Today brought a break from the usual classes with a trip to Hampton Court Palace! This morning we made an early start, boarding our coaches at 9am for a trip to London. The journey went quickly and we all enjoyed the wonderfully air-conditioned coaches – it is still very hot here in Cambridge – but we are coping well with shade and plenty of water.
Hampton Court itself was built by Sir Cardinal Wolsey in 1514, but was taken over by the infamous Henry VIII in 1529 when Wolsey fell from favour; partly due to being too rich and powerful for the king’s liking. Fortunately, Wolsey put a lot of his wealth into building Hampton Court, making it a truly spectacular palace for us to visit today! In 1689 it was further developed by royal decree, and these improvements were designed by a famous architecture, astronomer, mathematician and physicist: Sir Christopher Wren.
We enjoyed strolling through the numerous art galleries and halls, admiring tapestries, furniture and some incredibly ornate ceilings. The grounds were equally as lovely, with garden after garden, and some amazing flowers, statues, fountains and trees. The trees were especially popular in the heat, providing some very scenic shade for the students during the afternoon.
The Palace’s restaurant and café were a delicious option for lunch, and it was lovely to see the students relaxing and chatting in the Tiltyard café. Talking of ‘tilting’, also known as ‘jousting’, there was a fabulous display of jousting and horse-riding in the castle grounds, and some historical reenactors in Tudor costume dotted around the palace to bring its historical origins to life.
On the coach journey home we all had a much needed rest (and in some cases naps!), before returning to the now-familiar streets of Cambridge. Students then had the opportunity to take their pick of local cuisine for dinner, followed by some relaxing evening activities. Tonight these activities were a choice between board games and poker, or watching tonight’s world cup game: Spain versus Belgium. It promises to be an exciting match!
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