Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 – Tuesday 2nd of October

Guests meet at our 4 star London hotel (TBA) at 3pm, check-in and gather for a welcome drink and introductory talk by Natalie Grueninger and Sarah Morris.

At 5.45 pm we travel by coach to the Tower of London. Here we will enjoy a Tower twilight tour.

Upon arrival, a Yeoman Warder will take guests on a one and a half hour external tour of the Tower of London including Traitors Gate and the Execution Site.

Anne Boleyn’s ghost has been seen on numerous occasions at the Tower of London.

Perhaps the most spectacular ghost story relating to Anne is that of a Captain of the guard who saw a light flickering in the locked Chapel Royal late one night. He tried to uncover the source of the light by climbing up a ladder and was met with an unbelievable scene unfolding inside. A procession of Knights and Ladies dressed in ancient costumes pacing the chapel. Their leader, an elegant female whose face he could not see but whose figure resembled that of Anne Boleyn’s in portraits he had seen. The procession later disappeared.

I wonder if we will be ‘lucky’ enough to encounter the ghost of Anne Boleyn?

At the conclusion of the ceremony we will travel back to our London hotel and enjoy a welcome dinner.

Day 2 – Wednesday 3rd October

After breakfast, we travel to Sudeley Castle & Gardens in the heart of the Cotswolds, boasting royal connections spanning a thousand years.

It was one of King Henry VIII’s Royal residences and in 1535 the King and Queen Anne Boleyn visited the castle. They were lodged in the Castle along with their immediate servants while other members of their entourage stayed at nearby Winchcombe Abbey.

Following King Henry VIII’s death, his son, King Edward VI, granted Sudeley to his uncle, Thomas Seymour. Thomas then married Katherine Parr (Henry VIII’s 6th wife and widow) and moved into Sudeley Castle accompanied by their ward, Lady Jane Grey.

On the 30th August 1548, 36 year old Katherine Parr gave birth to a daughter, Mary, but died seven days later. She is buried in the chapel of St. Mary at Sudeley.

We will enjoy a history of Sudeley Talk focusing on the Tudors in the beautiful chapel of St Mary followed by a guided Connoisseur Tour of the private apartments.

You will also have the opportunity to explore the Six Wives at Sudeley Exhibition and view Tudor artefacts and murals depicting scenes at Sudeley. These together with an audio description bring to life some of the details of Henry and Anne’s stay.

Sudeley is also home to Katherine Parr’s famous love letter to Sir Thomas Seymour, locks of her hair and a tooth taken from her coffin that is now entombed beneath a fine Victorian effigy in St Mary’s Church in the Castle gardens.

Elizabeth I also visited Sudeley on several occasions and attended a magnificent three-day feast in 1592 to mark the anniversary of the defeat of the Spanish Armada.

Sudeley is said to be haunted by the ghost of Katherine Parr. She has been seen roaming the grounds of the picturesque Sudeley Castle dressed in green seemingly searching for someone or something. Could she be looking to be reunited with her infant daughter?

After our day at Sudeley we will return by coach to our London hotel where we will enjoy an included dinner and welcome guest speaker, Suzannah Lipscomb, author of 1536: The Year that Changed Henry VIII.

Overnight at London hotel.

Day 3 – Thursday 4^th October

After breakfast we will enjoy a morning guided tour of Westminster Abbey.

Westminster Abbey was founded in 960 and has been the coronation church since 1066. It has witnessed 38 coronations and is the final resting place of 17 monarchs.

The present church was begun in 1245 by Henry III and is today one of the most important Gothic buildings in England.

The Abbey houses an extensive collection of treasures and precious artefacts. It is also the burial place or memorial site of some of the most important and famous people in English history: Chaucer, Dickens and Churchill to name but a few.

Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon’s coronation took place here on Sunday 24th June 1509.

Anne Boleyn was the only other one of King Henry VIII’s Queens to receive a coronation. Anne’s coronation took place on the 1st June 1533.

The coronations of Henry’s children: Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I, also took place in this magnificent Abbey.  It is possible to see the head of Mary I’s wooden effigy in the Abbey Museum. The original wax effigy carried on Elizabeth’s hearse was remade in 1760 and is also on display in the Abbey Museum.

It is also possible to see the coronation chair that was used in almost all ceremonies since Edward II in 1308. On sitting and pondering this amazing piece of history you are struck by the powerful realisation that you are in fact looking back in time.

The Abbey is a place that all Tudor fans- all history fans- should visit at least once in their lifetime.

After our guided tour there will be time for an independent lunch before an afternoon guided tour of the Tudor Collection at the National Portrait Gallery led by one of the Making Art in Tudor Britain Curators.

The gallery houses around 300 portraits of Tudor sitters, including Anne Boleyn’s iconic portrait. The portrait is currently undergoing urgent conservation work but we hope it will be back on display in April so that we may pay tribute to Queen Anne Boleyn.

After our tour, why not enjoy an independent afternoon tea in the newly refurbished rooftop Portrait Restaurant, boasting spectacular views over London.

You are then free to browse the gift shop and bookshop. This is the one and only free night so why not make the most of it and enjoy dinner and perhaps catch a show at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.

Day 4 – Friday 5^th October

After breakfast we travel by coach to the beautiful thirteenth-century Hever Castle, childhood home of Anne Boleyn, set in the picturesque Kent countryside.

This will be our home for the remainder of the tour where we will walk in Anne’s footsteps for five glorious days. At check-in you will receive a pass that will entitle you to unlimited access to the castle (during opening hours) throughout our stay.

After check in we will enjoy a private, costumed guided tour of the castle and its magnificent interiors.

Hever is home to two breathtaking Book of Hours both signed and inscribed by Anne Boleyn herself. The castle also houses 16th century portraits, furniture and tapestries.

At the completion of our guided tour, we will enjoy a two course hot and cold buffet luncheon followed by free time to further explore the castle and gardens.

You will have the opportunity to visit St. Peter’s Hever, a 14th century church that contains the tomb of Thomas Boleyn.

Tea, coffee and biscuits will be available at any time throughout the day.

In the afternoon Sarah Morris will share with the group the inspiration behind her novel about Anne Boleyn and discuss other aspects of her writing.

This will take place in the Tudor Suite, which is a series of three inter-connecting rooms all of which have impressive wood panelling and leaded windows with views of the Castle, Moat and gardens.

In the evening we will enjoy dinner in the Tudor dining suite.

During our stay we will be accommodated and have exclusive use of the newly refurbished, luxury Astor Wing.

The Astor Wing at Hever castle offers 21 bedrooms. All rooms are individually designed, offering comfortable and luxurious accommodation.

Although the standard of decoration and comfort is outstanding, the rooms manage to retain the warmth and relaxed feel of a family home.

Day 5 – Saturday 6^th October

After breakfast we travel by coach to the Tower of London for a guided tour focusing on the sites connected to Anne Boleyn.

The Tower has looked over the city of London for over 900 years and has served as a royal palace and fortress, prison and place of execution, an arsenal, and royal mint, a royal menagerie and jewel house. And it is here that Anne Boleyn stayed on the eve of her coronation in 1533- at the peak of her career.

It is also where she enjoyed a number of coronation celebrations and feasts with her husband, Henry VIII, prior to her coronation.

In complete contrast to the days prior to her coronation, the Tower is also the setting for Anne’s incarceration and execution. In a terrible twist of fate, Anne Boleyn spent her final days and darkest hours in the same apartments that had played host to lavish celebrations and revelry only three short years before.

The Tower of London is home to Tower Green. Here, a monument is said to mark the site of the scaffold where seven famous prisoners were privately executed.

On the 19th May 1536, Anne was the first woman to suffer death by beheading for treason. Four other women followed her: Margaret Pole the Countess of Salisbury (1541), Catherine Howard (1542), Jane- Viscountess Rochford (1542) and Lady Jane Grey (1554).

Contrary to popular belief, the memorial site does not mark the actual site of the scaffold where Anne Boleyn met her terrible end. We will pause for a moment at the real scaffold site.

The Tower of London’s Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula is the final resting place for Queen Anne Boleyn. The chapel was rebuilt in its present form in 1519-1520 in the early years of the reign of Henry VIII and is also the burial place for some other very famous Tower prisoners including: Catherine Howard, Jane Grey, Sir Thomas More and Bishop John Fisher.

After our guided tour you will have free time to explore the Tower at your pleasure and enjoy an independent lunch at one of the Tower’s restaurants or cafes.

Why not grab a takeaway sandwich and drink and have a Tower picnic.

After our visit to the Tower of London we will travel back to Hever Castle by coach and prepare for our private dinner and twilight tour at the ancestral home of the Sidney family, Penshurst Place.

We will travel to Penshurst by Coach and enter via the private entrance.

After enjoying a welcome drink in the Baron’s Hall we will dine in the Buttery.

The Baron’s Hall completed in 1348 is the main feature of the original House and one of the best-preserved examples of gothic, domestic architecture in England. Its stunning 18- metre-high chestnut-beamed roof spans a space steeped in history and elegance, giving a sense of occasion and feeling of grandeur.

Once the bottle storeroom of the medieval household, the Buttery is adjacent to Baron’s Hall. Its sandstone walls, hung with rich 17th century tapestries, create a warm and cosy atmosphere.

After dinner we will enjoy a twilight tour of the house before returning to Hever Castle.

Day 6 – Sunday 7^th October

After breakfast we travel by coach to The Vyne and enjoy a guided tour of the home built in the sixteenth century for Lord Sandys, Henry VIII’s Lord Chamberlain.

Henry VIII first visited in 1510 with his first wife Catherine of Aragon. The Tudor Gothic Chapel houses magnificent Renaissance stained glass depicting Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. It is also home to 16th century Flemish-Majolica tiles and a wealth of furniture, textiles and oak panelling dating back to c1521.

The Vyne is also home to one of the most richly decorated long galleries surviving from the first half of the 16th century and a stone gallery.

Henry visited on two more occasions, in 1531 and in 1535 accompanied by his second wife Queen Anne Boleyn. Sandys would later escort Anne to her imprisonment in the Tower.

We will then return to Hever Castle and dine in the Tudor dining suite and welcome guest speaker Julia Barrett – an expert in Tudor costume. Julia’s talk will focus on Anne Boleyn’s influence on English fashion and include a ‘hands-on ‘ display.

Day 7 – Monday 8^th October

After breakfast we travel by coach to Hampton Court Palace where we will enjoy a guided tour focusing on life at the Tudor court.

After the tour you are free to roam the Palace at your leisure.

The Great Hall with its splendid hammer-beam roof and priceless tapestries, the Great Watching Chamber where courtiers dined and waited for access to the King, the Haunted Gallery where Catherine Howard is said to have made a final plea for mercy and the Chapel Royal all have the ability to transport you back in time.

Here at Hampton Court history comes to life and it’s possible to hear the whispers of the courtiers and see the hustle and bustle of Henry’s court.

Of course, we cannot forget the extensive Tudor kitchens, base court and clock court that all offer a glimpse into daily life at court in King Henry VIII’s reign.

Anne Boleyn would have visited Hampton Court on a number of occasions and indulged in Henry’s magnificent palace that when completed consisted of pleasure gardens, tennis courts, bowling alleys, a hunting park and even a multiple garderobe. This was a palace built to impress and after almost 500 years its wonders do not cease to amaze.

After our day at Hampton Court Palace, we travel back to Hever Castle for a very special treat, a twilight tour of Hever castle. The tour will include some ghostly tales…

Anne’s ghost is said to appear each Christmas at Hever Castle. She is said to manifest beneath a great oak tree where Anne and Henry courted. Her ghost also walks across the bridge, which crosses over the River Eden on the castle grounds. Although it won’t be Christmas, perhaps Anne will grace us loyal subjects with her presence.

The twilight tour will be followed by dinner in the Tudor dining suite and a talk about the Boleyns by our guest speaker – David Loades.

Day 8 – Tuesday 9^th October

After breakfast we travel by coach to Windsor Castle for a guided tour.

An ancient castle dating back to the time of William the Conqueror- Windsor Castle does not immediately spark images of Anne Boleyn like the Tower of London and Hever Castle do but it is in fact a place she visited on many occasions.

Most notably, it is at Windsor Castle on the 1st September 1532 that Anne Boleyn received the title of marquis of Pembroke. It was a lavish ceremony witnessed by many members of the nobility.

In the summer of 1533, after Anne’s coronation, Henry refused to go on the usual summer progress due to Anne’s delicate condition and so the newlyweds retired to Windsor where Henry could hunt and Anne could wait patiently for her confinement and the birth of her ‘son’.

Apart from the Anne Boleyn connection, St. George’s chapel at Windsor Castle is the final resting place of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour.

After our tour of Windsor we travel by coach back to Hever Castle to prepare for what will be undoubtedly one of the highlights of the tour.

The setting for our farewell dinner is Hever Castle’s magnificent dining Hall!

The Hall is steeped in history and has been superbly restored with ornate panelling and a carved Minstrels’ Gallery.

We will arrive at the castle forecourt and enter across the drawbridge, with a reception drink served in either the Inner Hall or Castle Courtyard.

During dinner Tudor musicians playing from the carved Minstrel’s gallery will accompany us and Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn will dine with us!

After dinner the musicians will teach us some Tudor dances.

This will be an experience that will live on in your memory long after the event has passed. To dine within the space where Anne Boleyn, Mary and George would have dined with their parents and entertained guests including King Henry VIII himself is a dream come true for any Anne Boleyn and Tudor enthusiast.

After dinner and dancing we will return to our ‘chambers’ for our final night at Hever Castle.

Day 9 – Wednesday 10^th October

After breakfast we say our farewells to Hever Castle and each other and travel by coach to London Victoria Coach Station where the tour will end.

Proceed to Dates and Costs.