Hampton Court Palace

Was reading Growing with Plants today and the post was about a trip to The Lyman Estate in MA and he had included pictures of "The Grapery", a greenhouse with 200 year old grape vines which were sourced from the Royal Greenhouses at Hampton Court Palace. My first thought was, Hey what makes Mr. Lyman so special that he can nip off with Royal Grape Cuttings and I can't and the second was, Hey I was there.

Historic Royal Palace - Official Hampton Court Home Page

We visited in January 2005, a quick half hour rail ride from Waterloo Station London. There are a few shops near the train station, which is not far from the Palace. Just over a small bridge over the Thames.

 

The Great Vine in the greenhouse at Hampton Court Palace. This page discusses the extensive work required to keep the vine, planted in 1768, alive and producing.

 

I can't believe those 2 hooligans just knocked over the plants and kept on walking. I was going to say something, but was busy poaching some Royal Grape Vine cuttings.

 

A Sunny Winter's day in London.

 

The gardens were very nice and well maintained. There was not much in bloom, so a return trip is warranted. The trip is worth it just to see the interior of the Palace, don't miss the kitchens or the Great Hall. Mr. Mattus also had photos of the Lyman's greenhouses surrounded by snow, which prompted the following. One of my family's greenhouses (#6 for those in the know)

 

If you want to be in the know, you can look here. I wonder what poor cog had to shovel all that snow away.