The Horn Chamber is essentially a passage and stairwell. The room connects with the Great Hall and the Great Watching Chamber. Servants bringing food up from the kitchens would have come up the stairs here and waited for their que to bring the food into the Great Hall or Watching Chamber.
During the extensive renovations, this room was reworked, with old doorways that had been blocked opened. New railing following Tudor and Gothic design, was installed. You can see it to the right and below. The staircase, on the other hand, is original to the room. It leads to service rooms and storage below.
The Tudors were great hunters, as most royals and nobility of the 16th century were. This chamber displays many hunting trophies from over the years. Unlike those displayed in the Great Hall (which are Jacobean wood carved), these are real. They were originally hung in the Queen's Gallery in Tudor times, but when it was destroyed to make way for William and Mary's new palace, the horns were taken down and stored at the bottom of the stairs in this chamber. They were later discovered and re-hung here.
The Pages' Chamber was used by the King's pages as a dinning and resting room. During the renovations of the palace, Georgian paneling was removed to reveal the white plaster walls as they would have looked in Tudor times. 16th century furniture was also installed in the room to offer visitors an idea of what the room may have looked like.
From above:
"The Pages of the King's Chamber to have chamber assigned unto them in the court
Such is ordained in the intent that the King's Chamber be repaired, made clean, and good order of service and attendance used
Item the pages should daily arise at seven of the clock, making the fire"
Return to Hampton Court Interactive Photo Tour Main Page
Return to Tudor Places Main Page