Our son took us out for the day to Hampton Court Palace and Gardens. We had a wonderful time, just so much to take in: flower gardens, riverside, maze and the amazing palace. We did not go into the palace as it was a lovely summer’s day and there was so much to see in the gardens.

Hampton Court Palace has not been inhabited by the Royal Family since the 18th Century. It is located in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, Greater London. Our son drove us there and we had no problem parking inside the grounds.

Henry VIII was a keen and talented tennis player and you can visit the Royal Tennis Court where he used to play, quite fascinating!

Most visitors will come to see the beautiful gardens that run down to the River Thames, with lovely fountains and colourful flower displays. I particularly enjoyed the Rose Garden, Great Fountain Garden, Lower Orangery Exotics Garden and the Pond Gardens. One of the highlights of our visit was to see the Great Vine, the largest grape vine in the world, which was planted by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown in 1769! This vine still produces sweet grapes which are sold in the palace shops.

The historic Hampton Court Palace building itself is a marvellous sight. I took many photos. We enjoyed ourselves very much and ended this great day out at a lovely old style pub for a drink and some food. I love Richmond, so quintessentially English.