Château de Hampton Court, Former royal palace

With over 500 years of royal history, Hampton Court Palace has something to offer visitors, from the magnificent State Apartments to the domestic reality of the Tudor Kitchens. Costumed guides and audio tours bring the palace to life and provide an insight into how life in the palace would have been in the time of Henry VIII and William III. The Palace also has a programme of special events throughout the year. Hampton Court Palace contains an important part of the largest private collection of art in the world, the Royal Collection, the property of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. This collection, which covers 500 years, is complete and Hampton Court contains much of the most important material from the 16th, 17th and early 18th centuries. Hampton Court Palace has been divided into six routes or tours. The Maze at Hampton Court, the royal palace on the Thames to the west of London, is probably the most famous hedge maze in the world. It was planted as part of the gardens laid out for William of Orange between 1689 and 1695 by George London and Henry Wise. It was described with great wit in Jerome K. Jerome's novel 'Three Men in a Boat.' Hampton Court Maze continues to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Hampton Court Palace, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, south west London