Courses, Talks and Workshops at Historic Royal Palaces

The Historic Royal Palaces offers an excellent adult learning programme led by their team of curators and conservators, alongside special guest speakers and highly respected experts.

You can download the full list of courses, talks and workshops being offered in Spring 2011 here (be patient, does take some time to download).

A couple of the courses that sound really interesting are ‘Prisoners of the Tower’ and ‘Real Tennis’. Here are the details provided by the Historic Royal Palaces:

Prisoners of the Tower

Afternoon School With Royal Armouries Curators

Date Time Cost

Wednesday 18 May

2pm – 4.30pm £20 / £18 HRP members

Possibly carved by Lady Jane Grey's husband, located in the upper chamber of the Beauchamp Tower at the Tower of London.

There are no cells at the Tower of London and the site was never formally assigned the status of a prison, but the fortress nature of the Tower meant that it was a safe place to keep high- ranking political and religious prisoners who threatened the ruling status quo. And with such a long and illustrious list of prisoners, many myths have arisen over the years about how they were treated and what they endured for their beliefs. Even today, it is difficult to separate fact from fiction.

In this afternoon school, Royal Armouries staff will provide valuable insight into the nature of imprisonment at the Tower of London, allowing delegates a privileged opportunity to view their unique collection. This is a fascinating opportunity to see historical documents on imprisonment during the Tudor and Elizabethan eras, as well as artefacts and memorabilia from the 19th and 20th centuries relating to political and military prisoners. Delegates will even have the opportunity to come face to face with a dagger belonging to the man who tried to steal the Crown Jewels, Colonel Blood!

This event includes refreshments and entry to the Tower of London.

Real Tennis at Hampton Court Palace

Talk and tour

Led by Lesley Ronaldson, Guide Lecturer and Real Tennis Professional

Date Time Cost

Saturday 18 June

2pm – 4.30pm £20 / £18 HRP members

Real Tennis 17th century

The Royal Tennis Court at Hampton Court Palace is the oldest tennis court in use in the world — and the rules of the game have not changed for centuries. Stripped of its special rules for serving and chases, the game is simple to understand. Each player strives to get the ball over the net and in doing so may use any wall — as in squash.

Before enjoying the Wimbledon Championships, join Tennis Pro, Lesley Ronaldson, for a talk and tour on Real Tennis. After a talk on Tudor sports and pastimes, Lesley will lead you through Cardinal Wolsey’s designated sporting area of the palace, show you the second court on which Henry also used to play and then welcome you to the Royal Tennis Court, where she will provide commentary for a game underway before you have an opportunity to have a ‘go’ yourself.

This event includes refreshments and entry to Hampton Court Palace.

Other courses on offer include The Tower and Photography, Royal Beasts, Writing the Tudors and The Red Queen.

To book online visit www.hrp.org.uk/ adultlearning and choose your event.

By phone

To book over the phone call Historic Royal Palaces on 0844 482 7799

There is a £2 transaction charge for all bookings made through the booking line above.

For detailed information on any of our events or to speak to the education team continue to call 020 3166 6646