What Things Cost in the UK: Travel Essentials
Welcome back to the Tudor History & Travel Show: Travel Essentials, Episode Two! This section of The Tudor Travel Guide is designed for Tudorphiles who love to pack their bags, hit the road and connect to the past by standing in the places where Tudor history was made! Once again, we welcome back Philippa Brewell from …
Chesworth House & The Scandalous Undoing of Katherine Howard
When Katherine Howard stepped upon the scaffold at The Tower of London to make her final speech of contrition, all the shocking details of the young queen’s earlier, scandalous life had been laid bare for all to see. Much of the evidence that came to light in her indictment was given in evidence by friends …
Mary Queen of Scots: A Glittering Future at the French Court
All I can tell you is that I account myself one of the happiest women in the world. These words were written by the fifteen-year-old Mary Queen of Scots on the morning of her wedding to the Dauphin of France in 1558. It is almost impossible to believe that these sentiments are associated with the …
The Memorialisation of Mary Queen of Scots: The Making of an Icon
This blog is adapted from an interview, recorded for my podcast, The Tudor History & Travel Show. Our historian is Dr Steven Reid, Senior Lecturer in Scottish History at the University of Glasgow. He specialises in the intellectual, political and religious history of Scotland between c.1450 and c.1650, with a strong interest in Mary Queen of Scots …
Tudor Parsnip Cakes: A Sweet Seasonal Treat
This month, The Great Tudor Bake Off focuses on a seasonal ingredient: parsnips. Harvested in January, parsnips are a nutritious root vegetable, rich in minerals, vitamins and fibre. Our chef at The Tudor Travel Guide, Brigitte Webster, shows us how to make Tudor Parsnip Cakes. They’re the perfect boost for your immune system. So, why not …
‘The Three Brothers’: The Most Coveted Jewel in Renaissance Europe
Recently, I had a ‘stop-me-dead-in-my-tracks’ moment. A delicious fluttering of excitement crept over me, the kind I get when I know I have ‘discovered’ something to do with Tudor history that I had known nothing of beforehand. I love these very personal discoveries; they make me look again; they often help me consider things from …
When to Travel to the UK on Vacation: Travel Essentials
Welcome to the Tudor History & Travel Show: Travel Essentials! This is a new addition to The Tudor History & Travel Show for 2021. it is specifically for all you Tudor time-travellers out there who want inspiration for your Tudor road-trip. We will be answering your most pressing travel-related questions and provide top tips for …
Middleham Castle: Daunting Fortress, Luxurious Home and One Priceless Jewel!
Middleham Castle sits in the wide-open, rugged and beautiful landscape of North Yorkshire, about 230 miles north of London and 45 miles northwest of York. It was recounted by Tudor antiquary, John Leyland, as ‘a pretty market town, and standith on a rocky hill, on the top whereof is the castle meately welle dyked with …
Kimbolton Castle: The Final Days and Death of Katherine of Aragon
On 7 January 1535, a beleaguered Katherine of Aragon died at Kimbolton Castle in Cambridgeshire. She had spent the final years of her eventful life in exile, abandoned by her husband, Henry VIII, on account of the king’s quest for a legitimate son and heir. Katherine’s is a sorry tale and her end at Kimbolton …
Rievaulx Abbey & the Brutal Dissolution of the Monasteries
This blog is adapted from an ‘on-location’ interview for my podcast, The Tudor History & Travel Show, recorded at Rievaulx Abbey in North Yorkshire. Our guide is Michael Carter, a senior properties curator at English Heritage. He specialises in English Monasticism and the Cistercian order. Read through to the end to find out Michael’s top …
Venison Pie: A Christmas Tudor Treat
Christmas is fast approaching and after the end of a difficult year for most of us, some feasting and merriment will be most welcome. Well, in this month’s Great Tudor Bake Off, Brigitte Webster, our Tudor chef, here at The Tudor Travel Guide, treats us to a savoury Tudor dish for the dinner table: Tudor …
Tudor ‘Houses of Power’ with Prof Simon Thurley
In this month’s episode of The Tudor Travel Show: Extra! Sarah is in conversation with Professor Simon Thurley, a pre-eminent architectural historian, specialising in Britain’s built environment. Sarah talks to Simon about the Boleyn properties of the early sixteenth century when the family was at the height of its power. She also explores with Simon the …
Hampton Court: The Emergence of a Tudor Palace
The 30 November (2020) sees the 490th anniversary of the sad demise and death of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey at Leicester Abbey. This followed his arrest for treason at Cawood Castle in North Yorkshire earlier that month. To commemorate this event, The Tudor Travel Guide team are holding a virtual summit over the weekend of the …
Luscious Tudor Pears In Conserve
Many of you will have been as sad as I was to learn that, here in the UK, we have just lost one of our most ancient pear trees to a new railway project. In honour of this tree, and as pears are currently seasonal and easy to obtain, I have chosen the pear as …
Esher Place: House of Mourning
The tragic and untimely death of Jane Seymour 483 years ago today devastated Henry VIII. Although Jane died at Hampton Court Palace, as we shall hear in this week’s guest blog from Sylvia Barbara Soberton, Henry retreated to grieve at nearby Esher Place to mourn his loss. Now you can learn more about this narrow …
Harvington Hall: House of Secrets
If you want to explore a Tudor ‘house of secrets’ then the subject of today’s blog, Harvington Hall in Worcestershire, is going to be right up your street. As you will hear, this incredibly raw and authentic Elizabethan moated manor house was designed with the utmost subterfuge in mind. In exploring the history of the …
Mary Howard: The Indomitable Tudor Duchess
Mary Howard, Duchess of Richmond, was a force of nature. The youngest daughter of the 3rd Duke of Norfolk, she was at odds religiously with most of the rest of her Howard family, went head-to-head with Henry VIII in a battle for money and flatly refused to be pressured into remarriage when three of the …
The Tudor Travel Show – Episode 27: The Royal Mile and Holyroodhouse
Part Three: The Royal Mile and Holyroodhouse This month sees the launch of a special celebration of the life of Mary, Queen of Scots, here, on The Tudor Travel Show. Throughout September, I will be publishing one episode a week, as I follow ‘In the Footsteps’ of this legendary Scottish queen, visiting some of the most …
The Tudor Travel Show – Episode 28: Edinburgh Castle and an Audience with Marie Stuart
Right, now for my Tudor Rose ration fo the Old Palace of Hatfield. Now this specifically applies to the Old Palace and not Hatfield House. For Historical Significance: 5 Tudor roses. This place was Elizabeth’s refuge and she lived there over a considerable period of time, on and off from being a baby. I consider …
Tudor Apple Fritters: The Perfect Autumn Treat
Welcome to this month’s Great Tudor Bake Off! Once again, Brigitte Webster takes us on a culinary journey through Tudor England. last month our seasonal ingredient was the plum and we learned to make a fabulous Tudor Plum Tart. As it is September, this month, our seasonal ingredient will be the humble apple. Make sure …