A Visit to Hampton Court - The Field of Cloth of Gold

 It's been a long time, but at last I was able to to visit Hampton Court again.  I have visited the palace many times, and one of the things that keeps me going back, as with the Tower of London, are the changing exhibitions.  In 2020, the exhibition was to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Field of Cloth of Gold, the event commemorating  the meeting between Henry VIII and Francis 1st organised by Cardinal Wolsey.  Obviously, it was unable to take place last year and has opened this year.  Tickets for the palace now have to be bought online and the palace has taken every measure to safeguard the public.  The exhibition is well worth seeing and some of the exhibits are amazing.  There's a link on the palace website to the exhibition page - Field of Cloth of Gold with a short video of some of the exhibits.   The official painting of the event was commissioned by Henry VIII later in his reign, as you can see by his portrayal.  There is so much detail in the painting and it tells the story of the preparation, the people who attended and the events that took place.   Every time I look at it, I'm fascinated and find something new.

The painting is always on show at Hampton Court (unless it is lent to other exhibitions).  The wine fountain is replicated at Hampton Court.  For me, the highlight was to actually see 'Henry VIII's hat'.   I've seen it many times on television, but never actually on show.  Just standing there thinking 'this has been on Henry VIII's head' gave me goosebumps!  Other highlights for me were the tools on loan from the Mary Rose exhibition, and the elaborate robes worn by Cardinal Wolsey.

The exhibition runs until September.   If you can't make it, check out the video on the Hampton Court website.