This Feel Good Festival, alongside the popular Shire Horse Carriage Rides in the East Front Gardens, we bring to you a unique opportunity to meet and greet one of our shire horses. Come and learn more about our gentle giants, their history, get up close and enjoy being in their presence. An unforgettable experience for all ages! 

Nearly 500 years ago, Henry VIII started the process to acquire the ultimate war horse, and so the Shire Horse was born. His desire to produce a war horse that could carry a man in heavy armour to battle also resulted in a great agricultural work horse that met a new demand in the Industrial Revolution. To this day, the Shire Horse is still the largest horse in the world with some standing as tall as 20 hands (compared to the average race horse which is 16 hands). Unfortunately, these magnificent creatures have now been designated as being at risk by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust and are rarer than the giant panda!

Today, the Shire Horses are not just simply used for carriage rides, they are also vitally important for the work they do on the 60 acres of land at Hampton Court as well as all the Royal Parks and many other surrounding areas of London. The Shire Horses at Hampton Court Palace are part of a small herd that are the last working Shires in London, a suitable tribute to King Henry VIII’s plans all those years ago.

Additional cost for carriage rides.

The Hampton Court Palace Maze is the UK's oldest surviving hedge maze. Commissioned around 1700 by William III, it covers a third of an acre and is known for confusing and intriguing visitors with its many twists, turns and dead ends. On average, it takes 20 minutes to reach the centre.

The Maze was designed by George London and Henry Wise and is trapezoid in shape. Originally planted using hornbeam, it was later replanted using yew. It is referred to as a multicursal or puzzle maze.

Before the creation of the Hampton Court Maze, unicursal or single path mazes were the most popular form of maze in the UK. Unlike the puzzle maze, the single path maze has one path, usually in a spiral shape, winding to a centre point.

Let the adventure begin! Come face to face with mysterious mythical beasts, storm the battlements, besiege the towers and explore the secret grotto in this magical children's playground.

The Magic Garden provides a unique way for your family to explore the history of Hampton Court Palace.