Tudor Garden at Hampton Court Palace

Hampton Court Palace has created an authentic 16th-century garden to mark the 500th anniversary of King Henry VIII's rise to power as King of England.

About the Tudor Garden at Hampton Court Palace

A brand new Tudor Garden has taken shape this summer in a previously unlandscaped Tudor courtyard next to Hampton Court Palace's Chapel Royal.

Acclaimed landscape architect Todd Longstaffe-Gowan has used new historical research to design a Tudor garden fit for a king. The garden uses only plants that were available in the 16th century.

The design also includes other defining features of a Tudor court garden, such as heraldic beasts, beds of flowers, herbs and topiary, and decorated rails.

Henry VIII's "Kyngs Beestes" return to Hampton Court Palace

A spectacular central path is guarded by a double row of specially commissioned "Kyngs Beestes".

These beautiful wooden animals are handcarved in English oak then painted and gilded in the brightly coloured Tudor livery.

The magnificent beasts stand on painted wooden posts, bound together with 24-carat gold chains.

The Kyngs Beestes were inspired by a Tudor painting, The Family of Henry VIII, which clearly shows the beasts standing among the flower beds.

You can compare the new Beestes to the original 16th-century models, as the painting is still on display inside Hampton Court Palace.

The Tudor Rose at Hampton Court Palace

Symbolic flowers have been be planted, including the historic white rose of York and red rose of Lancaster, which together make up the Tudor Rose.

Another stunning feature is the creation of rosemary topiaries shaped as ships, complete with riggings and canvas sails. These appear throughout the garden, along with opulent crushed oyster shell paths.