







Hampton Court Castle is a castellated manor house that dates from 1427, when Sir Rowland Lenthall built a quadrangular courtyard house on an estate which had been granted to him some years previously on his marriage to the king's cousin Margaret Fitzalan, a daughter of the Earl of Arundel.





The castle pre-dates Hampton Court Palace by 80 years!





It was owned by the Coningsby family from 1510 until the early 19th century when the estate was purchased by John Arkwright, the grandson of the inventor and industrialist Richard Arkwright.





Hampton Court Castle is known in particular for its gardens, which include an organically managed kitchen garden, as well as a maze, a secret tunnel, Dutch garden, island pavilions and a 150-year-old wisteria arch.





It used to be associated with the HHA/Historic Houses, but unfortunately this partnership seems to have ended in 2018 so now everyone has to pay on entry. That said, it's a gorgeous place and you can get a lot of value for money between the castle and the gardens.





Pictures taken May 2018