You are at the top of the page

Skip to content or footer

Start of main content

Historic Royal Palaces blog

Insights and behind the scenes from our palaces

Protecting wildlife and their habitat at Home Park

22 November 2024

Park Ranger Eleanor Evetts explores the importance of nature conservation efforts at Home Park at Hampton Court Palace.

Objects Unwrapped: A 1930s Christmas Card

18 December 2015

This is certainly not the most festive card you are likely to receive – the front cover for example shows the seal of the Tower of London along with its postcode! It was sent from Jack Burnard to L.V. Lane, a carpenter and joiner, working at the Tower of London from 1935 to 1939.

Objects Unwrapped: A 13th-Century Condiment dish

15 December 2015

This small green-glazed ceramic dish was found during excavations near the Middle Tower at the Tower of London in the 1930s. It dates from the late 13th century and was possibly made at a pottery workshop in Kingston, just down the river from Hampton Court Palace.

Objects Unwrapped: A Tin-glazed Floor Tile Found at the Tower

10 December 2015

This tin-glazed ceramic floor tile is decorated with a deer in a landscape, surrounded by concentric circles and trefoil motifs in the corners. It would originally have formed part of a decorative floor, consisting of similar style tiles but with different animals and patterns in the centre.

Objects Unwrapped: Grace and Favour Residents

09 December 2015

When George III became king in 1760, he chose not to use Hampton Court Palace as a royal residence. So the palace was turned into a giant lodging house for Grace and Favour residents.

Objects Unwrapped: Tudor Leather Mache Putto from Hampton Court

07 December 2015

Putti are representations of small male children often with wings, found in religious and secular artwork. They were a popular form of decoration during the Renaissance.