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The Historic Royal Palaces' Press Office

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The Historic Royal Palaces' Press Office promises to be a very special, particularly year for Historic Royal Palaces 2015 for Hampton Court Palace, which will Welcome to the be celebrating its 500th birthday. Cardinal Wolsey, King Henry VIII’s trusted advisor, began work on the building Historic Royal Palaces’ in 1515. As Wolsey fell from grace, Hampton Court press office became the Tudor monarch’s pleasure palace and 500 years later, the palace retains the magnificence and splendour of its royal past. In 2015, Hampton Court Palace will host a year of celebrations offering istoric Facebook pages and tweeting visitors the chance to explore 500 years of history in a single day. To 1000 years of history. celebrate the 500th birthday, the palace will be specially decorated and Royal costumed interpreters will bring Hampton Court to life, involving visitors e want to make sure in the gossip and intrigue of the court. Spectacular events will take place Palaces that you know about throughout the year, offering visitors the chance to travel back sessions in time in is the W Tudor cookery everything we have planned. with live performances, music, storytelling and family trails, alongside independent perennial favourites such as jousting and , a We know that you are Henry VIII’s kitchens. At Easter, a specially commissioned filmMagic projected Garden charity that immersed in deadlines and onto the palace façade will tell the story of how the iconic building has looks after working under pressure, so this changed over the past five centuries. In the summer, the the Tower new adventure playground inspired by heraldry and featuring ‘royal guide is aimed at helping you get beasts’ including lions, dragons and unicorns will open for children of all of London, Hampton Court the most out of us. ages. Even Henry VIII’s wine fountain (faithfully recreated) will be flowing Palace, the Banqueting House, for the occasion! Kensington Palace, Kew ind out who you can interview At our other palaces, visitors will be able to enjoy a range of special Palace and Hillsborough Fabout our exciting upcoming exhibitions, events and in activities. Northern Guided Ireland, tours will be of availableour newest throughout property, the projects, how to organise a press Hillsborough Castle Castle. Our aim is to help , summer, as work continues towards our long-term vision ‘Tudors to onopen Tour’ up this everyone explore the story visit and how we facilitate fascinating royal residence for everyone to enjoy. We will also be taking of how monarchs and people filming and photography. the palaces ‘on the road’ for the very first time, with If you’re looking for a story or a fun and immersive family experience, heading to Tatton Park in have shaped society, in some Cheshire in May. of the greatest palaces ever inspiration check out our plans for the year ahead! We look forward to welcoming you to one (or more) built. That’s where we of the palaces this year! come in… he press office handles Tall media enquiries related Get in touch! to the palaces, from issuing Call the Press Office on news stories and photographs of +44 (0)203 166 6166 or email [email protected]. our exhibitions to facilitating We even tweet at Michael Day documentaries and feature films @HRP_PressOffice (including Pirates of the Chief Executive, Caribbean!), manning our Historic Royal Palaces 3 500th year, we will be bringing the epic sweep of its history to life, offering visitors Hampton Court Palace’s the chance to experience 500 years of history in one day, and celebrating the th survival of this magnificent building. Programme 500 birthday oin us as we celebrate our 500th year with an exciting series of displays, special events, and activities for all the family. The palace will be ready for a big celebration, and the famous wine fountain will flow once more, as we offer up a toast to 500 years of Hampton Court In the Tudor State Apartments, a digital from Easter. tapestry – inspired by the Great Hall’s Explore 500 years of history in a day with magnificent Abraham tapestries – will our best ever programme of immersive live explore the ‘warp and weft’ of Hampton performance: from Easter, the palace will Court Palace’s history. be peopled with Kings, Queens and Over the May Bank Holiday weekend, a courtiers, bringing Hampton Court’s ‘Time Quake’ quest will be held for families, history to life throughout the courtyards inviting visitors to travel back in time and and gardens. Witness Catherine Howard’s meet some of the key characters who attempted flight towards Henry VIII to save have shaped the Hampton Court’s history. herself, stumble upon Charles I and Oliver Specially written for the anniversary year by Cromwell deep in conversation, and see author Damien Dibben, an exciting reward Elizabeth I’s giant porter brought to life in awaits those who complete the journey! the Tudor rooms he once guarded, where his portrait now hangs. The summer will see two large garden parties staged, celebrating a ‘palace of two Our 500th birthday season begins at halves’ and giving visitors the opportunity Easter with spectacular weekend of to explore great moments from Hampton celebrations, culminating in a state of the Court’s past. Bringing the Tudor palace to art 3D film projection onto the palace’s private meetings between Mary I and life, King Henry VIII will put on a show to marks the south façade, and taking a kaleidoscopic Elizabeth I; Elizabeth and her many suitors; impress the ambassadors, with a 500th year journey through the building, re-modelling Charles I and Cromwell. It is the place where magnificent Tudor joust, dancing in the and life of the palace in four ‘movements’. since Cardinal Jane Seymour died, where Charles I was Elizabethan knot garden, and the Tudor 2015 Wolsey began imprisoned, and where William III suffered a Kitchens cooking up a storm. Meanwhile, to build Hampton Court Palace. fatal accident. Shakespeare performed in in a special Baroque themed weekend, the Great Hall; Handel played in the Chapel masques, music and merriment will ring For half a millennium, the palace he Royal, and Jerome K Jerome’s Three Men in out across the palace’s beautiful built to entertain a pleasure loving a Boat got lost in the famous maze. formal gardens. King Henry VIII has stood on the This is a place where history was made - Throughout the year, we’ll be recruiting bank of the Thames: a symbol of a centre of royal life for over 200 years, young people and families to help us create power, prestige and majesty. and a building which is still full of life a ‘new history’ of Hampton Court – in film! today as one of Britain’s most popular and A year of ‘movie making’ activities and The palace has been a witness to the best-loved visitor attractions. A highly workshops will culminate in the creation of honeymoons of Henry VIII, Mary I and skilled team of craftspeople, gardeners, a film by Aardman Productions, telling the Charles II, and the birth and baptism of surveyors, conservators and curators help story of one of Britain’s most famous Henry VIII’s much longed for heir. It has to preserve the building and its contents palaces, using the words of the visitors been the setting for confrontations and for future generations. In this, the palace’s who join us in 2015. 4 5 Tower of Banqueting Kensington Kew London House Palace Palace or over 900 years the Tower of he Banqueting House on nce a countryside retreat for et within the iconic gardens at London has dominated the City Whitehall is the sole surviving King William III and Queen Mary, Kew, step into this tiny dolls of London and is still one of the complete building of Whitehall Kensington Palace was at the house of a palace and F capital’s most prominent Palace, the sovereign’s principal epicentre of royal life in the 17th experience the joys and sorrows landmarks and a world-famous visitor Tresidence from 1530 until the reign of Oand 18th centuries, and played host to the Sof King George III and his family, told attraction. Throughout its long history, the King William III. courts of the late Stuart and Georgian through an engaging soundscape and Tower has served as a royal palace and monarchs. A royal residence for over 300 displays of fascinating personal artefacts. Whitehall Palace was once the splendid fortress, prison and place of execution, an years, with long associations with fashion, Originally built in 1631 for a Flemish Tudor residence of King Henry VIII, the arsenal, royal mint, menagerie and jewel the palace is now home to some of the most merchant, it was first acquired for royal Banqueting House is a later addition to the house. Today, London’s great royal fortress famous treasures in the Royal Ceremonial occupation by King George II who thought palace built by the renowned 17th century is home to some of the most potent Dress Collection, often to be seen on it very suitable as a lodging for his three architect Inigo Jones for King James I to symbols of British history: the Yeoman display in exhibitions within the splendid eldest daughters, Anne, Caroline and hold state occasions including masques, Warders, ravens and Crown Jewels. State Rooms. Amelia. In 2015, join us as we share some of plays and state banquets. Sadly, the the untold stories of the young Georgian Around 1078, William the Conqueror majority of the palace’s buildings were lost The Queen’s State Apartments – amongst princesses who called Kew their home, and began work on a great stone palace with in the devastating fire of 1698 leaving just the oldest rooms in the palace – are home discover some of the accomplishments walls 15 feet thick, known since the the Banqueting House remaining.
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