About the experience
For this 60-minute promenade experience, you will be given a pair of headphones to wear. You will walk through the palace in small groups of up to 11 people, following a specific route through royal apartments, cloisters and courtyards. Groups set off every 15 minutes and each group is briefed before the start.
The rooms are dimly lit. You will follow a set route. A staff member will accompany each group.
There are two staircases of about 30 steps each, and many uneven surfaces. Please wear comfortable shoes and dress for outdoor weather. There will be two opportunities to sit down.
To help everyone stay in the sound world, we ask that you do not talk during the experience. Also, we strongly recommend to keep your headphones on at all times, except if instructed otherwise by palace staff.
If an issue arises or you should feel the need to leave the experience, please raise your arm and our uniformed palace staff will provide assistance.
No, unfortunately you cannot use your personal headphones for Still The Hours. The headphones we provide, which will be sanitised between performances, are a key part of the technical system.
The use of cameras and mobile devices is not allowed. Photography, audio recording and filming are not permitted. This is because we encourage visitors to immerse themselves in the sound and to ensure that other members of the group are not disturbed. There is an opportunity to take photos at the end.
Ticketing Information
Yes, members get 10% off their Still The Hours tickets and one-week priority booking, starting on Thursday 23 January before standard tickets are released.
For members who require a Mobility Access ticket, please contact members@hrp.org.uk directly to book.
Up to 11 tickets (maximum capacity) can be purchased for one time slot, subject to availability. Please note that tickets for members-only slots can only be used by visitors with an active membership.
This promenade experience is for small groups of 11 people due to the size of the smaller royal spaces. You’ll get a timed ticket. Please arrive promptly for the time stated on your ticket. You will only be admitted to your time slot.
On arrival you will get a group briefing and collect your headphones – see ‘About the experience’.
No - all tickets have to be purchased in advance, due to the limited availability of the event.
Due to the group size, size of spaces and timed nature of the event, we’re unable to accommodate multiple Mobility Access tickets for one slot. Mobility Access tickets are limited each night and sold first come first served.
No, unfortunately, we are unable to offer refunds for tickets. We may be able to exchange your date in advance if availability allows. Please contact info@hrp.org.uk.
Please note tickets do not qualify for a refund if you miss your timeslot.
Complimentary adult companion tickets can be obtained online, and available in advance only due to the limited group sizes.
On the day, you’ll need to show supporting documents (such as an Access Card, Blue Badge, Freedom Pass, DLA letter or PIP letter).
If have you any questions, please email info@hrp.org.uk with your booking reference number. We will be happy to reserve the additional companion tickets for your party at no extra cost if there is availability on your time slot.
How to get here
Yes, parking is available on-site but cannot be pre-booked. It costs £1.60 per hour. Pay for your parking with card only. Please note the parking machines are touch screen and sanitiser dispensers are next to machines. Alternatively, you can use the Gilde app.
There are 9 disabled parking bays available on site. Parking is free for Blue Badge holders. On the rare occasion that these bays are full, disabled visitors are welcome to park in any other space as long as their Blue Badge is displayed.
The café facilities at Hampton Court Palace will be closed during this event. There are pubs and restaurants opposite the palace, in East Molesey.
Due to palace closing hours, you won’t be able to stay onsite, but there are cafes and pubs opposite the palace that provide a warm place to stay.
General FAQs
Timeslots on the day are likely to be fully booked and groups need to start on time. While our team will try their best to accommodate you in another timeslot, group size is strictly limited and access for latecomers cannot be guaranteed.
Tickets do not qualify for a refund if you miss your timeslot.
There is no cloakroom for this event. The promenade experience is partly outdoors and we would therefore encourage visitors to keep their coats on. You can leave a bag in a designated room at your own risk. Please note that the room will not be managed by HRP staff.
Toilet facilities will be open for Still the Hours. There are toilets on arrival and exit. The step-free toilets are in Base Court and can be used ahead of the tour if you arrive early enough.
Please note there are no Changing Places on site at present.
Last exit is 21:45.
The production is suitable for those aged 14+. Under-16s must be accompanied by an adult. The production contains adult themes of death, baby loss and the threat of violence.
Still The Hours has been devised from the stories of over fifty women who lived and worked in the palace between 1541 to 1925 with the help of our curators and historians.
The main characters include well-known figures such as Barbara Villiers, mistress to Charles I in 1662, Anne Stuart just prior to becoming Queen in 1700, suffragette Princess Sophia Duleep Singh in 1925 and Catherine Howard, Queen and fifth wife of Henry VIII, in 1541.
The creative team were keen to ensure the voices of those less well known were also heard, and you will hear the voices and stories of just a few of the hundreds of female staff, residents and ladies of the court. More about their stories will be provided after the experience.
Still The Hours was co-created and composed by artistic team Claire Doherty and James Bulley. Claire is an award-winning director and writer whose bold site-specific projects have sought to create new cross-artform experiences of places and sites over the past twenty years.
James is an artist and composer whose work explores sound, space and the natural world. Using innovative spatial sound to immerse the visitor in a sound environment, the sound design was devised by James Bulley and Simon Hendry. Lighting design was by Emma Chapman and dramaturg was Kaite O'Reilly. The experience was devised with an advisory group of disabled artists and creatives.
Trigger Warnings
The production contains themes of death, baby-loss and threat of violence.
The rooms are only dimly lit, but never pitch-dark. There are no flashing lights or jump scares.
The tour goes through some small spaces. A member of staff accompanies you at all times.
Headphones will be sanitised between performances. For visitors with mysophobia, a sealed bag with a pair of sanitised headphones can be provided.
Access
We want your experience of Still The Hours to be as accessible and inclusive as possible. Though limited Mobility Tickets via a step-free route are available, the rest of the route through the historic building features uneven surfaces, pathways made of gravel, cobblestones and flagstones.
We strongly encourage all visitors with access questions to contact Tel: 0333 320 6000 (Monday - Friday, 09:00-14:00) or via email to info@hrp.org.uk to discuss your individual needs and ensure you have the best experience at Still The Hours.
The immersive experience creates a rich sound world via headphones and bespoke sound in the rooms, which is a new way to experience the palace and less reliant on the visual. It has been designed for a broad audience, to be inclusive of visually impaired audiences. We welcome any feedback on your experience.
Depending on the degree of your visual impairment, we recommend that you attend the event with a companion who can help you navigate the tour. Please book your free Companion ticket in advance.
There is no audio-description during the event as this is a sound-based tour. To support your experience, an audio description of the route itself will be available on our website from 1 March 2025, should you wish to familiarise yourself before your visit.
Still The Hours is an immersive sound experience. The headphones can be worn over hearing aids, but depending on individual needs, this experience may not be suitable for all hard of hearing and/or deaf impaired audience members.
Unfortunately, due to lighting conditions along the route, we are not able to provide a BSL interpreter.
Yes, there will be a relaxed performance at on Sunday 30 March where we provide staff support so that audience members have the ability to make noise and move around, leave the group and return.
To book for this slot, please email contact our team on Tel: 0333 320 6000 (Monday - Friday, 09:00-14:00) or via email to info@hrp.org.uk
Trained assistance dogs are allowed inside the palace. This includes medical alert dogs. We are happy to provide water on request. Due to conservation concerns and the nature of items on display, we do not allow emotional support animals to enter the palace.
The experience takes approximately one hour, during which visitors will be standing or walking. There are two staircases on the route of about 30 steps, and two opportunities to sit down for 4-5 minutes.