|
|
|
|
from Favorite Haunts Travel Guide Book, Fall 2001
The Hauntings at London’s Hampton Court Palace By Janna Graber If walls could talk, the bricks at Hampton Court Palace would have many juicy tales to tell. They would speak of affairs, uninterested wives, jealous husbands and treacherous consequences. Once home to a long line of royals -- including Henry VIII -- the enormous structure and grounds are fodder for many ghostly tales. “Some people say that Hampton Court is the most haunted place in Britain,” says Ian Franklin, a state apartment warder at the palace. Franklin should know. For the past four years, he has recorded the hauntings at Hampton Court. He compares each story with those of the past, and then looks for trends and consistencies. Some accounts are never released to the public. “That way,” Franklin explains, “we can test stories out, and see if they are repeated.” After hearing this, I’m anxious to see the palace. Although I’ve heard the tragic stories of the wives that Henry VIII put to death, being here where they lived makes the past seem very real. I can’t wait to hear more about these women, who are now the castle’s most-infamous ghosts. Hampton Court’s costumed guides, who are knowledgeable historians, offer lantern-lit tours through several rooms. The idea of walking through a haunted castle in the dark sounds fun, so I grab a lantern and follow along. Our first stop is Base Court, a vast square of dark green grass surrounded by tremendously high brick walls. I can see a light mist on the ground, and the smell of damp earth fills the air. The courtyard is stunning – and intimidating. The royals who called Hampton Court home wanted their enemies to feel humbled by their strength, and that imposing strategy still works today. Though the first structures were built in 1236, it wasn’t until the 1550’s that Henry VIII turned the palace into the colossal behemoth that it is now – boasting over a thousand rooms (80 of which are open to visitors) and 60 acres of gardens. After the courtyard, we head to the Tudor kitchens, which are filled with wooden tables and odd-looking cookware and cutlery. Costumed interpreters are recreating a 16th century kitchen by cooking strange foods from that time period. Though they are no doubt creating culinary masterpieces, the boar’s head on the table does not look appetizing. Although a warm fire roars in the fireplace, the room is bone-chilling damp. I shiver even more as our guide tells of ghostly activities in the kitchens. On several occasions, the staff has reported seeing a gray mist floating just above the floor, with no originating source. In another instance, a custody guard in the nearby wine cellar was confronted by a shadowy male figure wearing a top hat. The guard followed the apparition as it moved into a nearby shop, then watched as the figure disappeared. Such stories are not unusual at Hampton Court, says Franklin. “I’m an informed skeptic,” the watchman states. “This is a royal, educational institution. We don’t want to be sensationalist, but factual. However, the evidence is such that you have to be pretty hard-nosed to doubt that there is something going on here. Things happen that aren’t scientifically explicable.” Our tour turns down several more dark hallways to the King’s State Apartments, which were built for William III. The enormous rooms are filled with priceless tapestries and furnishings. As we marvel over the rooms’ beauty, our guide tells us stories of William III – the king who married his cousin, Mary. Together they ruled as true partners. From the guide’s entertaining account (which is more interesting than any history class I ever took), it seems that William III was a likeable chap. However, I’m beginning to despise the awful Henry VIII. Here, surrounded by the beauty he built at Hampton Court, I am constantly reminded of the terror and pain he caused. The guide ends his story with the tale of a ghostly dog that has been seen on the stairway near the Apartments. There is no explanation for this ghostly hound. Perhaps it is Henry VIII reincarnated, someone offers. “Serves him right,” I mutter, as we make our way down to the Haunted Gallery. This is the room that boasts the most intriguing ghosts. Catherine Howard was the poor soul who became the fifth wife of Henry VIII. The young queen was accused of infidelity in 1540, and arrested and charged with treason. Knowing that a deadly fate awaited her, Catherine broke away from her guards and ran toward her husband’s rooms, hoping to plead for mercy. But before she could reach the king, guards dragged her, kicking and screaming, through what is now called the Haunted Gallery. Terrifying shrieks are still heard occasionally today, and it is said that her apparition appears along the gallery. Another story, from the 1930’s, involved a warder who reported seeing a hand wearing an elaborate ring, knocking on the door that served as the king’s entrance to the nearby chapel. After a sketch of the ring was drawn, the warder was shocked to find that it matched a ring worn by Catherine in a royal painting. Other visitors to the Haunted Gallery have reported “being punched” or touched. Some have felt the room “suddenly grow warm and then cold”. A female warder reported having “her knicker elastic twanged” while standing alone in the room. At least the ghosts here seem to have a sense of humor. Anne Boyleyn was another of Henry VIII’s hapless wives. “Anne was done up for treasonous adultery,” Franklin explains, “including an incestuous relationship with her brother.” While some have questioned those charges, the penalty for such an accusation was beheading. Many have reported seeing Boleyn as a ghostly lady in blue or black. “She’s a versatile ghost,” Franklin says. “She’s said to haunt about 15 properties.” Jane Seymore, the third (and only beloved) wife of Henry VIII, died giving birth to the future Edward VI. She has been seen in the Silver Stick Gallery on the anniversary of Edward’s birth. Edward’s nurse, Sibell Penn, died in 1562. She was buried in Hampton Church, but her tomb was disturbed in 1820, when the church was torn down. Afterward, strange noises were heard coming from the southwest wing of the Palace. Workmen traced the noises to a brick wall, where they found a hidden room containing a spinning wheel just like the one that Sibell had always used. Her ghost has also been spotted in Tennis Court Lane. The list of sightings at Hampton Court seems to go on and on. Ninety years ago, two men in evening dress appeared out of nowhere, walking in the presence of nine ladies. A terrified witness heard the rustle of the women’s dresses, and then watched the figures disappear. Our lantern tour through Hampton Court has been fascinating, and I feel that I could spend days listening to all its history. Unfortunately, it’s growing dark, and time to head to my room for the night. To get a real experience of palace life, two friends and I have decided to spend the night in Hampton Court, a thought that thrills me. After all, it’s not every night you get to sleep in a palace. We watch as the castle personnel close up for the night, all the while joking about the ghost stories we have heard, and wondering if we’ll hear strange sounds in the night. Our British host, Jacque, shows us to our rooms at Fish Court, a lovely part of the palace where two renovated apartments are available for weekly rental. The rooms at Fish Court are all that a royal apartment should be, and I immediately walk to the window and look over the courtyard, imagining life here hundreds of years ago. It is an experience I won’t forget. Morning comes all too quickly, and we all report a quiet night’s sleep. The sun is just shining its first rays of light as we gather our suitcases and clumsily pull them across the ancient cobblestone courtyard in Fish Court. “How do we get out of here?” one of my friends asks. In the darkness of last night, we hadn’t noticed how we had gotten there. A vast array of closed doors confronts us on all four sides of the courtyard. There is no one around. “Let’s try this one,” I suggest, pushing against a massive wooden door. It is locked, as are the other six doors we try. “This one is open,” my friend calls, and we happily wheel our luggage through the door – which promptly locks behind us. Now we are stuck in Base Court. It is deserted, and a low mist is rising from the flagstone and grass. Fog covers the red brick walls across the way. There is a musty smell, and the walls are damp to the touch. “Great!” my friend calls, a note of panic in her voice. “Now how do we get out?” For a few minutes, we wander around the yard, our luggage clicking loudly in the otherwise-silent area. All of the doors are locked. We will have to wait until the palace opens to get out. Then, out of the gray fog, an old man appears out of nowhere. He looks at us with amusement. “Could you please show us the way out?” I ask. Lifting his finger, he points to an outer gate, which we find is unlocked. We thank the man, but he simply nods and walks away. Later that morning, our hosts at Hampton Court ask about our stay there. “We were completely locked in and lost,” I admit, “until this old man came by and showed us the way out.” “What did he look like?” asks Jacque, the woman who had shown us to Fish Court the night before. I dutifully describe the fellow, and then watch as shock comes over her face. “That guy died over seven years ago!” she says. I am taken aback, but then, as I consider her answer, I notice Jacque trying to hide a smile. “Ah, these Brits,” I laugh. “They’re always trying to pull one over on a hapless Yank.” Then again, I think they are joking.* If You Go: A Night at the Palace? For more information on an overnight stay at Fish Court, contact Landmark Trust at www.landmarktrust.com . Reservations should be made a year in advance. For more information on Hampton Court, check out http://www.hrp.org.uk/hcp/indexhcp.htm Entry fees (approximately) Adult - $15.60 Child ages 5-16 - $10.40 Children under 5 - free Senior/Student - $12.00 Best Deal: A family rate of $46.50 includes two adults and three children Lantern-lit tours are each Wednesday and weekend evening at 6, 6:30, 7 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are approximately $30.00. This price includes wine and canapés. Tours are not recommended for children. Hours: March 25 to October 27 October 28 to March 24 END
|