Hampton Court Palace ...

I have been to Hampton Court Palace quite a few times over the last year as a result of attending courses at the Royal School of Needlework, but I hadn't actually visited the Palace properly itself for about 15 years. My sister was keen to visit when she was here in September, so we spent one Friday exploring the Palace and the gardens.

I have to say, I love Hampton Court - I think it is my favourite of all of the Royal Palaces. I do also love Windsor Castle for its beautiful state rooms, but there is something about Hampton Court - perhaps the centuries of history and the mark that has made on the development of the Palace.

It was a full day outing. We started at 10am when it opened, and finished, exhausted, at 4pm. We used the audioguides which were some of the best that I've ever used. Unlike some historical buildings where the guide just provides enough information to keep the crowds moving through at pace, the guide for Hampton Court was incredibly detailed. From Tudor, to Baroque to Georgian - we learnt a great deal of detail of the development of the Palace over the centuries along with the various royals who inhabited it.

We decided to follow the guide in historical order, starting with the Tudor section of the Palace...

The red brick detail

The tudor kitchens

The Great Hall

The beautiful ceiling of the withdrawing room

Henry VIII's window in memory of his third wife, Jane Seymour

After lunch, we moved through to the Baroque section of the Palace. This section dates from the extensive improvements made by William and Mary, and is my favourite section of the Palace. It is where the RSN rooms are located, and quite often we have a few over the gorgeous parterre gardens from the classroom windows...

And finally, no visit to Hampton Court is complete without a close inspection of the gardens...and even though we were there in late September, the very mild autumn we had here in the UK meant that the borders were still showing off their fading summer beauty...

I can't recommend a visit highly enough...