Knole House Revisited & The Tudors in Love: Featuring Julie Milner and Sarah Gristwood
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
Sutton House & Tudor Hackney: Ralph Sadler’s Nouveau-Riche ‘Bryk Place’
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
The Very Best Of Typically English Things To Do When Visiting the UK: Travel Essentials
Cover Image: Seckford Hall, courtesy of Seckford Hall Hotel and Spa, Suffolk. Welcome back to the Tudor History & Travel Show: Travel Essentials! Here in Travel Essentials, we cover those all important things to consider when you’re planning your next Tudor trip. For those of you who like to touch Tudor history in person, Travel Essentials … Read more
Otford Palace: Rivalry, Glory and Ruin in the Tudor Age
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
Salad In Tudor England And Europe
Welcome back to The Great Tudor Bake Off. This month at The Tudor Travel Guide, our resident chef, Brigitte Webster, tells us about salad in Tudor England and Europe. Salads were quite common in the fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries in England but by the time the Tudors came to power, they had more or … Read more
Tudor Stepney & Thomas Cromwell’s ‘Great Place’
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
Your Guide To Getting Around the UK: Travel Essentials
Cover Image: Ravens at the Tower by Bob Collowan/Commons/CC-BY-SA-4.0 via Wikimedia Commons Welcome back to the Tudor History & Travel Show: Travel Essentials! Travel Essentials is your go-to guide for your next Tudor trip. From the best places to visit, what to bring with you, or where to stop for a bite to eat, we share our … Read more
Temple Newsam: A Scottish Enclave in the North
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
‘Gold and Glory’ at Hampton Court Palace
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
Henry VIII: The Man Behind the Mask
What if you could meet King Henry VIII of England? What questions would you be dying to ask him? How do you think you would feel about the encounter? Do you think your feelings towards him might change if you could get behind the mask? Well, on your behalf, I was granted an audience with … Read more
Floral Vinegar: An Essential Ingredient In The Tudor Kitchen
Welcome to this month’s Great Tudor Bake Off here at The Tudor Travel Guide. Our resident chef, Brigitte Webster, introduces us to an essential cooking ingredient in Tudor times: vinegar. In this blog, you’ll learn how to make Tudor floral vinegar, and discover how it was used in Tudor times to the present day. The … Read more
Caister Castle & ‘The Brandon Men’
Here at The Tudor Travel Guide, I’m delighted to be hosting the next stop on Sarah Bryson’s virtual book tour, celebrating the launch of her new book, The Brandon Men: In The Shadow of Kings. Described as ‘a fascinating and intricately researched account of one of Tudor England’s most powerful families’, Sarah’s book was released … Read more
The Charterhouse: Piety, Power and Treason in the City
In this blog, we will be visiting the most prestigious religious institution of Tudor London: the Charterhouse. Its Tudor history embraces piety, bloodshed, triumph and treason as men of God, and men of power came and went, shaping not only its history but the very fabric of the building. Thankfully, today, some of the original … Read more
Primrose Tart: A Tudor Springtime Treat
This month, our chef at The Tudor Travel Guide, Brigitte Webster, introduces us to the Tudor springtime treat of primrose tart. The wild primrose (primula vulgaris) is native to western and southern Europe, northwest Africa and parts of southwest Asia. First recorded in England by Friar Henry Daniel in 1375, wild primroses are becoming increasingly rare. … Read more
FREE Museums in London (and Beyond): Travel Essentials
Welcome back to the Tudor History & Travel Show: Travel Essentials! Here in Travel Essentials, we cover everything you might need to know for your next Tudor trip. From the best Tudor places to visit and upcoming Tudor events to preparing for the Great British weather and the best places to eat and drink; we’re … Read more
The Burial of Anne Boleyn and the Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula
When Anne Boleyn was executed within the precinct of the Tower of London on 19 May 1536, no provision had been made for her burial. She had died a convicted traitor, guilty of adultery, incest, and treason. Henry had already washed his hands of her and would marry his third wife, Jane Seymour, within days. … Read more
The Shocking Arrest of Anne Boleyn
On 2 May 1536, Queen Anne Boleyn, the second queen consort of Henry VIII of England, was arrested at Greenwich Palace on charges of adultery and treason. Anne’s downfall, and those loyal to her, was shockingly rapid – and executed with ruthless efficiency. The arrest of Anne Boleyn, and the events that would eventually lead … Read more
The Mirror of Great Britain: A Dazzling Symbol of Unity
Some weeks ago, I penned a blog about a celebrated jewel of Renaissance Europe: The Three Brothers, once owned and much loved by Elizabeth I of England. So, much so that she is seen wearing it close to her breast on her tomb effigy in Westminster Abbey. During the writing of that blog, I was … Read more
Tudor Art Exhibition: ‘Love’s Labour’s Found’ at the Philip Mould Gallery
In this month’s episode, Sarah talks to Lawrence Hendra, Director of Research from The Philip Mould Gallery. Follow Sarah’s on-site visit, as she interviews Lawrence about some of the striking Elizabethan and Jacobean portraiture included in the Love’s Labour’s Found Tudor art exhibition, which opens to the public on 21 April 2021. According to the Philip … Read more
Tudor Tansy Cake: An Easter Tradition
With Easter just around the corner, our chef at The Tudor Travel Guide, Brigitte Webster, introduces us to Tudor Tansy Cake: An Easter Tradition. A familiar dish to the Tudors, but almost forgotten in current times, tans(e)y cake is an egg-based dish similar to an omelette. After the harsh forty days of Lent without any meat, … Read more