MIDDLEBURGH

Hampton Court

Although I am basically an east end/Essex lad; I also lived in Balham (gateway to the south); Putney; Kingston and Hampton (amongst others)

When I lived in Hampton, we used to put Sunday roast in oven; set timer for about 3pm and walk down the river to the Cromwell Arms opposite Hampton Court. We would partake of a lunchtime pint; some bar nibbles (they had a particularly good selection); read the Sunday papers and occasionally go and ogle the nubile Americans in Hampton Court before going home for lunch. Naturally I had to revisit.

Whilst it is not as grand as the Tower or Windsor or indeed Versailles; Vienna etc it is…. England. You can keep the various Charles’; the puritan aberration Oliver Cromwell; the subsequent reformation and the Germans (one misplaced America – shame on him). England is all about Julius Caesar, Richard the Lionheart;; Magna Carta (the exhibits in the British library are worth seeing) ; Henry VIII ; Elizabeth Tudor and Churchill.

Whilst I got a buzz out of the Palace; Becca was not impressed by

• the kitchens (neither past nor current)
• the maze since it was closed and there was no discount ;
• the carpet beetles - lots of exhibits were off at the conservators being disinfested;

She did however like the daffodils in the garden but was disappointed not to see any royal deer (In truth I had oversold them) I once drove through Bushy Park opposite with my flat mate, who was a senior animal technician in the research labs at Hammersmith hospital,l when we discovered a deer which had been knocked down. He put it in back and took it to a vet.

Posted at 4/26/2005 12:16:00 pm by David Middleburgh   Permalink

|