There were many palaces used by the Tudor Monarchs. Sadly, few are left at all or in their original state. However, the best example of Tudor Palace architecture is Hampton Court Palace. The original Palace was built in 1521 by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, the then close advisor of King Henry VIII. Wolsey, who was unpopular among many of the nobles, was accused of over-reaching his station by building a grander palace than any the King possessed. He presented the palace as a gift to Henry around 1525 in an attempt to appease him. Henry gladly accept, but later discarded Wolsey anyway. The Cardinal was eventually stripped of his titles and died on his way to London to be tried on charges of treason.
Between 1530 and 1540, Henry greatly expanded the Palace, making it one of the largest Palaces in Europe at the time. He spent around 18 million dollars in today's money achieving this. He added a Great Hall (the last Medieval Great Hall built in Europe) and a Real Tennis Court (the oldest still in use).The palace was the site of many Tudor celebrations, such as Henry VIII's marriage to Catherine Parr, and many hearaches, such as the death of Jane Seymour and the arrest of Katheryn Howard.
After the Tudors, Hampton Court was added on to by William and Mary. Luckily, however, the main Tudor section of the palace (including the main gate and Great Hall) were not renovated. Hampton Court palace is unique in that it has two completely different forms of architecture: Tudor and Baroque.
Go to the Interactive Photo Tour of Hampton Court Palace
