The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1894-01-16
NYE IN HAMPTON coURT..
William and Clarence Visit the Palace
They Have an Adventure en- Route
A History of the Palace From The
Time Il Was Rn;IA

LONDON, Dec %, 1893.
Saturday | had promised to take
Clarence down to Hampton Court with
the understanding that 1 was to paw
the bills and Clarence to tell me what
train to go upon and when to get off.
We travelled third class in order to con.
ceal the fact that I was an American.
Also In order that we might smoke our
black and malignant pipes. There are
several ways by which one may 90
to Hampton Court and a good many
more by which one cannot go there.
Some go by coach, as 1 did sometime
ago, and to which reference was then
made.
Hampton Court is not a new subject
upon which to write, but it is a very
interesting place indeed. It is open
free every day except Friday, and SO
far l have not missed anything that
was free, from salvation down.
Riding from the station up to Hamp-
ton in a hired drag, Clarence raksd up
an old yarn regarding the horses of
England and the neglect of the letter
n, at the same time calling to mind the
sage remark of the old horse doctor
who defended hunting. He said: "Hit
his not the uniting that 'urts the 'orses.
Hits the 'ammer, 'ammer, 'ammer on
the ard 'ighway."
The approach through the park along
a beautiful drive of over a mile be-
tween double rows of enormous horse
chestnut trees is most beautiful, while
under these trees the hundreds of tame
deer, in droves like sheep, eat the fall
ing nuts without fear. Even my loud,
explosive, checkered clothes did not
brighten them away.
My how beautiful they are and how
1 would have liked to pop one over
with my faithful little revolver, voted
to me years ago for being the most
popular man in Tie Siding, wy.
These deer are protected by the gov
ernment, however, though the stag I
tried to feed with a hot cross bun really
does not need the protection of the
government. Dear reader, did you
aver suddenly find an armful of horns
belonging to a gentleman deer in the
pit Of your stomach2 Ihave. Ofcourse
it was only play and all the bright
eyed children and nurses laughed ha,
ha, but I wore out a Martin umbrella
on the beast and haven't used that
scarlet necktie since. Red has been
quite q popular color for the scarf this
autumn, even among the elderly
gentry, and 1 wore one that actually
interrupted conversation.
The palace of Hampton Court was
built by Cardinal Wolsey in 1915,
though it has been repaired once since
that and one can see where the mortar
is a shade lighter between the deep red
bricks. 1t is about the plainest build
ing 1 have ever seen, considering its
cost. 1t has a facade but no lift. The
walls are of old-fashioned handmade
brick placed one upon another.
Cardinal Wolsey presented the palace
to Henry VIII on his birthday, and
the king occupied it for sometime.
Henry VIII added to the palace a new
iron mud scraper at the door, az a deli
cate hint to his retainers not to retain
the mud on their mammoth feet when
calling on the king. The scraper is
still pointed out to visitors, having
been brought from Paris in the six
teenth century.
Edward vi was born here, and here
died his mother, Jane Seymour. Queen
Elizabeth has lived here, also James /,
Charles I, Cromwell-who will be re-
membered as an active partisan in
English politics; Charles II, James II,
also William and Mary. The last kind
to reside here was George II. During
the reign of William and Mary the
most of the palace, with the exception
of the summer kitchen and leanto, was
! torn down and rebuilt from designs by
Sir Christopher Wren and is In the
Dutch style. The front Of the palace
is exceedingly plain and reminds one
of the old Illinois Central railroad
depot in Chicago. Over the entrance
court are the arms of Cardinal Wolsey.
I do not know where his legs are,
though I inquired of the caretaker, an
old party in a red calico uniform.
The great hall, over 100 feet long, 40
feet wide and 90 feet high, is a grand
affair, but hard to heat in winter /
would think. At present it is heated
by large steam coils, but in the days
of Henry VII, when his majesty felt