The first evidence of a building on the grounds of Hampton Court is from 1236 when the Knights Hospitallers of St. John Jerusalem, an organization that predates the Crusades and is still exists today, used the site as the center for their agricultural ventures. There is evidence that they stored produce here and had an office where they kept accounts and records.
In the 14th Century, the Knights used the site to host royalty and constructed new building for this purpose. There were two royal palaces near Hampton, Sheen and Byfleet, and Hampton's location was perfect for a guest house for royals traveling from one palace to the other.
Byfleet was gone by the early part of the 15th century, and Hampton Court was no longer needed as a royal stopover. The Knights began to rent out Hampton Court by the end of the 15th century. The first tenant, who signed the lease in 1594, was Giles Daubeney, the future Lord Chamberlain. Meanwhile, King Henry VII was rebuilding royal estates in the area and became a frequent guest at Hampton Court.
In 1514, Hampton Court was leased to a new tenant, Thomas Wolsey the Archbishop of York, who became a Cardinal and then the Lord Chancellor of England. Wolsey turned this country house into a castle with three suites for the use of the royal family. Wolsey lost the property to Henry the VIII in 1528 because the Pope would not give the king a divorce. Henry VIII added everything from bowling alleys to 36,000 square feet of kitchen space. When Henry VIII died in 1547, the palace passed to his three children: Prince Edward and the Princesses Mary and Elizabeth, none of whom made any great changes to the castle.
The 17th century began with the reign of James I, who played host to many famous people, including William Shakespeare. Queen Anne died at Hampton Court in 1619 and James' son, Charles I, was imprisoned in Hampton Court for three months after he was deposed by Parliament in 1647. Oliver Cromwell was the next resident of Hampton Court when he was Lord Protector from 1654-1658. The monarchy was restored in 1660 with the reign of Charles II, who did not spend a great deal of time at Hampton Court.
The 18th Century began with the joint reign of William and Mary who made extensive renovations to the Hampton Court buildings. When Mary died in 1694, William stopped all construction. Construction began again in 1697. When Whitehall burned down in 1698, William ordered construction to speed up. William, who is responsible for much of the way Hampton Court looks today, did not live to enjoy it. He fell from his horse while riding in Hampton Court Park in 1702 and died shortly thereafter.
Queen Anne succeeded her father to the throne in 1702, but her time at Hampton Court was short. She died in 1714. George I was the first Hannover monarch, but he preferred to live in his native Germany and rarely spent time in England or at Hampton Court. George II was the last British monarch to reside at Hampton Court. Since George III did not want to live at Hampton Court, a decision was made about how to use a palace with thousands of rooms. First Hampton Court was divided into suites for those who had served the crown to live rent free. In 1838, Queen Victoria opened the palace to the public. At the same time a renovation project began that lasted until the early 1900's. A fire destroyed much of the king's apartments in 1986 and more renovations were done and completed in 1995.
