The Queen's Palaces in the London area: Wealth and history.

The Tower of London, Hampton Court, Windsor Castle, these plus Buckingham Palace are some of the Palaces and Castles of the Queen of England and the Royal Families of the past. Visit these and you may begin to understand a little more about the English people, their social and political systems and their view of their place in the world.

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All these royal enclaves are within an hours drive of central London, or a day trip from many teacherstravelweb.com members' homes. All are a huge draw for tourists, and they are all open to the public.

Our first visit was to The Tower of London. Don't even think about taking a car as it is located in central London and parking is expensive, difficult to find, and not worth the stress. Get on the Underground instead, and with the help of a local, catch the train and the circle line to find your way to the Tower Hill station. As you come up from this station you will see the castle right in front of you, with the moat surrounding it, and a collection of buildings inside the wall. Entrance fee is £11 and although it was deepest winter we still had to queue for 20 minutes, In summer expect a very long wait to get in.Once inside the walls, the complex is a total surprise as it is a walled town with buildings and towers surrounding a large courtyard. It was very easy to imagine being inside a medieval castle as you walked. With your ticket, you will get a map of the complex which is just as well, as there is so much to see.

On the map, the area is divided into a series of walks, such as the wall walk, tower green, white tower etc. so allow several hours!The most popular part of the Tower is the exhibition of the Crown Jewels. No photos allowed so you'll have to go to see them, but once again expect to queue in summer. We went through straight away but there were 4 rooms obviously set aside just for the lines of people waiting to get in! And the jewels..they are stunning and very ostentatious.

The medieval throne room The Medieval Palace is part of the walled walk. It's all been restored with narrow winding staircases and is staffed by people in period costumes They will talk as long or as briefly as you wish and they are all passionate about the history of this part of the complex.

The rooms here are furnished as they would have been in 1272 during the reign of Edward 1
Outside in the courtyard you'll see the site of the gallows where several Queens were beheaded, and the ravens that have their own special raven keeper. Close by is the Tower Green where Sir Walter Raleigh and his family were kept under house arrest for 13 years in the Bloody Tower. Everywhere the Beefeaters (the Yeoman Warders) will answer any questions and they guide free, short walks.
Souvenir shops are in every building and there are two cafes and a kiosk to stave off hunger!

Windsor Castle is one of the Queen's official residences, and is well signposted from the M3 with long term parking close by. You will pay £3 for 2 hours and £4.50 for 3 hours in pay and display car parks. A space was easy to find in December, it may be more difficult in the high season.

From the car parks, it is a short walk to the township of Windsor which is right on the castle walls. It is a large complex of tiny shops and tearooms, selling souvenirs, teddy bears, woollen items, china, and all things royal.
Keep an eye out for the crooked house photographed on the right, it is a gem!
The castle dominates the skyline, and it is the largest inhabited castle in the world! The Queen comes from Buckingham Palace, 24 miles away, most weekends, to ride her horses here. The entrance fee of £11 gives entry into the public areas of the castle and the state rooms.

A composite view , showing just 1/4 of the buildings inside of the walls of Windsor. Many rooms have all the weaponry of the past, swords, armour, muskets, pistols all laid out in intricate patterns, hanging on the walls and ceilings in the most spectacular fashion.

The State apartments are room after room of incredibly painted ceilings, gold leaf on most surfaces, huge paintings by the masters such as Reubens and Van Dyck, and sparse furnishings. The rooms are vast, with statues, chandeliers and thrones adding to the opulence. Some of these rooms are still used, such as for Prince Andrew's wedding reception, and the Queen dines once a year in one of the rooms with her Knights of the Garter. Can you imagine the heating bill in winter!
Souvenir shops are strategically placed, selling china. tapestry, toy soldiers and books on the royal dynasty, perhaps these sales pay for the heating!
Be warned, Windsor Castle may turn you into a Republican or a Royalist depending on your reaction to the collection of riches on display.

The third Palace is Hampton Court. It was built on the Thames by Thomas Wolsey, Archbishop of York, and Cardinal and Lord Chancellor of England in the early 16th century King Henry VIII took it off him, added to it, and kept 5 of his wives there, and it became the royal residence. It was added to for William III by Sir Christopher Wren and is now operated solely as a tourist attraction. The best time to go to Hampton Court Palace is when there is a planned event. They tend to happen for a week a month in winter, more often in summer, and they are worth planning your itinerary around. The events include cooking during the reign of William III, the Tudor times, and the conspiracies of William III's reign. It is history made to come alive, and is absolutely fascinating to watch!.

We visited during the event called "Tudor Revelries" and took several hours to discover and enjoy all the activities hidden in the vast complex.
In the Tudor kitchens, real cooks were making authentic Tudor dishes ready for a banquet. These banquets were used to announce a great achievement, and the huge number of invited lords and nobles , were given amazing sugar sculptures to take back to their communities to spread the word. Poultry was cooking on the spit, bread was baking, and you got to try some!
In other parts of the Palace baroque music was being played in the Queen's drawing room, players were acting in the courtyard and in the Great Hall King Henry VIII was being acted by a surprised visitor from the USA.

Henry VIII's apartment has a Gallery of Renaissance Art with the work of Breughel the Elder amongst the collection, and yes, there are 3-4 souvenir shops. If you are inclined, buy yourself a bottle of Mead, brewed at the Castle, it is magic!
Outside, the gardens feature stunning walks, a maze, topiary, and the straight formal lines and long views of the period.
Entrance fee is £10.80 per adult, and inside the complex are two tearooms, lots of toilets, and attendants in many of the rooms willing to answer your questions and stop you taking photographs.
If you take your car, the Palace is well signposted, and parking can be found across the bridge from the entrance in the nearby railway station for £2. Otherwise catch the train to Hampton.

Teacherstravelweb.com
founder Tricia Legg meets
a Beefeater.
December 2001

Those are the big three, open all year round and all very different. The Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace will bring the history of London alive for you, as the staff are passionate about the time periods they represent. Windsor Castle gives you a view to the present monarchy and all that that entails. Having swapped our car as part of the exchange. we had the mobility to get to these places easily and quickly, but all are served by the railway system too.

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