improved, the
d.
on theirsite Wren built for William III. the i mposing cas and south wings.
On the death of George IL. Hampton Court be used as a
royal residerce. Early in her reign Queen Victoria Geauted the public
access to the State ‘Apartments, and at a later date the Gardens and the
Home Park were likewise thrown open to visitors.
The Picture Galleries contain many portraits of Tudor and Stuart
sovereigns, princes and statesmen, painted by Holbein, Zucchero, Van
Dyck, and other artists.
nq da at ain courts is a pleasure and an education such as few
other places in the kingdom can provide. The Great Hall; the Green
Court, with its guest apartments built by Wolszy ; the. beautiful Clock
Court, perfectsave for the incongruous colonade erected by Wren on the
south ; the Fountain Court, Wren's most charming effort here in ex-
terior work ; Wolsey’s own Closet ; the great Kitchen ; the State Apart-
ments; the wonderful Gardens, ‘th Wilderness, the Maze, and the
Parks combine to make this old palace almost without an equal in
Engiand.
HOURS OF ADMISSION, FEES, MEANS OF ACCESS, &c.
The State Apartments and the Great Hall.—These are open daily to the public, Free
of Charge, except on Fr ida ys, when they are closed, and on Tuesdays, when
€
e Grounds ar.d fe Home Park are open daily, Free of Charee, from early
morning until dusk. One Penny “s charged for admission to the
From town the best route to Hampton Court is by Tram con ‘Hammersmith or
Shepherd's Bush Underground Stations.
HYDE PARK
YDE PARK—and with Hyde Park we include Kensington Gardens
sas been the playground of Londoners for three centuries. To
me it means Rotten Row and the Carriage Drive ; to others it
means the Bandstand ; to others again it isa flower garden in tulip or
rhododendron time ; or the Serpentine, a bathing- -place after the heat of
a midsur rx day.
Rotten Row was originally the Lamp Road made by Dutch William
to ensure His Majesty safe and easy access by night from his court at
St. James’s to his palace at Kensington, in days when the route through
Knightsbridge was the haunt of the highwayman and the footpad.
Entering at Hyde Park Corner, the Serpentine is reached by way
of the pathway running on the right of the Row.
In the centre of a lawn near the Row is the Diana Fountai In
June the rhododendrons near by make a superb display of blossom.
Farther along, opposite Albert Gate, lies a little hollow with tree-lined
sides, a remnant of the old West Bourne. This spot is now known as
creeper-draped monolith, quarried at
shield on high, erected in 1822 by the ladies of England to the victor of
Waterloo, and fashioned from the metal of captured guns.
Turning ei along the Serpentine Road from the path coming up
from the Dell, e full. expanse of the lake’s thirty-two acres meets the
gaze. Away in the distance on the other bank, beyond the island, is
the bathing-place.
Proceeding along the strip of gravel on the northern bank, one
reaches the boating stage. On the grass across the road was the old
duelling ground. mong other famous encounters which took place
here was that between the Duke of Hamilton and Lord Mohun, which
Thackeray wove into the plot of Esmond.”
At the end of the Serpentine Road one reaches Rennie’s Bridge.
This is a place of views. On one hand, the towers of St. Stephen’s and
the Abbey ; while on the other, looking across Kensington Gardens and
the Long Water, is a view not unlike’ Stratford-on-Avon. On the left
bank is Barrie's "statue of Peter Pan.
On the north, against the Bayswater Road, is a great stone shelter
known as Queen 's Alcove, which was built by Wren and formerly
stood against the Palace. Near this Spot the old West Bourne flowed
into the Park and fed the Serpentine
the Serpentine Head a pleasant ramble beneath limes and
chestnuts s leads to the Palace, where Wren’s Orangery, with the old lead
cisterns removed from Hampton Court; the Lily Pond Garden, and its
surrounding cradle walk of pleached lime ; the ound Pond, with
its squadron of fifty sail; the statue of ueen Victoria, carved by her
daughter, the Princess Louise ; h iser’s statue of William Ill. y an
old Palace Green, a remnant of Kensington Moor, must all be seen ere
one leaves this storied corner.
MEANS OF ACCESS,
By Underground to Hyde Park Corner, Lancaster Gate, Marble Arch |
Stati