Frequently asked questions about our home educator event at Hampton Court Palace
Bookings will open on Wednesday 3 June.
Our registration desk at the Clore Learning Centre will open to admit visitors from 10am. Your entry timeslot will be on your ticket and booking confirmation email. Please visit the Clore Learning Centre to register and collect wristbands and resources before entering the palace.
Please arrive at the Clore Learning Centre at Hampton Court Palace (what3words is honey.catch.rice). You will collect wristbands (which will give you access to a programme of home educator activities within the palace), printed maps, and resources to support your visit. You may wish to use the bathrooms in the Clore Learning Centre when you arrive.
Your ticket will give you access to Hampton Court Palace on Friday 17 July 2026. To enhance your visit, we have developed a range of activities specifically for home educated families.
Discover history where it happened and learn about the Six Wives of Henry VIII and who they really were beyond their relationship with Henry. Meet some of the Queens and their closest allies, take part in art workshops and discover the Palace they once called home. A provisional activity timetable is available in the Essential Information Pack.
You are also welcome to explore the rest of the palace, including the six main visitor routes (Tudor Kitchens, Henry VIIIs Apartments, William's Apartments, Georgians, Cumberland Art Gallery, Tudor World Exhibition) as well as the Magic Garden and Maze. School visits have been restricted on this date; however, the site will still be open to members of the public.
Prior to your visit, you can explore our website to learn more about the history of Hampton Court Palace. Search our learning resources for games, quizzes, timelines and videos on Hampton Court’s history.
You may also find our access guide and visual story helpful.
We welcome all visitors to Hampton Court Palace and aim to make everyone's day out successful and enjoyable. We are committed to improving access and facilities for disabled visitors.
Hampton Court Palace is a historic building with large amounts of uneven flooring and staircases. Wheelchair access is restricted in some areas. Our accessibility guide provides more detailed information.
On your way around the palace, you will meet our staff and volunteers who will be happy to help support your visit or answer any questions. Our friendly Hosts in red or blue uniforms, or our Volunteers in red sashes, are happy to help you on your visit.
All activities running for home educated families as part of this event are in accessible spaces. Whilst Hampton Court Palace welcomes all visitors, this historic building has places with difficult stairs and passageways where wheelchair access can be limited. There is a staff operated lift to the State Apartments on the first floor. Please speak to a Palace Host if you wish to use it. In case of an evacuation, there are evac chairs and refuge points.
In addition, there are sights and sounds around the site that might trigger those in your group who have sensory issues. This may include sound and music changes throughout the palace buildings, dramatic lighting with darkness and spotlights, and projections and films.
Please get in touch with the learning team hamptoncourtlearning@hrp.org.uk or on 020 3166 6646 (phone opening times vary) with any access needs to allow us to make arrangements to maximise your enjoyment of the day. Access lanyards will be available on request for attendees with disabilities or who are neurodiverse, allowing you to skip queues during the event.
Buggies can be taken into the palace; however, storage facilities are limited so you may have to keep your buggy with you. There is a Buggy Park off Clock Court if you do not wish to take the buggy around with you.
The Family Room is located in the same area as the Buggy Park in Clock Court. This room has soft play equipment and we ask adults to wipe down any toys/equipment after use. Antibacterial wipes are provided in the room
Limited parking is available on site. Car parking is available on a first come, first served basis, with payment required on site. If our on-site car park is full, a nearby off-site car park at Hampton Court Green is available.
Car parking on site is £1.80 per hour, payable by card. Car parking bays fit a standard car only. Parking machines are touch screen; sanitiser dispensers are located next to the machines. Alternatively, you can use the Glide app.
There are 10 disabled parking bays available on site. Parking on site is free for Blue Badge holders.
Further information is available on our Getting Here web page.
You are welcome to feed anywhere on site. However, if you prefer a more secluded location you may want to use the Fountain Court or Barrack Block Lunchrooms, as well as the Family room located in Clock Court.
Toilets and Accessible toilets are available in the following locations:
- Clore Learning Centre
- Base Court toilets
- Fountain Court toilets
- Tiltyard café
Baby changing facilities are available in the following toilets:
• Base Court
• Fountain Court
• Magic Garden
• Clore Learning Centre
Collect your free audio guide tour from the Undercroft shop. Join curators, historians and conservators as they share fascinating stories and hidden secrets of Hampton Court Palace. Explore the Tudor beginnings of the palace with a tour of Henry VIII’s Apartments and Kitchens. Discover William III’s state apartments and the Georgian history of the palace.
Fountain Court and Barrack Block lunchrooms will be open throughout the day as a dedicated breakout space for home educated families. You may wish to eat your lunch in these spaces. They will be quieter than other areas of the palace as they are reserved for home educator families on this date.
If you would like to purchase any food or drinks on the day, the Tiltyard Cafe and Privy Kitchen Cafe will both be open. You are also welcome to picnic in the gardens around the Tiltyard Café, or on the grass at the front of the palace. Please do not eat in the courtyards. There are plenty of bins across the site for litter.
We will be hosting similar events next academic year at the Tower of London, Kensington Palace, and Hampton Court Palace We are finalising details and will share on the Home Educators webpage and on social media in the autumn.