Today, I toured Hampton Court Palace, an official historic, royal palace. Following are some of the sights I saw, history I learned, and favorites I enjoyed.
The guard chamber of King William III. The magnificent display of 2,871 items of armor and weapons displayed a message that William was a great soldier and peacemaker.
William's Presence chamber. Only high-ranking individuals were permitted into this room. William would be distinguished by sitting on a Chair of Estate. Those who entered his presence were required to remove their hats and make three low bows to the King, or even his empty chair. I'm grateful to serve an accessible King, who is with me wherever I go.
William's eating room. He was expected to dine here on occasions "in front of persons of good fashion and good appearance," in order to display the sumptuousness of his food and to reassure everyone he was in good health. He was served by three servants on bended knee.
William's Privy Chamber, which was not very private during his reign because he decreed all ambassadorial visits to take place in this room. It still possesses the original Canopy Of Estate of silky gold lace above the King's chair.
William's great bedchamber. No doubt one of the most splendid rooms in the State Apartments, William created his bedchamber as the most magnificent room in the palace. Only the most privileged courtiers were accepted into this room as they informally spoke to the King while he got ready for the day (a process called lever) or undressed in the evening (a process called coucher). My favorite aspect of the room is the ceiling, decorated with an angelic scene of heaven. Paintings such as these extended throughout other areas of the palace, filling entire stairways with three dimensional images that made you feel as though you were floating right beside the little cherubs.
All of these images were wonderful. The history was extremely interesting, especially the bedchamber exhibition. Special attention was given to the bedchamber secrets of King Henry the VIII. For obvious scandal but also for a unique perspective of power and show. The secrets of the royal bedchamber held the key to the power of rule; however, it was in fact no secret at all. The State bedchamber was the spectacular setting for the king to receive his most privileged, personal guests. Also, for the royal blood line to continue as an audience witnessed the birth of future rulers. In reality, the secrets of the bedchamber were open spectacle for the privileged to witness.
The gardens were my favorite aspect of the palace. I could get lost in the beauty of the garden grounds, In fact, I actually quite literally got lost a few times in the hedge maze I entered. The grounds were kept perfectly flawless, from each rosebush and flower blossom, to the cross mowed grass. Having worked on grounds at a summer camp, I took a special interest in the gardens. I spoke to a gardener who explained that 40 staff members are hired to maintain the grounds. I saw a John Deere gator, which made me smile but the most impressive machinery was a remote controlled lawn mower.
The gardener controlled a yellow, square shaped mower with a handheld remote. It was like hot wheels for grown ups. I could not help but snap a photo and question the gardener! Unfortunately, my camera was dying when I snapped the photo. So, it is not the best picture. However, I got a first hand view and learned some about the odd contraption. Apparently, the fairly new device makes mowing on inclinations much simpler than a push or ride mower. Operating the machine takes careful attention. The mower had to stop talking to focus on the mowing. New technology amazes me.
Some additional palace facts...
In 1603, King James held a Hampton Court Palace Conference commissioning the King James Bible.
Also that year, Shakespeare performed at the palace.
Scenes from the second Pirates of the Caribbean film were shot at the palace.
And rumor has it, the palace is haunted by King Henry VIII and his lovers.
Overall, Hampton Court Palace was a detailed adventure with surprises in each room and and breathtaking views from each garden bench. I kept thinking to myself,
if this is what man imagined and created, how much more incredible will heaven be?
May you be encouraged thinking of God's Heavenly Kingdom and a future in the presence of the Almighty Creator.
All my love,
Gennavieve
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