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  condition
of your job is that you must live at the Palace.
Having just gone through the rigours of an extensive
selection process for the job as Deputy Director of Hampton Court
Palace, these words achieved an almost unreal dimension.
For a few days my wife, Sylvia and I spent time coming down
from a tremendous high. Eventually, as for everyone, the
practicalities of moving home loomed and we began to come to terms
with our new future - living and working in the magnificent Hampton
Court Palace.
We
were allowed a choice of accommodation and settled for a
‘modest’ second floor apartment in Clock Court. This part of the
Palace was originally built by Cardinal Wolsey for the purpose of
entertaining his Monarch, Henry VIII, so we hoped our guests would
feel equally as honoured. Catherine of Aragon was a former resident here and the
splendid living room features the largest and perhaps most majestic
fireplace in the Palace.
To
the west our windows directly face Henry’s Astronomical Clock,
which although run nowadays by an electrical mechanism, continues to
reflect the correct time, the phases of the moon, the times of tides
at Tower Bridge, the signs of the Zodiac, etc. Such a view is not to
be taken for granted and serves as a constant reminder of our unique
location. Having lived
here now for five years it is, perhaps surprisingly, possible to
forget that hundreds of visitors a day pass below our windows.
In reality we actually find our privacy experiences little
intrusion from them.
Living
here is very special indeed. When
the public have gone and the Palace is quiet, our only neighbours
are just one other couple who live probably fifty metres distant and
on a higher floor. The
quiet solitude is so peaceful: the cloisters are there to meander
through at will: the serenity of the formal gardens, in every
season, is a calming influence no matter what the weather: the
secure existence is very reassuring.
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Photo:
Hampton Court Palace Crown Copyright. Historic Royal Palaces 1998.
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