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The Palace
- From the Tudors to the Windsors, 500 Years of History at Hampton Court
- Narrated by: John Telfer
- Length: 14 hrs and 14 mins
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The Palace
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Summary
For centuries, Hampton Court has been a place of power, scandal and intrigue: a stage for events that shaped the nation. The Palace raises the curtain on 500 years of British history with royals, politicians, criminals, and geniuses all playing their parts.
Hampton Court has been an arc of monarchy, revolution, religious fundamentalism, sexual scandals, and military coups. In this rich and vivid history, Gareth Russell moves through the rooms and the decades, each time focusing on a different person who called Hampton Court their home.
Beginning with the Tudors, Russell takes the reader from the kitchens of Henry VII and the dreams of Anne Boleyn to Elizabeth I’s brush with death and the staging of Shakespeare’s plays. To the commissioning of the King James Bible, the republican victories of Oliver Cromwell, the many mistresses of Charles II and their laxative-laced attempts to embarrass one another. The gossip and feuds of Georgian aristocrats lead into the era of the Windsors when Hampton Court becomes the place to host Elizabeth II’s coronation ball and hide the last Tsar’s sister.
Fascinating and engaging, The Palace is as atmospheric as it is gossipy and through the many sovereigns and servants that lived and worked in its halls reveals the personal tragedy and political importance of this extraordinary place.
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Critic reviews
A BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE BEST BOOK OF 2023
‘A fascinating chronicle … brilliantly researched…a history of the British monarchy seen through the prism of Hampton Court’ THE TIMES
‘Riotously readable … Russell gives a tender and affectionate account of a royal palace that is less about bricks and mortar than the men and women who down the centuries have breathed it into glamorous, scandalous and tragic life’ MAIL ON SUNDAY
‘Scintillating…it’s hard to imagine anyone writing a better version of the book Russell sets out to write than the racy delight we have here’ SPECTATOR
‘A serious, densely researched and fascinating portrait of Hampton Court Palace, focusing on the people who lived and loved there. His historical narrative, continental in its political scope, ranges from the Tudors to the Windsors and is informed by lively social history… he is an engaging storyteller’ COUNTRY LIFE
'If a house could gossip, this is the book that Hampton Court would whisper. An enjoyable and readable stroll through 500 years of Hampton Court history: royal residents, common visitors, thieves, invaders and ghosts’ PHILIPPA GREGORY
'Rollicking, gossipy and effortlessly learned, The Palace is what Hampton Court would say if its walls could talk. Gareth Russell is a born storyteller and this is a wonderful human history of one of Britain’s most captivating buildings.'
DAN JONES
‘Vibrant, exciting, enthralling a superb panoramic history, bursting with scholarship, wit and riveting detail. A beautifully written, fascinating book about those who have lived and loved at Hampton Court’ KATE WILLIAMS
‘With scholarly accuracy but also a novelist’s eye for a telling detail or anecdote, he shows how the palace constitutes a long, broad and golden thread running through over half a millennium of British history’
ANDREW ROBERTS
What listeners say about The Palace
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Craig
- 27-01-24
Fascinating
One of the best I’ve read , Thoroughly enoyed learning about one of my favourite places
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 24-10-23
5*
An extremely powerful story of a Palace, but more importantly the people within it.
Parts of the story had me literally laughing out loud, while other parts left me feeling deeply reflective.
A beautifully written book, Russell’s writing style is so easy to follow but without talking down to the reader. The narrator was also superb.
The only negative would be, that the book had to end.
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- Liz Hughes
- 22-02-24
Fascinating insight into Hampton Court
I love a history book, particularly when I’ve been to the places described within. This gives a fascinating account of some of the most famous moments in history that took place within its walls over 500 years. Very well written and read.
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- Fawn
- 01-09-23
A fantastic achievement
I really liked this look at Hampton Court's many and (extremely) various inhabitants and visitors over the centuries. Starting long before Wolsley and ending with today's Catherine, Princess of Wales, we meet a whole host of intriguing characters. I enjoyed finding out more about Charles I and II. I also enjoyed glimpses of a young Queen Elizabeth II. And who knew that Oliver Cromwell and Michael Faraday had both lived at the Palace - not me! I am a fan of Gareth Russell's history podcasts and know that he has a very pleasant voice, so I was a bit disappointed that he doesn't narrate this. But the narrator, John Telfer, does a great job. Highly recommended to history fans.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Ms. Ke Collins
- 17-09-23
Great book on a wonderful place
Hampton Court is one of my favourite places and the book really brought its history to life. Easy to listen to and follow.
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- M W Gibbs
- 12-10-23
Great listen so well read
This is a really enjoyable listen stuffed full of fascinating events and people which are woven into an excellent narrative. All of this delivered with what I found to be a faultless performance.
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- Julie
- 10-10-23
Really interesting
I liked listening to this so much that I’ve also bought a hard copy of the book. Very interesting and narrated well.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Zack Sydes
- 08-02-24
A new favourite.
Picked this up at random, not sure what to expect - fantastic! Really stellar prose and a wonderful reader, I finished it in no time at all.
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