The Twickenham Museum
Exhibitions : Villages on the River

Hampton Court
...one of the finest Tudor buildings in the country.

Hampton Court Palace - the West Front
At the time of the Domesday book in 1086 Hampton Manor was owned by Walter de St Valéry and it remained in his family until 1217. Between 1237 and 1514 it belonged to the Knights Hospitallers. Cardinal Wolsey acquired the lease in 1514 and built his palace here. The manor and the palace were acquired from Wolsey by Henry VIII in 1529. Although much altered and extended, remains one of the finest Tudor buildings in the country, although what we see today is the result of later alteration and addition. This started with Henry VIII although much of his work, including the King's and Queen's Lodgings, was demolished in 1689-91 to be replaced by the Royal Apartments, built by for William III.
The restored Privy Garden, 1995

The palace was opened to the public by Queen Victoria in 1838.

In 1995 William's Privy (Private) Gardens, leading down towards the river, were re-opened following restoration.

The Kings Arms, with cow

Inns have a long history in the locality. An inn called The Toy (the name derives from the towing place because it was beside the tow path) started as a refreshment house for the workmen on Hampton Court Palace in the 16th century and closed in the 19th century. Both The Mitre and The Kings Arms date back to around the middle of the 17th century.

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