Building began in 1514 for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, who spent roughly 200,000 crowns over about seven years. He gave the palace to Henry VIII in 1529, and Henry soon enlarged it. The Great Kitchens were quadrupled that year. From 1532 to 1535 Henry added the Great Hall, the last medieval great hall built for the English monarchy, with a carved hammerbeam roof.
In the early 1690s William III and Mary II began a baroque rebuilding intended to rival Versailles, and Christopher Wren drew the plans. Work stopped in 1694, leaving the Tudor and Baroque styles side by side. Pink brick and symmetry give the whole a unity. George London and Henry Wise planted the Hampton Court Maze for William III.
A major fire in 1986 damaged the King's Apartments, and restoration was completed in 1990. The palace opened to the public in 1838. The charity Historic Royal Palaces now cares for it, and it is Grade I listed.
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