Editing Hampton Court Palace (section)

==History==

=== Medieval ===
What would become Hampton Court Palace was originally a property of the [[Knights Hospitaller|Order of St John of Jerusalem]].<ref name="Dynes, P86" /> It was leased first to John Wode in the mid-15th century, and then to the statesman Sir [[Giles Daubeney, 1st Baron Daubeney|Giles Daubeney]] in 1494.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Thurley |first=Simon |title=Hampton Court Palace: A Social and Architectural History |date=2004 |publisher=Yale University Press |pages=8-9}}</ref> Daubeney expanded the previous structures, and built the Great Kitchens that still survive today<ref>{{Cite book |last=Thurley |first=Simon |title=Hampton Court Palace: A Social and Architectural History |date=2004 |publisher=Yale University Press |pages=12-13}}</ref> (although much altered). After Daubeney's death in 1508, his 14 year-old heir, [[Henry Daubeney, 1st Earl of Bridgewater|Henry Daubeney]], had to wait until 1514 to inherit his father's possessions. A month later, he relinquished his lease, and the Order of St John of Jerusalem re-leased Hampton Court to [[Thomas Wolsey]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Thurley |first=Simon |title=Hampton Court Palace: A Social and Architectural History |publisher=Yale University Press |year=2004 |pages=14-15}}</ref>

=== Tudor times ===
[[File:Hampton Court Key.jpg|thumb|300px|Hampton Court Palace, with marked reference points referred to on this page. '''A''': West Front & Main Entrance; '''B''': Base Court; '''C''': Clock Tower; '''D''': Clock Court, '''E''': Fountain Court; '''F''': East Front; '''G''': South Front; '''H''': Banqueting House; '''J''': Great Hall; '''K''': River Thames; '''L''': Pond Gardens; '''M''': East Gardens; '''O''': Cardinal Wolsey's Rooms; '''P''': Chapel.]]
[[Thomas Wolsey]], [[Archbishop of York]], chief minister to and a favourite of Henry VIII, took over the site of Hampton Court Palace in 1514.<ref name="Summerson, P12">Summerson, p. 12.</ref>  Over the following seven years, Wolsey spent lavishly (200,000 [[Crown (English coin)|crowns]]) to build the finest palace in England at Hampton Court.<ref name="Williams, P52"/> Today, little of Wolsey's building work remains unchanged. The first courtyard, the Base Court,<ref>"Base" in this instance simply means "lower" in the hierarchy of courtyards; it is not topographically lower.</ref> (''B on plan''), was his creation, as was the second, inner gatehouse (''C'') which leads to the Clock Court (''D'') (Wolsey's seal remains visible over the entrance arch of the clock tower<ref name=arch>[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22207 Spelthorne Hundred: Hampton Court Palace: architectural description, ''A History of the County of Middlesex'', Volume 2]: General; Ashford, East Bedfont with Hatton, Feltham, Hampton with Hampton Wick, Hanworth, Laleham, Littleton (1911), pp. 371–379.  Retrieved 21 March 2009.</ref>) which contained his private rooms (''O on plan'').<ref name="Summerson, P12"/> The Base Court contained forty-four lodgings reserved for guests, while the second court (today, Clock Court) contained the very best rooms{{spaced ndash}} the [[state apartments]]{{spaced ndash}} reserved for the king and his family.<ref name="Thurley, P6">Thurley, p. 6.</ref> Henry VIII stayed in the state apartments as Wolsey's guest immediately after their completion in 1525.

[[File:Tudor chimneys on Hampton Court Palace, Middlesex.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Decorative Tudor brick chimneys at Hampton Court Palace]]
In building his palace, Wolsey was attempting to create a [[Renaissance]] cardinal's palace of a rectilinear symmetrical plan with grand apartments on a raised [[piano nobile]], all rendered with classical detailing. The historian [[Jonathan Foyle]] has suggested<ref>{{cite web|author = Foyle, Jonathan | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/tudors/hampton_court_01.shtml |title=Hampton Court: The Lost Palace |publisher= BBC |date= 29 March 2011 |access-date= 12 July 2011| author-link=Jonathan Foyle }}</ref> that it is likely that Wolsey had been inspired by [[Paolo Cortese]]'s ''De Cardinalatu'', a manual for cardinals that included advice on palatial architecture, published in 1510. The architectural historian Sir [[John Summerson]] asserts that the palace shows "the essence of Wolsey{{snd}}the plain English churchman who nevertheless made his sovereign the arbiter of Europe and who built and furnished Hampton Court to show foreign embassies that Henry VIII's chief minister knew how to live as graciously as any cardinal in Rome."<ref name="Summerson, P14">Summerson, p. 14.</ref> Whatever the concepts were, the architecture is an excellent and rare example of a thirty-year era when English architecture was in a harmonious transition from domestic Tudor, strongly influenced by [[perpendicular Gothic]], to the Italian Renaissance classical style. Perpendicular Gothic owed nothing historically to the Renaissance style, yet harmonised well with it.<ref name="Copplestone, P254">Copplestone, p. 254.</ref> This blending of styles was realised by a small group of Italian craftsmen working at the English court in the second and third decades of the sixteenth century. They specialised in the adding of Renaissance ornament to otherwise straightforward Tudor buildings.<ref name="Copplestone, P254" /> It was one of these, [[Giovanni da Maiano]], who was responsible for the set of eight [[relief]] busts of Roman emperors which were set in the Tudor brickwork.<ref>Copplestone, p. 257.</ref>[[File:Thames riverside gate August 2023.jpg|alt=Thames riverside gate, now closed. August 2023.|thumb|Thames riverside gate, now closed. August 2023.]][[File:Hampton Court.jpg|thumb|[[Anne Boleyn]]'s Gate. The Tudor gatehouse and [[astronomical clock]], made for [[Henry VIII]] in 1540 (''C on plan above''). Two of the Renaissance [[bas relief]]s by [[Giovanni da Maiano]] can be seen set into the brickwork.]]
Henry VIII and his courtiers visited Wolsey at Hampton Court in [[masque]] costume in January 1527, disguised as shepherds to play [[mumchance]] and dance.<ref>Richard P. Sylvester and Davis P. Harding, ''Two Earl Tudor Lives: Life and Death of Cardinal Wolsey'' (Yale, 1962), pp. 28–29.</ref> Wolsey was only to enjoy his palace for a few years.<ref name="Summerson, P14"/> In 1529, knowing that his enemies and the King were engineering his downfall, he passed the palace to the King as a gift. Wolsey died in 1530.<ref name="Summerson, P14"/>

Within six months of coming into ownership, the King began his own rebuilding and expansion.<ref name="Thurley, P6"/> Henry VIII's court consisted of over one thousand people. While the King owned over sixty houses and palaces, few of these were large enough to hold the assembled court, and thus one of the first of the King's building works (in order to transform Hampton Court to a principal residence) was to build the vast kitchens. These were quadrupled in size in 1529, enabling the King to provide [[bouche of court]] (free food and drink) for his entire court.<ref>Thurley, p. 8.</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/historyhamptonc04lawgoog|page=[https://archive.org/details/historyhamptonc04lawgoog/page/n212 150]|quote=Bouche of court.|title=The History of Hampton Court Palace|last=Law|first=Ernest Philip Alphonse|date=1890|publisher=George Bell and Sons|language=en}}</ref> The architecture of King Henry's new palace followed the design precedent set by Wolsey: perpendicular Gothic-inspired Tudor with restrained Renaissance ornament. This hybrid architecture was to remain almost unchanged for nearly a century, until [[Inigo Jones]] introduced strong classical influences from Italy to the London palaces of the first Stuart kings.

Between 1532 and 1535 Henry added the Great Hall (the last medieval [[great hall]] built for the English monarchy) and the [[Royal Tennis Court, Hampton Court|Royal Tennis Court]].<ref>This court is still in use for the game of [[real tennis]], an older version different from the present game. It is now the oldest extant real tennis court.</ref> The Great Hall has a carved [[hammerbeam roof]]. During Tudor times, this was the most important room of the palace: here, the King would dine in state seated at a table upon a raised [[dais]].<ref>Summerson, p. 21.</ref> The hall took five years to complete; so impatient was the King for completion that the masons were compelled to work throughout the night by candlelight.<ref name="Williams, P52"/>

The gatehouse to the second, inner court was adorned in 1540 with the [[Hampton Court astronomical clock]], an early example of a pre-[[Copernicus|Copernican]] [[astronomical clock]]. Still functioning, the clock shows the time of day, the phases of the moon, the month, the quarter of the year, the date, the sun and star sign, and [[high water]] at [[London Bridge]].<ref>Thurley, p. 18.</ref> This last item was of great importance to those visiting this Thames-side palace from London, as the preferred method of transport at the time was by barge, and at low water London Bridge created dangerous rapids. This gatehouse is also known today as [[Anne Boleyn]]'s gate, after Henry's second wife. Work was still under way on Anne Boleyn's apartments above the gate when Boleyn was beheaded.<ref>Williams, p. 53.</ref>

[[File:Hearth.jpg|thumb|left|An original Tudor roasting hearth in the Great Kitchens]]During the Tudor period, the palace was the scene of many historic events. In 1537, the King's much desired male heir, the future [[Edward VI]], was born at the palace, and the child's mother, [[Jane Seymour]], died there two weeks later.<ref name="Thurley, p. 9">Thurley, p. 9.</ref> Four years afterwards, whilst attending [[Mass (liturgy)|Mass]] in the palace's chapel, the King was informed of the adultery of his fifth wife, [[Catherine Howard]]. She was then confined to her room for a few days before being sent to [[Syon House]] and then on to the [[Tower of London]]. Legend claims she briefly escaped her guards and ran through the Haunted Gallery to beg Henry for her life but she was recaptured.<ref name="Thurley, P23">Thurley, p. 23.</ref>

King Henry died in January 1547 and was succeeded by his son Edward VI, and then by both his daughters in turn. It was to Hampton Court that Queen [[Mary I of England|Mary I]] (Henry's elder daughter) retreated with King [[Philip II of Spain|Philip]] to spend her honeymoon, after their wedding at [[Winchester]].<ref name="Williams, P52">Williams, p. 52.</ref> Mary chose Hampton Court as the place for the birth of her first child, which turned out to be the first of two [[phantom pregnancies]]. Mary had initially wanted to give birth at [[Windsor Castle]] as it was a more secure location, and she was still fearful of rebellion. But Hampton Court was considerably larger and could accommodate the entire court and more besides. Mary stayed at the palace awaiting the birth of the "child" for over five months, and only left because of the uninhabitable state of the palace due to the court being kept in the one location for so long. Her court departed for the much smaller [[Oatlands Palace]]. Mary was succeeded by her half-sister, [[Elizabeth I]], and it was Elizabeth who had the eastern (privy) kitchen built; today, this is the palace's public tea room.<ref name="Thurley, p. 9"/>

===Stuarts and early Hanoverians===
[[File:HamptonCurt.jpg|thumb|[[Christopher Wren]]'s south front (''G on plan''), built for [[William III of England|William III]] and [[Mary II]], viewed from the Privy Garden]]
On the death of Elizabeth I in 1603, the Tudor period came to an end. The Queen was succeeded by her first cousin-twice-removed, [[James VI and I|James I]] of the [[House of Stuart]], an event known as the [[Union of the Crowns]].<ref>[[Susan Doran]], ''From Tudor to Stuart: The Regime Change from Elizabeth I to James I'' (Oxford University Press, 2024), pp. 12–14.</ref>

Two entertainments for the Stuart court were staged in the Great Hall in January 1604, ''[[The Masque of Indian and China Knights]]'' and ''[[The Vision of the Twelve Goddesses]]''.<ref>Martin Butler, ''The Stuart Court Masque and Political Culture'' (Cambridge, 2008), p. 63.</ref> On 6 January, Scottish courtiers performed a [[Scottish sword dances|sword dance]] for [[Anne of Denmark]]. Their dance was compared to a Spanish ''[[Matachines|matachin]]''.<ref>Maurice Lee, ''Dudley Carleton to John Chamberlain, 1603–1624'' (Rutgers UP, 1972), pp. 53–54.</ref> Later in 1604, the palace was the site of King James' meeting with representatives of the English [[Puritans]], known as the [[Hampton Court Conference]]; while an agreement with the Puritans was not reached, the meeting led to James's commissioning of the [[King James Version]] of the [[Bible]].<ref name="Thurley, P10">Thurley, p. 10.</ref>

King James was succeeded in 1625 by his son, the ill-fated [[Charles I of England|Charles I]]. Hampton Court was to become both his palace and his prison.<ref name="Thurley, P10"/> It was also the setting for his honeymoon with his fifteen-year-old bride, [[Henrietta Maria]] in 1625.<ref name="Williams, P52"/> Following King Charles' execution in 1649, the palace became the property of the [[Commonwealth of England|Commonwealth]] presided over by [[Oliver Cromwell]]. Unlike some other former royal properties, the palace escaped relatively unscathed. While the government auctioned much of the contents, the building was ignored.<ref>Thurley, p. 11.</ref>
[[File:British School, 17th century - Charles II (^) leaving Hampton Court - RCIN 402006 - Royal Collection.jpg|thumb|[[Charles II of England|Charles II]] leaving Hampton Court]]
After the [[English Restoration|Restoration]], King [[Charles II of England|Charles II]] and his successor [[James II of England|James II]] visited Hampton Court but largely preferred to reside elsewhere. By current French court standards, Hampton Court now appeared old-fashioned. It was in 1689, shortly after [[Louis XIV]]'s court had moved permanently to [[Palace of Versailles|Versailles]], that the palace's antiquated state was addressed. England had joint monarchs, [[William III of England|William III]] and [[Mary II of England|Mary II]]. Within months of their accession, they embarked on a massive rebuilding project at Hampton Court. The intention was to demolish the Tudor palace a section at a time while replacing it with a huge modern palace in the Baroque style retaining only Henry VIII's Great Hall.<ref name="Summerson, P16">Summerson, p. 16.</ref>

[[File:Hampton Court Palace, Great Hall - Diliff.jpg|thumb|left|The [[hammerbeam roof]] of the Great Hall of Hampton Court Palace]]The country's most eminent architect, Sir [[Christopher Wren]], was called upon to draw the plans, while the master of works was to be [[William Talman (architect)|William Talman]]. The plan was for a vast palace constructed around two courtyards at right angles to each other. Wren's design for a domed palace bore resemblances to the work of [[Jules Hardouin-Mansart]] and [[Louis Le Vau]], both architects employed by Louis XIV at Versailles.<ref name="Summerson, P16" /> It has been suggested, though, that the plans were abandoned because the resemblance to Versailles was too subtle and not strong enough; at this time, it was impossible for any sovereign to visualise a palace that did not emulate Versailles' repetitive Baroque form.<ref>This is the stated opinion of Sir John Summerson. Summerson, p. 19.</ref> However, the resemblances are there: while the façades are not so long as those of Versailles, they have similar, seemingly unstoppable repetitive rhythms beneath a long flat skyline. The monotony is even repeated as the façade turns the corner from the east to the south fronts. However, Hampton Court, unlike Versailles, is given an extra dimension by the contrast between the pink brick and the pale [[Portland stone]] quoins, frames and banding.<ref name="Dynes, P95">Dynes, p. 95.</ref> Further diversion is added by the circular and decorated windows of the second-floor mezzanine. This theme is repeated in the inner Fountain Court, but the rhythm is faster and the windows, unpedimented on the outer façades, are given pointed pediments in the courtyard; this has led the courtyard to be described as "Startling, as of simultaneous exposure to a great many eyes with raised eyebrows."<ref name="Summerson, P19">Summerson, p. 19.</ref>

[[File:Hampton-Court-E.jpg|thumb|The Fountain Court designed by Sir Christopher Wren (''E on plan''): "Startling, as of simultaneous exposure to a great many eyes with raised eyebrows"<ref name="Summerson, P19" />]]
During this work, half the Tudor palace was replaced and Henry VIII's staterooms and private apartments were both lost; the new wings around the Fountain Court contained new state apartments and private rooms, one set for the King and one for the Queen. Each suite of state rooms was accessed by a state staircase. The royal suites were of completely equal value in order to reflect William and Mary's unique status as joint sovereigns.<ref name="Williams, p. 54">Williams, p. 54.</ref> The King's Apartments face south over the Privy Garden, the Queen's east over the Fountain Garden. The suites are linked by a gallery running the length of the east façade, another reference to Versailles, where the King and Queen's apartments are linked by the [[Hall of Mirrors]]. However, at Hampton Court, the linking gallery is of more modest proportions and decoration. The King's staircase was decorated with [[fresco]]s by [[Antonio Verrio]] and delicate ironwork by [[Jean Tijou]].<ref>Dynes, p. 94.</ref> Other artists commissioned to decorate the rooms included [[Grinling Gibbons]], Sir [[James Thornhill]] and [[Jacques Rousseau (painter)|Jacques Rousseau]]; furnishings were designed by [[Daniel Marot]].<ref>The furnishing was discussed by Tessa Murdoch, "The furniture for the King's Apartments: 'Walnuttree' gilding, [[japanning]] and marble", ''Apollo'' '''140''' (August 1994) pp. 55–60.</ref>

After the death of Queen Mary, King William lost interest in the renovations, and work ceased. However, it was in [[Hampton Court Park]] in 1702 that he fell from his horse, later dying from his injuries at [[Kensington Palace]]. He was succeeded by his sister-in-law Queen [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Anne]] who continued the decoration and completion of the state apartments. On Queen Anne's death in 1714 the [[House of Stuart]]'s rule came to an end.

Queen Anne's successor was [[George I of Great Britain|George I]]; he and his son [[George II of Great Britain|George II]] were the last monarchs to reside at Hampton Court.<ref name="Dynes, P90"/> Under George I six rooms were completed in 1717 to the design of [[John Vanbrugh]].<ref name="thurley">Thurley, Simon (2003). ''Hampton Court: A Social and Architectural History''. p. 255.</ref> Under George II and his wife, [[Caroline of Ansbach]], further refurbishment took place, with the architect [[William Kent]] employed to design new furnishings and décor including the Queen's Staircase, (1733)<ref name="sthurley">Thurley, Simon (2003). ''Hampton Court: A Social and Architectural History''. p. 279.</ref> and the Cumberland Suite (1737) for the [[Prince William, Duke of Cumberland|Duke of Cumberland]].<ref name="sthurley"/> Today, the Queen's Private Apartments are open to the public.

===Later use===
Since the reign of King George II, no monarch has resided at Hampton Court. In fact, [[George III]], from the moment of his accession, never set foot in the palace: he associated the state apartments with a humiliating scene when his grandfather, George II, had once struck him following an innocent remark. He did however have the Great Vine planted here in 1763 and had the top two storeys of the Great Gatehouse removed in 1773.<ref name="Williams, p. 54"/>

From the 1760s, the palace was used to house [[grace and favour]] residents. Many of the palace rooms were adapted to be rent-free apartments, with vacant ones allocated by the [[Lord Chamberlain]] to applicants to reward past services rendered to the Crown. From 1862 to his death in 1867, the scientist and pioneer of electricity [[Michael Faraday]] lived here. From the 1960s the number of new residents declined, with the last admitted in the 1980s.<ref name="Grace">{{Cite book|author=Sarah Parker|title=Grace & Favour: The Hampton Court Palace Community 1750–1950|page=126|publisher=Historic Royal Palaces|isbn=1873993552|year=2005}}</ref> However existing residents could continue to live there. In 2005 three remained,<ref>{{cite news|title=Hampton Court attics reveal a lost world|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/mar/24/arts.artsnews|access-date=11 September 2017}}</ref> with none by 2017.

In 1796, the Great Hall was restored and in 1838, during the reign of [[Queen Victoria]], the restoration was completed and the palace opened to the public. The heavy-handed restoration plan at this time reduced the Great Gatehouse (''A''), the palace's principal entrance, by two storeys and removed the lead [[cupola]]s adorning its four towers.<ref>Dynes, p. 91.</ref> Once opened, the palace soon became a major tourist attraction and, by 1881, over ten million visits had been recorded.<ref>{{cite news|title=Story of Hampton Court Palace|work=Historic Royal Palaces|url=https://www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace/history-and-stories/the-story-of-hampton-court-palace|access-date=9 March 2018}}</ref> Visitors arrived both by boat from London and via [[Hampton Court railway station]], opened in February 1849.<ref>{{cite news|title=Horse Power on the Hampton Court Branch by David Turner|work=Molesey History Society|url=http://www.moleseyhistorysociety.org/Horsepower%20on%20the%20Hampton%20Court%20line.pdf|access-date=9 March 2018}}</ref>
[[File:Hampton Court stairs.jpg|thumb|The King's staircase, originally called ''The Great Staircase''. The murals on the walls were painted by [[Antonio Verrio]].]]

On 2 September 1952, the palace was given statutory protection by being [[Grade I listed]].<ref>{{NHLE |num=1193127 |access-date=27 March 2009}}</ref> Other buildings and structures within the grounds are separately Grade I listed, including the early 16th-century tilt yard tower (the only surviving example of the five original towers);<ref>{{NHLE |num=1065440 |access-date=27 March 2009}}</ref> [[Christopher Wren]]'s Lion gate built for Anne and George I;<ref>{{NHLE |num=1065442 |access-date=27 March 2009}}</ref> and the Tudor and 17th-century perimeter walls.<ref>{{NHLE |num=1358066 |access-date=27 March 2009}}</ref>

In 1986, the palace was damaged by a major fire, which spread to the King's Apartments. The fire claimed the life of Lady Daphne Gale, widow of General Sir [[Richard Gale (British Army officer)|Richard Gale]], who resided in a grace and favour apartment. She was in the habit of taking a lighted candle to her bedroom at night, which is thought to have started the fire. The Hampton Court fire led to a new programme of restoration work which was completed in 1990.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-03-31-mn-2067-story.html|title=Henry VIII's Palace Hit by Fatal Blaze : Hampton Court Wing Gutted, 1 Dead, Art Treasures Destroyed|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=31 March 1986|access-date=21 January 2016}}</ref> The [[Royal School of Needlework]] moved to premises within the palace from Princes Gate in [[Kensington]] 1987, and the palace also houses the headquarters of [[Historic Royal Palaces]], a [[charitable foundation]].

===21st century===
The location was used for a performance of ''[[The Six Wives of Henry VIII (album)|The Six Wives of Henry VIII]]'' by rock keyboardist [[Rick Wakeman]] in 2009.

The palace was the venue for the [[Cycling at the 2012 Summer Olympics|Road Cycling Time Trial]] of the [[2012 Summer Olympics]] and temporary structures for the event, including a set of thrones for time trialists in the medal positions, were installed in the grounds.<ref>[http://www.london2012.com/venue/hampton-court-palace London2012.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120530120717/http://www.london2012.com/venue/hampton-court-palace/ |date=30 May 2012 }}.</ref>

In 2015, Hampton Court celebrated the 500th anniversary of the groundbreaking of construction of the palace.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hrp.org.uk/NewsAndMedia/hcpresources/HamptonCourtPalacecelebrates500thanniversaryin2015|title=Hampton Court Palace celebrates its 500th anniversary in 2015|author=Historic Royal Palaces|work=hrp.org.uk|access-date=11 February 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hrp.org.uk/HamptonCourtPalace/WhatsOn/TheParty500yearsofHamptonCourt|title=Historic Royal Palaces|author=Historic Royal Palaces|work=hrp.org.uk|access-date=11 February 2015}}</ref> The celebrations included daily dramatised historical scenes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pastpleasures.co.uk/events/hampton-court-palace-henry-claims-the-palace/|title=Hampton Court Palace – Henry Claims the Palace|work=pastpleasures.co.uk|date=10 February 2015|access-date=11 February 2015|archive-date=2 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171102082624/http://pastpleasures.co.uk/events/hampton-court-palace-henry-claims-the-palace/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The palace's construction began on 12 February 1515.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thisisourtownrichmond.co.uk/hampton-courts-500th-birthday-tiot-talks-exclusively-to-the-head-of-the-palaces-events-planner/02020744|title=Hampton Court's 500th birthday – Exclusive interview with the Palace's events planner – Richmond Upon Thames|work=thisisourtownrichmond.co.uk|access-date=11 February 2015}}</ref>

On 9 February the following year, [[Vincent Nichols]], the Catholic [[archbishop of Westminster]], celebrated [[vespers]] in the Chapel Royal. This was the first Catholic service held at the palace for 450 years, and the first since the [[Elizabethan Religious Settlement]] established [[Protestantism]] as the national denomination.<ref>{{cite news|author=Harriet Sherwood |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/09/hampton-courts-chapel-royal-stages-first-catholic-service-for-450-years |title=Hampton Court's Chapel Royal stages first Catholic service for 450 years |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=9 February 2016 |access-date=10 February 2016}}</ref>