Ice-skating at Hampton Court

Today we all headed out to nearby Hampton Court Palace where an ice-skating rink was set up for the Christmas season.

After a few turns of the ice rink, we got tickets into the palace and grounds. Hampton Court Palace is where King Henry VIII set up court, and it is now a historical museum. There are real working kitchens with huge hunks of meat roasting, and pies cooking.

We wandered through the Great Hall, reading about Tudor dining etiquette: "Don't shift your buttocks left and right as if to let off some blast. Sit neatly and still".

Henry's Counsel Chamber is set up with projections of all the main players (Cromwell, Cardinal Wolsey etc) holding forth with advice and opinion.

There were also actors in costume roaming around acting out hilarious scenes about a group of players coming to court to entertain Queen Elizabeth. Lots of Shakespearean confusion, cross-dressing and audience participation.Read more