We arrived expecting something similar to Buckingham Palace. Beautifully decorated rooms, manicured lawns, and an air of majesty. We were not prepared for the size of the buildings and grounds, nor were we prepared for the level of history we encountered. Unfortunately, all the pictures I took on my phone were lost, so all I can share with you are those Mr took on his (we hadn't brought our proper camera with us this day).
The entry to the grounds is huge in itself - you walk for a few minutes straight from the gates before you reach the building. Stepping through the entrance, we found ourselves in a courtyard straight out of a fantasy novel, complete with a fountain in the middle and some benches around the outside. Through another archway and we found ourselves in yet another large courtyard, with perfectly uneven cobblestones lining the ground. We were absolutely delighted, both being fantasy novel readers, to have found a place that proves the images we had formed in our minds from the stories we read.
In a large room off to the side of one of the courtyards we collected audio guides and donned Victorian capes. Yes, these got us some funny looks from people who deemed them unnecessary to the experience, but it was a bit of fun, and they were free so why not!
One of the rooms was covered in wallpaper depicting the original painting that covered the walls before they were destroyed. It was incredible to see the detail that would have gone into the painting, it surely took them years to complete!
There were hundreds of meters of rooms to explore throughout the palace, each with it's own history and story to tell. Unfortunately we don't have any pictures from within them (they were all on my phone), but I was so impressed with the decorations and furniture. It was all so opulent and fancy, and showed how rich people lived throughout the decades the palace was in use. Throughout the rooms were paper sculptures of people, each with information on them about who that person was and if they were involved in a scandal or were a person of importance throughout the palace's history. They were quite creepy, having no heads, but it was fascinating to read about them and their lives as we went along.
In one series of rooms was the story of Henry and his first wife, Katherine of Aragon. They were married for 18 years before he divorced her. During their time together, the king was very close with Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, who was advisor and friend as well as being the man who turned the humble beginnings of the palace to what was used in Henry's time. Their story together was depicted in a unique and intriguing way. Each room had three chairs, one for the King, one for the Queen, and one for the Cardinal. Their position within the room and in relation to each other showed their relationship at that point in time. They start out with the King in front and his Queen and advisor equally placed behind and to the side. As time goes on they change to being in line, one being ahead of the other etc. One of the saddest parts of the whole palace was a room in which the King and Cardinal are side-by-side facing one side of the room, in a position of power. The Queen is facing the other side of the room, off by herself in a corner. This was followed by a room in which the Queen was by herself, mourning the death of the son she craved and was required to give her king. These rooms signified the beginning of her downfall, and could not have painted a stronger picture than if the people were in those rooms themselves.
One room was set up as it was back in the day as a room to gather and play cards in. The windows in this room went from floor to ceiling, and had the perfect view of the gardens outside. So outside we went. Again, we were fully unprepared for the scope of the gardens. You could spend a day walking around them and not get to every corner. There were a few formal gardens perfectly arranged for courtiers to wander around, even a few hidden nooks for more private encounters.
Off to the side of the formal gardens was a great big tunnel made of vines. I can only guess at it's purpose, except perhaps just to exist because it's awesome.
Beyond that is an enclosure that contains the worlds longest grape vine. It was planted in 1769, and continues to produce grapes today. You can even buy some when they're in season (which ended a few weeks before we were there!). The base of the vine is 4m around, and the longest rod is 36.5m. It is grown inside a glasshouse which had to be built around earlier structures because the vine was so entwined with it it would be impossible to separate.
Out on the paths circling the lawns was a horse drawn train, which could take you around the outer edge if you didn't feel like walking. We chose to forgo the ride, and instead walked around a bit before discovering that there is a hedge maze on the grounds. So off we went in search of it!
The maze is the oldest hedge maze in the UK (it was built first built in the early 1700's) and retains the original shape. It was a lot of fun trying to get to the centre of it, even if it got quite claustrophobic in parts where only one person could fit through. Unlike many hedge mazes, you can't look over or under it, and can barely see through the branches. Even when you think you can see the centre just though there, the turn you think will take you there suddenly doesn't.
In the end we spent hours more here than we originally intended, purely because it was so expansive and there were so many things to see. I feel like we could return and still find new areas to explore!
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