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Hampton Court

Between Sunshine & Rain. Lots of Rain.

By Emma-Jane Browne

February 24^th, 2014

As a child, I always loved castles & palaces.

I didn’t want to be a princess though, I wanted to be a king. People tried to explain to me that little girls couldn’t be kings, but I wasn’t having any of it. This was my dream and I was in charge.

Back then I was lucky enough to live right by Hampton Court Palace, and my mother would often take me, even just to walk around the grounds. I am much older now - and live in another country (not far from some other exceptional castles & palaces!) - but every now and then, I’ll hope on the train and visit Hampton Court. A few weeks ago, I did just that. The morning started out with glorious sunshine, but soon turned into a typical damp English Saturday as we travelled past my childhood home. By the time we made it to Hampton Court and off the train, it was quite literally chucking it down. But it would take more than that to damper my enthusiam!

Despite the rain, My first stop was of course the maze

As soon as I entered, I ran off and ditched my companions. I can’t help it, it’s much more fun that way!

As we enter, I feel like a little girl again!

And I love they they have actors dress up and play the part of Henry VIII’s court!

What are these photos about?

The great thing about braving the rain...

Is that most people don’t, which means we pretty much had the gardens to ourselves.

What are these photos about?

Chapel Court

The garden has been planted with flowers and herbs that would have been available in the 16th century, guarded by gilded heraldic beasts and bold green and white painted fences.