The Other Hampton Court

 If at first you don't succeed, try again. Then quit: no use being a damn fool about it - W. C. Fields

Hampton Court Palace is a well-known landmark in Richmond upon Thames, London; famous as a residence of Henry VIII. We used to live nearby (about 5 miles away) and visited often when we lived in London. Until moving to Hereford in the early 2000s, we had no idea there was another Hampton Court, albeit a Castle rather than a Palace.

Photo 1: Hampton Court Castle, Herefordshire Viewed from the River Lugg Footpath (April 2026)

Hampton Court Castle (or just plain Hampton Court) is a castellated country mansion situated about 10 miles (16 km) north of Hereford. For history buffs, it predates its more famous London namesake (1427 vs 1515). The castle is mainly used as a wedding venue these days although it is open to the public on selecte dates. The gardens, however, are open to the public every day between April and September inclusive. Special events take place in the grounds such as falconry & jousting displays. In the past we have attended an open air theatre (Shakespeare, of course) and craft fairs.

On our most recent visit (18th April 2026), it was just a normal opening day and we were looking for a nice lunch and a gentle walk. Hampton Court gardens offers formal and informal gardens including a maze, a sunken garden, a walled kitchen garden, riverside walks and, importantly, a cafe doing light lunches and teas. Entrance fees are £12 per adult and £8 per child (10% saving on these prices with on-line booking).

After paying for our tickets, we entered the walled kitchen garden to be a wonderful display of multi-headed white and yellow daffodils.

Photo 2: Walled Garden, Hampton Court Castle ((18/4/26)

Moving on through the formal gardens we headed for the Orangery Cafe (Photo 1, left-hand side of the Castle) ...

Photo 3: Formal Gardens Viewed from the Wisteria Arch (18/4/26)

... because Mary was hungry!! The cafe is a little on the pricey side but the food is nicely prepared and tasty (pasty for Mary, sandwich for me).

After lunch, we headed for the river and lake walks. Apparently, there are a number of benefits to walking after a meal. The river walk follows the River Lugg for about a mile and at about the halfway point there is an opportunity to follow the path to the lake (half-a-mile or so). Allow 1 -1½ hours for both walks. It was a warm sunny day which encouraged the butterflies to make an appearance. We saw a rather scraggy Brimstone beside the River Lugg trail  ...

Photo 4: Brimstone Butterfly, River path, Hampton Court Gardens (18/4/26)

... and quite a few Peacock butterflies. However, the most abundant butterfly was the Orange Tip. Which made perfect sense as its food plant, the Cuckoo Flower (aka Lady's Mantle), was everywhere.

Photo 5: Orange-tip Butterfly (female), Hampton Court (18/4/26)

The lake walk follows the Humber Brook* (a tributary of the Lugg) towards a small lake (Photo 7) ...

Photo 6: Humber Brook, Hampton Court Gardens (18/4/26)

... with views of the back of the Castle.

Photo 7: Rear of Hampton Court Castle from Across the Lake (18/4/26)

Time to retrace our steps and have a look around the other 'gardens' that Hampton Court has to offer.

Photo 8: The Dutch Gardens @ Hampton Court Castle (18/4/26)

Entering the Sunken Garden ...

Photo 9: The Sunken Garden, Hampton Court Castle (18/4/26)

The Sunken Garden has a pool and waterfall which I am duty bound to video ...

Video 1: Waterfall @ Hampton Court Castle (18/4/26)

... and in slow motion as well ...

Video 2: Waterfall @ Hampton Court Castle in Slow Motion (18/4/26) 

The maze is great fun, especially with children, but we were hoping to catch another open garden, just a few miles away, for tea & cake. So back to the car park for us.

* The Humber Brook is one on many tributaries in the Wye Catchment that are regularly tested by Citizen Scientists. While the Humber Brook may look clean and full of life, its chemical analysis shows excessive amounts of phosphates and nitrates above the regulatory limits. It also suffers periodically from soil run-off resulting in extremely turbid water.