The Palace: From the Tudors to the Windsors, 500 Years of Royal History at Hampton Court
£17.70£23.80 (-26%)
‘If a house could gossip, this is the book that Hampton Court would whisper. An enjoyable and readable stroll through 500 years of Hampton Court history: royal residents, common visitors, thieves, invaders and ghosts’ PHILIPPA GREGORY
For centuries, Hampton Court has been a place of power, scandal and intrigue: a stage for events that shaped the nation. The Palace raises the curtain on 500 years of British history with royals, politicians, criminals, and geniuses all playing their parts.
Hampton Court has been an arc of monarchy, revolution, religious fundamentalism, sexual scandals, and military coups. In this rich and vivid history, Gareth Russell moves through the rooms and the decades, each time focusing on a different person who called Hampton Court their home.
Beginning with the Tudors, Russell takes the reader from the kitchens of Henry VII and the dreams of Anne Boleyn to Elizabeth I’s brush with death and the staging of Shakespeare’s plays. To the commissioning of the King James Bible, the republican victories of Oliver Cromwell, the many mistresses of Charles II and their laxative-laced attempts to embarrass one another. The gossip and feuds of Georgian aristocrats lead into the era of the Windsors when Hampton Court becomes the place to host Elizabeth II’s coronation ball and hide the last Tsar’s sister.
Fascinating and engaging, The Palace is as atmospheric as it is gossipy and through the many sovereigns and servants that lived and worked in its halls reveals the personal tragedy and political importance of this extraordinary place.
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Additional information
| Publisher | William Collins (17 Aug. 2023) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Hardcover | 480 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0008436983 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0008436988 |
| Dimensions | 15.9 x 4.3 x 24 cm |
by Gareth B Streeter
Each page drips with delight.
If you have any interest in Royal British history, you have to read this.
Don’t worry if you haven’t had chance to visit Hampton Court before reading. Though you’ll want to once you’ve read…
by Sadie
I’ve had this book for a month or so now. But just noticed the photo pages are faulty. They’re cut off at the bottom of the page . Very annoying!
by M. Donovan
Found this book started well but over time became just a hard slog. Only for those who have real interest in the topic
by Imelda
Having been born in Hampton and spent a lot of my childhood visiting this wonderful place, I love it with all my heart. So a new book was a must. I enjoyed most of it but the author did bang on rather too much about religious changes which took up numerous and unnecessary pages – I skipped those. But the latter eras including the Grace and Favour residents were fascinating
Also, a plan of the Palace would have been much more helpful than the Royal family trees.
by Niki Sable
Fabulous account of Hampton Court & the narrator has a wonderful voice! So interesting & informative!
by Moonflower 3
I loved this book and was sorry to finish it. The historical characters really come alive and there are interesting snippets of gossipy information which make it even more fascinating!
by Georgi Lvs Books
‘Hampton Court is the finest and most magnificent royal edifice to be found in England, or for the matter in other countries.’
When this was revealed as Gareth Russell’s next book, I was BEYOND excited!
I adored every second of this book. The history consumed me, the characters enthralled me. Hampton Court is a place I would love to visit.
‘History seems to fall in on itself at Hampton Court, with Elizabethan red brick yielding suddenly to Baroque staircases, it’s Restoration-era canal halting at gravel pathways circling to the Tudor tennis court.’
A must read for history lovers. Well done Gareth, this books is an absolute treat and one I will treasure always.
by Maisie
I’ve only just started the book. I’ve loved Hampton Court since I was taken there on a school visit (about 8 years old). so far thoroughly enjoying the book.