Henry VIII’s Tudor garden recreated

If you go to Hampton Court Palace today, you’re sure of a big surprise! Look out for the ‘Kyngs Beestes’ standing guard over the new Tudor gardens, which were unveiled as part of the celebrations of the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII’s succession to the throne.

The Chapel Court Tudor garden has been created using historical research of the 16th-century privy gardens of the King at Hampton Court Palace and Whitehall Palace. The ‘beestes’ that keep watch over the central pathway are inspired by depictions of magnificent heraldic beasts standing guard over a garden in the painting, The Family of Henry VIII (c1545), which hangs in the Haunted Gallery at Hampton Court. The specially commissioned double row of beasts includes the Golden Lion of England, the Red Dragon of Wales and the Silver Falcon of Plantagenets, all of which are carved in English oak and painted and gilded in brightly coloured Tudor livery.

Adding to the Tudor ambience are 16th-century flowers and herbs and displays of the roses which make up the Tudor rose – the white rose of York and the red rose of Lancaster. Garden designer Todd Longstaffe-Gowan says the results are a “distinctive tribute to the King”.

For visitor details, visit www.hrp.org.uk