1. View from the King's Old Chamber
2. Bay Window
3. Fire Place
4. Ceiling
5. Windows
The Watching Chamber is one of the most authentic Tudor rooms left at Hampton Court. Henry VIII took Wolsey's orginal room and extended it, creating a large room where the daily functions of court could take place.
Like in the Great Hall, the Tudor wooden paneling and cornice (from which to hang tapestries) were later resotred to show what the chamber originally looked like when Henry VIII occupied it.
The bay window stretches two stories and features beautiful stained class. The stained glass features firgures as well as coats of arms. The entire window was replaced in the 1970's, but follows the original closely.
Above: Close-up of the window
Though this is the original position of the fireplace, the original mantel is lost. The marble mantel presently here was installed during the extensive renovations of the chamber in the 1990's.
The ceiling, though greatly restored, was one of the best preserved Tudor ceilings at the palace. Gilded, the ceiling also features royal symbols such as the Tudor rose and the fleur-de-lis.
The ceiling was made of gilded leather mache which, during the renovations, was taken down. Exact copies of the ceiling, including the detailed roundels (shown to the left) were reproducted and installed.
The windows, with the exception of the two story bay window, occupy the second level of the room. The ground level has paneling which covers it. The windows, like most from the 16th century, have lead diamonded-shaped panels. During the first renovation of the chamber by Henry VIII, all the windows were replaced when the room was extended to include part of Wolsey's cloister.
Watching Chamber Tapestries
For more information on the tapestries (including photos and positioning of the tapestries), go to the Hampton Court Tapestry Page (Coming Soon!)
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