Hampton Court: A Social and Architectural History [Hardcover]

Dr. Simon Thurley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 10, 2004 | Series: The Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art

Hampton Court - probably Britain's most important secular historic building complex - is a fascinating collection of buildings, gardens and parks spanning seven hundred years of history. A centre of court life and politics from the late 15th to the middle of the 18th century, a place of architectural innovation, the site of the most ambitious formal gardens ever built in Britain, Hampton Court is still, in many respects, a mystery both to the historian and to the interested visitor. This is a history of Hampton Court and of its gardens and parks, revealing the full complexity of its remarkable building history and illuminating the interplay of court life, politics and architecture. The history of the building is taken right up to the beginning of the 21st century. The 20th-century story of Hampton Court is one of conservation and of changing attitudes towards opening up the complex to the public. It covers everything from the agonizing discussions as to whether to build public lavatories to an account of the private enterprise that caused an octogenarian to make a personal fortune out of opening the maze to the public. It includes also the story of the terrible fire of 1986 and its aftermath. Social history and architectural history sit side by side in this account. New and important attributions are made to the architects Hugh May, Nicholas Hawksmoor, William Talman, Colen Campbell and Edward Blore, amongst others. Moreover, the palace and its setting are placed in their European context and their long-term architectural significance is gauged. The book is illustrated with original paintings, prints and drawings, and a specially commissioned suite of plans and reconstructions reveal the evolving form of the buildings.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“With the help of lavish illustrations and reconstructions, Thurley lays bare the history of the palace. . . . Simon Thurley’s account is unlikely to be superseded.”—Giles Worsley, Daily Telegraph (London)

(Giles Worsley Daily Telegraph )

From the Publisher

Published for the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art. Also available by Simon Thurley: Whitehall Palace & The Royal Palaces of Tudor England.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Paul Mellon Centre BA (March 10, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300102232
• ISBN-13: 978-0300102239
• Product Dimensions: 12.4 x 10 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,216,266 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a visual treat, January 31, 2007

By 

Shemogue (New Brunswick) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hampton Court: A Social and Architectural History (Hardcover)

I have to admit a weakness for coffee-table books about palaces, stately homes etc, but this sumptuous, oversize volume is among the better ones of the genre. It is a detailed history of Hampton Court Palace - its origins, construction, additions, renovations, decoration and gardens, but also it touches on the lives and motivations of its people - builders and architects, kings and princes, bureaucrats and functionaries, tenants and visitors.

Richly illustrated with floor plans, drawings, paintings, prints, portraits, and photographs, this account of Hampton Court brings the story of the famous palace up to the 21st century.

When I last visited Hampton Court a quarter century ago, both house and gardens were looking decidedly shabby and, apparently, it got much worse before it got better. Tourists were passing it up in droves. Scandalous mismanagement, including a 3 million pound contractor fraud, dismantled fire detectors and gateways too narrow for fire engines, led up to a disastrous fire in 1986 and resulted in 2 deaths.

Although this is a serious work, one (unintentionally?) hilarious episode described in the book is the comic-opera visit to view the fire damage by the then Secretary of State for the Environment (& the man ultimately responsible for Hampton Court), Nicolas Ridley. Ridley, a chain smoker, his wife who was claustrophobic and ten other dignitaries were descending in the lift when it jammed between floors; the emergency manual door-opening device failed to function; the elevator maintenance man could not be located. Two hours later the Fire Brigade forced the doors open with a hydraulic jack. Heads rolled afterward - if only metaphorically.

New schemes have since been put in place for restoration and refurbishment, for improved property management and to enhance the attractions of the historic old palace for new generations of visitors.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars TUDOR MEETS STUART, March 18, 2006

By 

Shannon Deason (Houston) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hampton Court: A Social and Architectural History (Hardcover)

Britain does not possess a Versailles or a Caserta, but Hampton Court is about the close as it gets. Hampton Court is really two palaces, one built for Cardinal Wolsey, stolen by the gluttonous Henry VIII and finished in magnificent style by Sir Christopher Wren. Its history is really more interesting than the building itself. Hampton Court, though spectacular in many ways, will make nobody forget Fountainbleu or the Lourve. This book has wonderful images and the text is sholarly and enlightening. I highly recommend this book to anyone with any interest in British history, or storied structures.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Historical and Architectural Reference!, May 14, 2008

By 

LUISE PERENNE "Luise of the Phoenix" (FOUNTAIN VALLEY, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hampton Court: A Social and Architectural History (Hardcover)

As a source for factual information in an historiacl context, I highly recommend this book. In researching the Elizabethan era, I found the information most helpful in reaching a greater understanding of Elizabeth Tudor and her times.
The excellent combination of photographs and period illustrations in the book help in drawing/writing a clearer picture of the place where so much vital history took place.