Recently, I visited Blenheim Park in North Oxfordshire; the site of the once magnificent Woodstock Manor, the most ancient, royal palace in England. Standing next to a solitary plinth, which is all the remains to mark the spot where this historic palace once stood, I felt a deep sadness. This was not only for its … Read more
Please note: THIS BLOG CONTAINS ADULT CONTENT AND EXPLICIT SEXUAL REFERENCES I have long been fascinated by Tudor dress, from the magnificent gowns worn by queens and courtiers to the garments worn by women of the mercantile classes. The fashions of the Tudor dynasty communicated status, power and femininity; dress was a form of political … Read more
This post contains some affiliate links Confession time: I am not a fan of the Stuart monarchy. In fact, if you press me, then privily I will admit that although my interest in English history stretches way back to our Anglo-Saxon forefathers, it stops around 24 March 1603 with the death of Elizabeth I, the … Read more
Welcome back to the Tudor History & Travel Show: Travel Essentials! Travel Essentials provides inspiration for planning your next Tudor trip. For those of you who like to touch your Tudor history, we share all the information you need to get out on the road to see and experience Tudor places. Our top tips help … Read more
There are affiliate links in this blog In this month’s episode of The Tudor Travel Show, I talk to the author, Sarah Gristwood, about her new book The Tudors in Love: The Courtly Code Behind the Last Medieval Dynasty. I also meet with Julie Milner, tour and house guide at Knole House in Kent. Together, … Read more
This post contains affiliate links. In this month’s blog, I am going to introduce you to a Tudor house that is utterly unique. You will simply not find another like it anywhere: Sutton House in Hackney. It was created by a Tudor courtier on the rise; not yet wealthy enough to build a grand country … Read more
Otford Palace, in Kent, was once acknowledged as being the most magnificent house in England. The man who was singularly responsible for its aggrandisement, William Warham, then Archbishop of Canterbury, was locked in rivalry with the Thomas Wolsey. At the time, Wolsey was in the ascendant, fast becoming the second most powerful man in the … Read more
Cover Image: Worcester House with Tudor Stepney in the background. Image courtesy of MOLA Anyone who knows me will be aware that Anne Boleyn is my historical heroine, but lately, I admit to having developed a growing fascination for her nemesis: Thomas Cromwell, his protégés, such as Sir Richard Rich and Sir Ralph Sadler, as … Read more
On 7 December 1545, a son was born to Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox and Matthew Stuart, 4th Earl of Lennox at Temple Newsam in Yorkshire. This boy would grow up to be king consort of Scotland, his future wife being Mary, Queen of Scots. Having lived an eventful life at the English court as … Read more
The Field of Cloth of Gold was one of the most spectacular events of its age. Feted for the ostentatious display of power and wealth on both sides, its principal architect, Cardinal Wolsey, provided a glittering stage upon which two young, alpha males of Europe, Francis I of France and Henry VIII of England, might … Read more