A Level Historians Fascinated By Hampton Court Palace

On Sunday 12^th March the Sixth Form historians had an excellent day trip to Hampton Court Palace, London.

The trip allowed the pupils to focus on the politics and power of the Tudor Court and to assess where power truly lay in Tudor Government. It was fascinating to see with our own eyes the very palace where Wolsey had built up so much of his power under King Henry VIII, to the extent that Wolsey was dubbed the "Alter Rex" (alternate King). Alongside this, the pupils thoroughly enjoyed making the most of the audio guides and accessing the state rooms that Henry had modified upon taking Hampton Court from Wolsey. Indeed, we even saw the apartments Henry had built for Anne Boleyn and him during his prolonged divorce proceedings from Catherine of Aragon. Traces of this relationship between Henry and Anne which had heavy influences upon the reformation could be seen in wood carvings of 'H' and 'A' woven together. After having explored the house and grounds we nipped across the River Thames to enjoy a pizza at Pizza Express before returning to King's. All in all, the trip was incredibly helpful for preparing the historians for their AS and A Level exams next term. An album from the day can be viewed below.

George Beverly - History Teacher