Hampton Court Palace is a royal palace on the River Thames in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, begun by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, the chief minister of Henry VIII, as a lavish country residence. When Wolsey fell from favour, the king took over the palace and enlarged it, adding the Great Hall, the Chapel Royal and a real tennis court. Later, William III and Mary II commissioned Sir Christopher Wren to build a baroque wing and new state apartments in the late seventeenth century, giving the palace two very different architectural styles. Monarchs stopped living there during the eighteenth century. The palace is now a major visitor attraction, famous for its Tudor kitchens, formal gardens and its maze.
Before and after
- 1513Construction of Palazzo della Cancelleria
- 1513Balboa sights the Pacific
- 9 September 1513Battle of Flodden
- 31 December 1514Birth of Andreas Vesalius
- 1515Construction of Hampton Court Palace
- 1515Construction of Belém Tower
- 1515Construction of Melilla la Vieja
- 28 March 1515Birth of Teresa of Ávila
- from 13 September 1515 to 14 September 1515Battle of Marignano
More in Art, literature & culture
- 15th centuryConstruction of Red Square
- 1600Rise of Baroque music
- 1670Construction of avenue des Champs-Élysées
- 17th centuryRise of ukiyo-e
- 25 April 1719Publication of Robinson Crusoe
- October 1745Publication of God Save the King
The era
This moment belongs to the Early modern world (1500 CE to 1760 CE), voyages, printing and new ideas. You can also browse everything in the 16th century.