Hampton Court Palace recently had a Baroque Weekend event and I travelled down from my home in Balham to participate in the activities.
At 11 o’clock, we were escorted by Sir Christopher Wren from the Clock Court in the Tudor portion of the palace through to the Baroque palace to await the arrival of King William III and Queen Mary II, who had recently become the monarchs following the Glorious Revolution.
The actor playing Sir Christopher Wren greets us in Clock Court. Photo: Andrea Zuvich.
And so we awaited the arrival of the King and Queen. There were many periwigs on show. Here’s a photo of one of the lovely wigs:
Photo: Andrea Zuvich.
Photo: Andrea Zuvich.
The other characters included General Fitzharding, Sarah Churchill, Hans Bentinck, and lesser courtiers. For entertainment, there was a late 17th Century play, a puppet show, dancing and more. It was great fun, and the weather held out for the most part (it drizzled a bit).
Actors portraying courtiers at the court of William & Mary. Photo: Andrea Zuvich.
Actors portraying William III and Mary II at Hampton Court Palace. Photo: Andrea Zuvich.
The actress portraying Sarah Churchill, Lady Marlborough, at Hampton Court Palace. Photo: Andrea Zuvich.
Walking towards the Privy Garden. Hampton Court Palace, August, 2011. Photo: Andrea Zuvich.
Photo: Andrea Zuvich.
William & Mary take their leave. Photo: Andrea Zuvich.
As you can see, the costumes were very well done. The only criticism I had was that, though the actors who played William & Mary were very good, Mary should have been taller than William. Everything else was done ever so well. Good job to all those involved!
