Insights and behind the scenes from our palaces
A Model of Queenship: Lady Elizabeth's Summer with Katherine Parr
20 September 2024
Tracy Borman travels back to 1544, when Elizabeth spent a happy summer at Hampton Court Palace watching her beloved stepmother, Katherine Parr act as Regent. This visit would have an enduring impact on the young princess.
Hampton Court's worst enemy: how we deal with the mealybug
21 October 2019
At Hampton Court we look after 60 acres of formal gardens and hundreds of thousands of plants, making these mealybug pests some of our worst enemies.
Works of art on paper: a few stories behind the images
01 October 2019
With HRP’s collection of works of art on paper, people usually think that our collection is mostly made up of views of the palaces and fusty portraits of Kings and Queens, and often, that is largely what it is. But the truth about many objects is that even if they are quite mundane in themselves, it is the stories behind the image which makes these items so fascinating.
A Real Royal Visit: Princess Mary at Hillsborough Castle, 1928
20 September 2019
Princess Mary was the only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary, and visited Hillsborough Castle as a royal guest in 1928. Beatrice Meecham from the Curators team explores this important royal visit.
Up close with the finials: Secrets of a State Bed
13 September 2019
Out of the 41 textile components of the state bed, the first to be conserved were the finials. Rosie Chamberlin and Charlotte Gamper, two of our textile conservation team, worked together to conserve the four urn-shaped ornamental features that sit at the corners of the bed tester.
A tour of Kew's Kitchen Garden
10 September 2019
Like Kew Palace and the Royal Kitchens, the Kitchen Garden is open seasonally to visitors, from April to October. But work in the garden continues all year round. Let's take a tour...
Displaying Queen Mary II's Exoticks Collection
28 August 2019
You may well have heard of Queen Mary II's Exoticks Collection or seen the plants in the gardens or in the glasshouse nurseries at Hampton Court. If you haven't, here is a brief description so you'll know what to look out for on your next visit.
Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha: Monarchy's moderniser
26 August 2019
On the 200th birthday of Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Professor John R Davis argues that Albert's influence helped Queen Victoria rescue the British Monarchy.
Renewable energy meets conservation: the Hydro House at Hillsborough
19 August 2019
To the very north of the park at Hillsborough Castle and Gardens, for the adventurous visitor prepared to explore the Perimeter Walk, is the Hydro House. Historic Royal Palaces restored and re-commissioned the Hydro House in 2017 and it now produces enough electricity to continuously power 100 mobile phones!
Queen Caroline's bed undergoes conservation: Secrets of a state bed
15 August 2019
As supervisor of the furnishing conservation team at Historic Royal Palaces, I lead a team of four conservators over five years to conserve one of our tallest beds, Queen Caroline's state bed. The bed is part of the Royal Collection, and can usually be found on display at Hampton Court Palace.