At first a monastic farm and later a cardinal’s palace, Hampton Court did not officially become a royal residence until 1528 when King Henry VIII took the palace from his chief minister Cardinal Wolsey. Wolsey’s palace was built in a Renaissance style of such opulence that it rivalled anything owned by the King.
When King Henry assumed control he wanted to make his mark and so began a series of extensive building programmes, which were not completed until about 1540. He enlarged the buildings, rebuilding the hall adding an extra gallery, a library and a range of kitchens, a bowling alley and an indoor tennis court. He also had the palace surrounded with beautiful pleasure gardens and a well-stocked hunting park. He even installed a multiple garderobe (lavatory), which became known as the Great House of Easement and had the capacity to be used by 28 people at a time!
Heraldic beasts (including dragons, lions, leopards, deer and greyhounds) were set up in almost every part of the palace as symbols of royalty, power and pride. The palace’s furnishings were lavish and Henry collected over 2,000 tapestries many of which were hung at Hampton Court and were woven from gold and silver thread.
The palace was to see further alterations under King William III (1689-1702) and Queen Mary II. William, Prince of Orange and Stadtholder of the Netherlands invaded England from Holland seizing the throne from his father-in-law James II in 1689. On gaining power he found the palace at Hampton Court a welcome retreat from the pollution of the capital and decided to move the principal seat of court ceremony from Whitehall Palace to Hampton Court. However, the old Tudor palace was not on a par with the extravagance of Versailles or the comfort of the Dutch palaces of Het Loo and Huis ten Bosch with which he was familiar. William, therefore, commissioned the famous architect Sir Christopher Wren to rebuild the entire palace. Wren’s ambitious plans had to be scaled down due to financial constraints and in the end he contented himself with rebuilding only the south and east fronts of the palace, providing William and Mary with two sets of state rooms befitting their joint sovereignty. These state rooms with their grand Baroque façades juxtapose strikingly with Henry VIII’s surviving Tudor palace.