Where History Happened – Day 1

After a grueling 24 hours of travel, I finally touched down at London Heathrow on the morning of Thursday May 10, bursting with anticipation. I have visited London on several occasions but this was the first time that a friend was meeting me on arrival (thank you Sarah!) and what made matters even more exciting was that, although we had been corresponding for a long time, this would be our first face to face meeting.

Luckily, I made it through customs unscathed and was overjoyed to see my suitcase on the carousel (the thought of spending more time in clothes that I had already been wearing for longer than I care to disclose, terrified me). I had no trouble finding Sarah amongst the sea of people waiting in the arrivals hall and after a warm welcome we were on our way!

The Swan Inn

We enjoyed a delicious lunch at a gorgeous little pub that welcomes dogs, a first for me, and then set out in search of Anne Boleyn. In case you are unaware, Sarah and I are co-authoring a non-fiction book, a guide to locations that Anne visited called, ‘In the Footsteps of Anne Boleyn’ that will be published by Amberley Publishing in the UK in 2013. So this ten-day adventure that we were about to embark on was all in the name of research.

The cold and rain could not dampen our enthusiasm and after ensuring that we had the necessities – waterproof pants and wellies – we headed out to visit the site of the old palace of Langley, a location that we know Anne Boleyn visited, as she wrote a letter to Cromwell and signed it, ‘At my Lord’s manor of Langley, 18 July 27 Hen. VIII.’ If only we had more of Anne’s letters confirming all her travels.

Langley Farm

The site is now called Langley Farm and although extensively remodelled in 1858, incorporates 15th-16th and 18th century fabric, including Tudor walls on the north and west and a lovely bay-window of two storeys. It is now a residential home.

I had a lot of difficulty keeping my camera dry and spent much time wishing that I’d worn a jacket with a hood, not to mention being a little unnerved by a certain large horse loitering nearby. But it was all worth it in the end as we met the son of the current owner, who very kindly offered to show us around the site. He pointed out where the pleasure gardens were likely to have been and shared with us what he knew of the history of the site.

As I looked around, at the now empty field littered with cow patties (thank goodness for the wellies!), I imagined Queen Anne in her sumptuous gown, walking with her ladies in the manicured gardens, breathing in the scents of summer. The auburn highlights in her otherwise dark hair, catching the sun and her black, sensuous eyes, glistening.

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to go inside the house but we did see HE initials on the outside of the home, commemorating Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. I stood for some time amazed that they were over 500 years old!

HE initials

Marble Tomb of the Fettiplaces

We left Langley, muddy as ever and visited St Mary’s Church Swinbrook, not an Anne Boleyn location but close by and so worth a visit. The church houses the intricate and beautiful, seventeenth century marble tombs of the Fettiplaces. I was surprised to see that the date on one of the monuments was the 10^th of May 1562 and the date of our visit coincidentally, the 10^th of May…

From there we went to Minster Lovell Hall, once the grand home of the Lovells.

I found the ruins of this 15^th century manor house incredibly atmospheric and relished in walking through the crumbling remains set alongside the River Windrush. I imagined the people that had walked there before me and breathed in the history, concluding that ruins give you the freedom to exercise your imagination more than other more complete sites.

Minster Lovell Hall

Day 1 of our research trip had been a success, minus the pouring rain of course.

By now I had been awake for an obscene amount of time and was physically exhausted but at the same time felt re-energized from a day of walking where history happened – my favourite pastime!

Stay tuned for my reflections on day 2, which included a visit to the site of the old Palace of Woodstock and a tour of Chenies Manor in Buckinghamshire.

All photographs are copyright of Natalie Grueninger and may not be copied without permission.

More pictures from Day 1

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