Royal palace and impressive country houses

The history of the palace is associated with the name of Cardinal Thomas Walsey, who acquired the estate in 1514 from the Knights of the Order of the Hospitallers. By 1525 the complex turned into a real palace, and the cardinal presented it to his monarch Henry VIII. Under the rule of Wilhelm the Third, the palace was again reconstructed. The monarch believed that his residence should resemble the Paris Versailles and entrusted the architect Christopher Ren with a grandiose remake of the complex. But until the demise of the ruler, only the south facade was redone.
Modern park Hampton Court is spread over 24 hectares. There is a fountain, exquisite plants, hedges, the channel of the Victorian era, the ancient yew. A famous landmark park complex is the Hampton Court maze.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, many country houses were built here and gardens were laid out. Ham House is one of the most sophisticated and best preserved similar villas. It is built of stone and lined with brick. Construction began in 1610 for Sir Thomas Vavasura, but then the villa was largely rebuilt in 1672-1674 for the Duke of Lauderdale and his wife. The house and garden are located at the Thames River itself, which, when it was spilled 20 years ago, reached almost the gates of the estate.
In 1948, Ham House acquired the National Trust. The house has remained almost unchanged, but the garden has long disappeared. In 1976 he began his careful restoration. The garden was recreated as it was created in the 17th century. There is enough documentary evidence about the former garden: plans, paintings and drawings.

The waiters offer visitors a delicious salad of crabs, roasted lamb and halibut. You can order good pudding, lemon pie and cupcakes here. Order a wonderful pink prosecco, homemade wine or bellini cocktail. The restaurant has a convenient location and beautiful interior. Most customers note that the staff at the Petersham Nurseries Café is helpful.

In 1747, the young Count Walpole acquired a small estate on the banks of the Thames, which began to be rebuilt, in accordance with his own taste and desire. With long interruptions, the construction of the manor house continues until 1770. The estate of Walpole called Strawberry Hill, in his dreams he was a “little gothic castle”.
After the death of Horace unfortunately over the years the original interiors were destroyed and the accumulated wealth sold out. A few years ago home restoration began. What is unique is that the description of the house is documented in great detail in various sources, including the description published by Horace Walpole himself, and in his letters published in 48 volumes. But the restoration costs a lot of money and effort.

The Amphitheater of Claremont Sod is an iconographic depiction of 18th century landscape planning. In 1726, he inspired the poet Alexander Pope to build the Bridge-Manik Theater in Twickenham. Comments of that time indicate that there were fishing evenings and picnics in the cozy interior of the pavilion. There was also a house covered with reeds, and the one that you can see today is a reduced copy. And there was a temple, called the Alley of the Nine Pines.
Nowadays, the entrance is at the base of the hill, although the landscape has been designed so that it can be seen from the castle belvedere. Views from this garden are as important as the garden itself.

The Museum's collection originally grew from the Surrey collections of the Archeological Society, founded in 1854. From the very beginning, the Society collected objects from excavations and private donations, as well as acceptance credits from private individuals.
In 1903, Mr. Fredrik H. Elsley was appointed joint librarian and curator of the collection of the Society of books, manuscripts and artifacts. He was offered an annual fee of £ 5 a year, which by the time of his death in 1944 had risen to £ 25 a year.

Some review from visitor: "I have always enjoyed walking here, from Guildford and through the footpaths to here. It always allows for plentiful and calm views, although the heaving car park is a slight distraction. There is a cafe offering cheap and simple fried fare, plus cheap drinks too. Commonly a place frequented by Londoners escaping the big smoke for the weekend, it usually gets very busy but you can easily walk to a lot of places from there".

Be sure to check out this restaurant if you will be nearby. Rumwong serves Thai dishes. You can try good duck curry, chicken with cashew and pad thai. Many visitors order good beer, rum or wine. From the point of view of customers, the staff here is helpful.

Tomorrow you will visit the estate where King George VI and Queen Elizabeth spent their honeymoon. After you will go to the castle which has not survived a single document with mention of it and it is only known that it was built in 1066. Then you will go to a country house, which was not intended for life, and only antiques were kept in it.