Storm clouds drift above the battlements, turrets, lead-roofed Great Hall and decorative Tudor red brick chimneys - no two quite alike - of the former home of both Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Lord High Chancellor of England, and of King Henry VIII: Hampton Court Palace beside the River Thames in the London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames, England, UK.
Hampton Court Palace, in the London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames, England: under a stormy sky, decorative red brick Tudor chimneys, octagonal turrets, a ball-topped cupola and the leadwork covering the lengthy hammerbeam roof of the Great Hall rise behind the battlemented wall bordering the First or Base Court of Hampton Court Palace, once the home of King Henry VIII. A property owned by the Knights Hospitaller military order was transformed in the early 16th century into an opulent riverside residence by English statesman and Roman Catholic Cardinal, Thomas Wolsey (1473-1530). The work started in 1515, the year in which Wolsey was appointed as Lord High Chancellor of England by King Henry VIII (1491-1547; reigned 1509-47). Wolsey spent lavishly on his home, but enjoyed it for only a few years. He fell out of favour with Henry in 1529 and the King then seized Hampton Court for himself. The monarch brought all of his six wives here, used both the state and private apartments and held extravagant banquets and entertainments to convey his magnificence and influence. The decorative brick chimneys, serving huge rooms with massive fireplaces, were an integral part of Wolsey's original design. Henry VIII added others and the palace now has more than any other location in England - 241 in all, with no two completely alike. Hampton Court lies on the northeast bank of the River Thames, upstream and about 12 miles ( km) southwest of central London. Queen Victoria opened it to the public in 1838 and its historic buildings, gardens and art collection now attract around one million visitors per year.
Size: 4256px × 2832px
Location: Hampton Court Palace, East Molesey, Surrey, England, UK.
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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