Henry VIII's Dragon Hampton Court

This is one of the Royal Beasts in a splendid new tudor garden next to the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court. The royal appartments looked down on this internal garden which has now been recreated - complete with red and white roses for Lancaster and York.

The dragon represents the Tudor line from Wales. There are some other remarkable beasts holding royal standards that I hope will make appearances at some time here.

Certainly I think a trace of the English imperial dreams of Henry VIII to equal his rivals Francis I of France and Charles V of Span and the Holy Roman Empire.