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CRUISING TO ENGLAND:
VISITING KENSINGTON PALACE by Richard H. Wagner page 3 Modern Royals |
Contents
1. Introduction, The Stuart Era Rooms 2, The Early Georgians and Queen Victoria 3. Modern Royals, Garden, and Practical Information |
In addition to the rooms that have been restored to reflect various periods in Kensington's history, another series of rooms in Kensington Palace is used for exhibits about the modern royals. For example, in the exhibit “Fashion Rules,” the curators showed the relationship between fashion during the second half of the 20th century and gowns and dresses worn by the current Queen, Princess Margret and Princess Diana.
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The Garden The Round Pond seen from the Palace.
When William and Mary purchased
Nottingham House it was on the western edge of Hyde Park, a Deer park
created by Henry VIII. Mary immediately created a garden next to the
house. Feeling that the garden space was too small, Queen Anne
annexed 30 acres of the neighboring park to the grounds of the house.
But that was not enough for Queen Caroline who took another 300
acres. As a result, Kensington Palace today sits in a large park
known as Kensington Gardens. Over the centuries, the park has been beautifully landscaped with water features such as the Round Pond and the Long Water, rows of trees and rolling meadows. In addition, several formal gardens have been created including the Sunken Garden (1908) next to the palace. There are various statues and memorials scattered around the park.
Kensington Gardens is separated from today's Hyde Park by the Western Carriage Drive. However, the two parks blend together to form a giant green space in the heart of London. Practical InformationKensington Palace is open daily except 24-26 December and 26-30 January. There is an admission charge for people 16 and older. Tickets can be purchased at the Palace, by telephone and online.
The nearest underground station to the Palace is High Street Kensington, which can be reached via the Circle Line or the District Line. Inasmuch as the Palace is in the park, some walking is required. There is a Cafe with indoor and outdoor seating at the Palace. The Orangery also houses a restaurant. Historic Royal Palaces operates Kensington Palace. For more information, visit the Historic Royal Palaces website |
Above: The Sunken Garden was created in 1908.
Below: The Italian Garden in Kensington Gardens. 
The Cafe.
Click here to return to page one of this article
For more about cruising to England: Click here for an index of our articles on travel to England Click here for our page on the City of London Click here for our article on the Tower of London Click here for our article on the Changing of the Guard Click here for our article on Windsor Castle Click here for our article on Leeds Castle Click here for our article on the New Forest Click here for our article on visiting Exbury Gardens Click her for our article on The Beatles' Liverpool |
Cruise destination - England - Visiting Kensington Palace - page 3