Hampton Court Palace

At Hampton Court Palace, you can learn about the private lives of Henry VIII, his wives and children, admire Henry’s Great Hall, and explore the infamous haunted gallery and the Tudor kitchens, plus more.

Hampton Court Palace is a royal palace in the borough of Richmond upon Thames, 11.7 miles south west and upstream of central London on the River Thames. Building of the palace began in 1515 for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, a favourite of King Henry VIII. The last monarch to live in the palace was George II, and the palace was first opened to tourists in 1838, by Queen Victoria.

The Tiltyard Café is a self-service coffee and deli bar situated in a bright, open-plan setting. Built in the location of the old The Tiltyard which was originally what its name suggests – a tournament area laid out by Henry VIII with five towers to watch the jousting. By the 1600s, most of the site became walled kitchen gardens.

Following the accession of George III, some of these gardens were leased to local market gardeners to grow and sell produce themselves.

In the 1900s, the area was then devoted to providing visitor amenities, including a tea house, a forerunner of today’s Tiltyard Café, a tennis court and a putting green.
Whilst entry to the Palace is restricted to paying customers parts of the gardens and parkland , including the cafe are free to enter.

I went here on the Thames path walk and it is a very good place to stop for a drink or a break. For a nice meal nearby I would recommend the Prince of Wales.