History and stories

Explore amazing sights and stories from some of the greatest palaces ever built

Overflowing with historic riches, famous sights, dramatic stories and quirky tales; the possibilities for discovery across these five London palaces are countless.

The North cloister at Hampton Court Palace

Places and things to see

'Top ten' things to see

Sights from across the five palaces - we'll tell you why we think these are 'unmissable' things to see.

Surprising sights

Curators, warders and conservators recommend their favourite and unexpected objects.  


More sights and stories...

Visit each palace and locate historic 'hotspots' and meet more palace personalities.

People and stories

Monarchs at the palaces

Profiles, stories and little-known facts about England's famous kings and queens.

Surprising stories

Some of our finest story-tellers tell unexpected tales of the palaces and the people who lived in them.

Running the palaces

Keeping a palace running smoothly was quite an operation. Find out here what happened behind the scenes.

Life in the palaces

Romp through the life and times of the palaces and their occupants down the centuries, from food and health and hygiene to manners and etiquette.

Prisoners at the Tower

Why were they here? When were they imprisoned? What happened to them? Find out here

Ghost stories

Could they be true? Sometimes the facts seem to bear out the strange sightings....

Building histories

Find out how the palaces have changed and how their royal owners shaped their development.

Know your stuff

Test your knowledge of the palaces with a quiz, discover some outrageous facts and impress your friends with the help of a few mnemonic devices.