Friday Fundays: Historic Royal Palaces.
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there Earthlings, Alternatives and Trollers. Put down that mouse and
lend an ear. Welcome to The Bandersnatch blog where we talk weird,
wacky and wondrous. I'm Mama Ogre and I have no idea what I'm doing.
Random
blog day boo yah. As you should know Fridays is random blog day were
we talk anything and everything and pretty much run with it. Today's
blog is on The Historic Royal Palaces charity and the six palaces
they look after.
Historic
Royal Palaces is an independent charity that looks after the Tower of
London, Hampton Court Palace, the Banqueting House, Kensington
Palace, Kew Palace and Hillsborough Castle.
Our
aim is to help everyone explore the story of how monarchs and people
have shaped society, in some of the greatest palaces ever built.
We
raise all our own funds and depend on the support of our visitors,
members, donors, sponsors and volunteers.
- Historic Royal Palaces website.
Historic
Royal Palaces was originally set up in 1989 as an executive agency of
the Department of the Environment. In 1998 it became an independent
charity, which is contracted by the Secretary of State for Culture,
Media and Sport
to
manage the palaces on behalf of the Queen. It receives no funding
from the Government or the Crown, depending on the support of
visitors, members, donors, volunteers and sponsors.
4.25
million people visited the palaces in the 2014–15 financial year.
Occupied
royal palaces, such as Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, are
maintained by the Royal Household Property Section, and some are open
to the public.
The
organisation is jointly curated by Lucy Worsley and Tracy Borman.
-
Historic Royal Palace Wiki
I
believe that the Castles, Buildings and Palaces funded by the
Historic Royal Palaces are highly recognisable as British staples,
especially within the Tourist, Historian and general Public sectors.
I highly recommend visiting these places as and when possible, each
building is unique in their own way and you can learn so much from
them. If you do go I also recommend either donating at each site to
the Historic Royal Palaces, Donating via their website (Down in the
Website Bibliography) Or buy the membership package -Valid up to a year- (in an
Individual, a joint or two family bundles in a variety of prices –
again via the website down in the Website Bibliography) which gives
you access to the Castles, Buildings and Palaces, unlimited
adventures at the palaces, Buildings and castles, 10% off in their
shops, cafes and restaurants and entering Kew Gardens (attached to
Kew Palace), a programme of exclusive events and a free subscription
to the members magazine Inside story for up to a year.
The
Tower
of London,
officially Her
Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London,
is a historic castle located on the north bank of the River Thames in
Central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets,
which is separated from the eastern edge of the square mile of the
City of London by the open space known as Tower Hill. It was founded
towards the end of 1066 as part of the Norman conquest of England.
The White tower, which gives the entire castle its name, was built by
William the Conqueror in 1078 and was a resented symbol of
oppression, inflicted upon London by the new ruling elite. The castle
was used as a prison from 1100 (Ranulf Flanbard) until 1952 (The
Krays), although that was not its primary purpose. A grand palace
early in its history, it served as a royal residence. As a whole, the
Tower is a complex of several buildings set within two concentric
rings of defensive walls and a moat. There were several phases of
expansion, mainly under kings Richard 1st,
Henry 3rd
and Edward 1stin
the 12th and 13th centuries. The general layout established by the
late 13th century remains despite later activity on the site.
The
Tower of London has played a prominent role in English history. It
was besieged several times, and controlling it has been important to
controlling the country. The Tower has served variously as an
armoury, a treasury, a menagerie, the home of the Royal Mint, a
public record office and the home of the Crown Jewels of England.
From the early 14th century until the reign of Charles 2nd,
a procession would be led from the Tower to Westminster Abbey on the
coronation of a monarch. In the absence of the monarch, the Constable
of the Tower is in charge of the castle. This was a powerful and
trusted position in the medieval period. In the late 15th century,
the castle was the prison of the princes in the tower. Under the
Tudors, the Tower became used less as a royal residence, and despite
attempts to refortify and repair the castle, its defences lagged
behind developments to deal with artillery.
The
peak period of the castle's use as a prison was the 16th and 17th
centuries, when many figures who had fallen into disgrace, such as
Elizabeth 1st
before she became queen, Sir Walter Raleigh, and Elizabeth
Throckmorton, were held within its walls. This use has led to the
phrase "sent
to the Tower".
Despite its enduring reputation as a place of torture and death,
popularised by 16th-century religious propagandists and 19th-century
writers, only seven people were executed within the Tower before the
World Wars of the 20th century. Executions were more commonly held on
the notorious Tower Hill to the north of the castle, with 112
occurring there over a 400-year period. In the latter half of the
19th century, institutions such as the Royal Mint moved out of the
castle to other locations, leaving many buildings empty. Anthony
Salvin and John Taylor took the opportunity to restore the Tower to
what was felt to be its medieval appearance, clearing out many of the
vacant post-medieval structures. In the First and Second World Wars,
the Tower was again used as a prison and witnessed the executions of
12 men for espionage. After the Second World War, damage caused
during the Blitz was repaired, and the castle reopened to the public.
Today, the Tower of London is one of the country's most popular
tourist attractions. Under the ceremonial charge of the Constable of
the Tower, and operated by the resident Governor of the Tower of
London and Keeper of the Royal Jewel house, the property is cared for
by the charity Historical Royal Palaces
and
is protected as a World Heritage site
- Tower of London Wiki.
I
have gone to the Tower of London several times in my life. I have
already posted a blog about the Tower of London and my opinion on it
on a previous Friday Funday (01/11/2019) please go read, share and
comment on that blog.
Hampton
Court Palace is
a royal palace in the borough of Richmond upon Thames, 12 miles (19.3
kilometres) south west and upstream of Central London on the River
Thames, Building of the palace began in 1515 for Cardinal Thomas
Wolsey, a favourite of King Henry 8th.
In 1529, as Wolsey fell from favour, the cardinal gave the palace to
the King to check his disgrace; Henry VIII later enlarged it. Along
with St James' Palace, it is one of only two surviving palaces out of
the many the King owned. The palace is currently in the possession of
Queen Elizabeth 2nd
and the Crown.
In
the following century, King William 3rd's
massive rebuilding and expansion work, which was intended to rival
the Palace of Versailles, destroyed much of the Tudor palace.
His
work ceased in 1694, leaving the palace in two distinct contrasting
architectural styles, domestic Tudor and Baroque. While the palace's
styles are an accident of fate, a unity exists due to the use of pink
bricks and a symmetrical, if vague, balancing of successive low
wings. King George 2nd
was the last monarch to reside in the palace.
Today,
the palace is open to the public and a major tourist attraction,
easily reached by train from Waterloo station in central London and
served by Hampton Court railway station in East Molesey, in Transport
for London's Zone 6. In addition, London Buses routes 111,
216, 411 and R68 stop outside the palace gates. The structure and
grounds are cared for by an independent charity, Historic Royal
Palaces, which receives no funding from the Government or the Crown.
In
addition, the palace displays many works of art from the Royal
Collection.
Apart
from the Palace itself and its gardens, other points of interest for
visitors include the Celebrated Maze, the historic Royal Tennis
court, and the huge grape vine, the largest in the world as of 2005.
The Palace's Home Park is the site of the annual Hampton court palace
festival and Hampton Court palace flower show.
- Hampton Court Wiki
As
of this Blog post I have yet to go to Hampton Court palace but plan
to in the next two/three months so please keep a look out for that
particular blog and the accompanying video.
Kensington
Palace
is a royal residence set in Kensington Gardens in the Royal Borough
of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It has been a residence
of the the British Royal Family since the 17th
century, and is currently the official London residence of the Duke
and Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack
Brooksbank, The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke and duchess
of Kent and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent.
Today,
the State Rooms are open to the public and managed by the independent
charity Historic Royal Palaces, a non-profit organisation that does
not receive public funds.
The
offices and private accommodation areas of the Palace remain the
responsibility of the Royal Household and are maintained by the Royal
Household Property Section. The palace also displays many paintings
and other objects from the Royal Collection.
- Kensington Palace Wiki
As
of this Blog I have yet to go to Kensington Palace but I have gone
past it once or twice and plan to go and see it within the next two
to three months.
The
Banqueting
House, Whitehall,
is the grandest and best known survivor of the architectural genre of
Banqueting House. It is the only remaining component of the Palace of
Whitehall, the residence of English monarchs from 1530 to 1698. The
building is important in the history of English architecture as the
first structure to be completed in the neo-classical style, which was
to transform English architecture.
Begun
in 1619 and designed by Inigo Jones in a style influenced by Andrea
Palladio the Banqueting House was completed in 1622 at a cost of
£15,618,
27 years before King Charles 1 of England was beheaded on a scaffold
in front of it in January 1649. The building was controversially
re-faced in Portland Stone in the 19th century, though the details of
the original façade were faithfully preserved. Today, the Banqueting
House is a national monument, open to the public and preserved as a
Grade 1 Listed building. It is cared for by an independent
charity—Historic Royal Palaces—which receives no funding from the
British Government or the Crown.
- Banqueting House, Whitehall Wiki.
As
of this Blog I have yet to go to Banqueting house, Whitehall but I
have gone past it on several different occasions due to heading
elsewhere with other people in attendance.
Kew
Palace is
a British royal palace in Kew Gardens on the banks of the River
Thames up river from London. Originally a large complex, few elements
of it survive. Dating to 1631 but built atop the undercroft of an
earlier building, the main survivor is known as the Dutch House. Its
royal occupation lasted from around 1728 until 1818, with a final
short-lived occupation in 1844. The Dutch House is Grade 1 Listed,
and open to visitors. It is cared for by an independent
charity,Historic Royal Palaces, which receives no funding from the
Government or the Crown. Alongside the Dutch House is a part of its
18th-century service wing, whilst nearby are a former housekeeper's
cottage, brewhouse and kitchen block – most of these buildings are
private, though the kitchens are open to the public. These kitchens
and Queen Charlotte's Cottage are also run by Historic Royal Palaces.
- Kew Palace wiki
Again
as of the posting of this blog I have not gone into Kew Palace. But I
will be planning to within the new year with some others and will
blog about it.
Hillsborough
Castle is
an official government residence in Northern Ireland. It is the
residence of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland,
and
the official residence in Northern Ireland of Queen Elizabeth II and
other members of the British royal family when they visit the region,
as well as a guest house for prominent international visitors.
From
1924 until the post's abolition in 1973, it was the Official
residence of the Governor of Northern Ireland.
Since
April 2014, it has been managed by Historic Royal Palaces, and is
open to the public on certain dates.
-
Hillsborough Castle wiki
As
of the posting of this Blog I have never gone to Ireland let alone
Hillsborough castle. I plan to go one day in the future just to see
it and both blog about it and post a video on Youtube.
WEBSITE
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
And
there you have it, we'll be leaving this here for today. Please be
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IS THE BANDERSNATCH, I'M MAMA OGRE AND REMEMBER STAY WEIRD, STAY
WACKY, STAY WONDEROUS AND I'LL SEE YOU SOON...
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