Around Hampton Court

Monday being a very sunny, mild and beautiful day for the middle of winter, I decided to take myself and my camera to Hampton Court Palace and the surrounding area.

I hadn’t been to Hampton Court Palace for very many years. I used to take the children on occasion as the formal gardens used to be free to the public all year round and is next to Bushy Park where I used to meet with friends and their children. The last time I had been to the Palace was with my parents and children about 10 years ago.

This year is the 500^th Anniversary of the reign of King Henry VIII. They are making preparations at the Palace for celebrations and events that will be taking place after March. As it was such a glorious day, I decided to forego visiting the inside of the palace and focus on taking a few photos of the outside, to wander around the village and have a walk along the river.

Here is a map of the area. East Molesey is mainly residential, with a train station, some nice cafés, pubs, a hotel, a few restaurants, the Palace and the river Thames.

I made my way over to Bridge Road for some lunch in one of the cafés before wandering around the streets. The section of Bridge Road near the riverside is packed with cafés, a couple of antique shops, hairdressers, therapy rooms and a few other assorted shops.

After lunch I made my way over to Palace Road to look at the church at the other end. Palace Road is a very smart residential road with houses well out of my price range. There was some building work going on at a few properties. It’s nice for some not to be worrying about the credit crunch.

I came upon St. Paul's Church at the end of the road. It is a sweet little church. I went inside to have a look around. It is surprisingly austere inside with some lovely wooden vaulted ceilings and a few stained glass windows.

I carried along Church Road towards the river and along Graburn Way and came out opposite Tagg’s Island and an area that is known as the Thames Riviera. There are a few little islands in the river surrounded by house boats and barges. I just loved the way they were all reflected in the water that day.

I carried along the river back towards the Palace admiring the houseboats and the various birds swimming along. No sooner than I came to the edge of the riverbank than I found myself surrounded by birds looking for a handout.

It was so peaceful and beautiful walking along the river that I took some time to sit down and just watch the river flow by - a bit of meditation in nature. Here is a little of what mesmerised me.

To see the rest of my photos click here or click on the slideshow.

If you want more information, please see this post at Arlene’s New Beginnings.