Recent Posts

Evening Lectures at Hampton Court Palace

Just a quick post to share with you some wonderful lectures and events that will be taking place over the next few months at Hampton Court Palace. The focus is on Elizabeth I and her court, exploring everything from what they ate to what medicine they used. According to HRP "This autumn, we look at Henry's most famous daughter, Elizabeth I. The ultimate survivor, Elizabeth outlived her Tudor half-siblings, and became queen, reigning for 44 years in what is often regarded as a 'Golden … [Read More...]

The Finale of our Tudor Summer Progress

I would just like to take this opportunity to say a very big thank you to Mike for sharing his wonderful trip with us. I have enjoyed his posts very much and learnt a lot! I hope that you will join me in thanking him for taking the time to write in such detail about each of the fascinating locations he visited and I would appreciate it very much if you left a comment of thanks if you too have enjoyed his posts as much as I have. If you would like to join me on a Tudor progress with a … [Read More...]

Eltham Palace and Chelsea Old Church

Tudor Summer Progress - Day 5 By Mike Glaeser While I couldn't make it out to Bosworth where the Tudor dynasty began, I did make it to another location where the life of Henry VIII first took form. Although born at Greenwich, Henry spent most of his childhood in the close quarters of Eltham Palace. It was here that he first learned to read and write under the tutelage of his mother, Elizabeth of York. It was also at Eltham where the Humanist scholar Erasmus first met the young Prince. … [Read More...]

King’s College Chapel & Trinity College Gatehouse

Tudor Summer Progress- Day 4 by Mike Glaeser So much for Boswoth…I effectively audibled my audible. The end result is that I ended up on a train to Cambridge, situated one-hour north on the rails. In this large college town (though nothing like a US college town) are two schools with heavy ties to the Tudors. King’s is up first and rightly so for an entire half of its structure is a monument to the Tudor dynasty. Henry VI placed the first stone for a new chapel and college in the … [Read More...]

A Tudor Summer Progress – Day 3

Hever Castle, St. Peter’s Church & St. Mary’s at Lambeth by Mike Glaeser My white shoes got to stay that way after all. Don’t know how it happened but we had blue skies with some clouds and sun mixed in. 71 degrees…excellent weather for walking around in the countryside. Getting to Hever Castle is a bit of a trek. After a 30 mile train ride, you get to walk the remaining two miles across farmland. Calm, relaxing and fun. Hever Castle, as we all know, is the childhood home of Anne … [Read More...]

A Tudor Summer Progress – Day 2

Day 2 - Hampton Court Palace & National Portrait Gallery by Mike Glaeser Absolutely fantastic! Hmm, not enough for a report eh? Ok, let’s break it down then. Situated on the banks of the Thames River about a 30 minute train ride from London, Hampton Court is the epitome of wealth, majesty and power. The name is derived from two old Saxon words: “hamm” meaning “bend in a stream” and “ton” meaning “settlement”. Its origins nearly date to that time as well. Before Cardinal … [Read More...]

A Tudor Summer Progress – Day 1

Day One: Windsor Castle by Mike Glaeser The first challenge of this trip occurred even before I could land. My flight was delayed which put my 11:45 round tower tour at risk. I literally made it with two minutes to spare so let’s start from that point! The Round Tower is the central keep of Windsor. It has been on the site in one form or another since the 1100?s when it was made of wood. William the Conqueror is responsible for starting construction on the tower and the castle itself. … [Read More...]

A 16th Century Treasure

On the Tudor Trail reader, Jessica, recently contacted me to share some information about a book her grandfather has in his rare and antique book collection. The book was purchased in London in the early 1990s from an antique book dealer. It is a collection of ten poems by the Roman poet Lucan, entitled De Bello Civili ('On the Civil War'), about the civil war between Caesar and Pompey. Printed in Lyon, France in 1547 by Sebastian Gryphius (a German bookseller-printer and humanist), it was … [Read More...]

Anne Boleyn’s Nightgown

I was doing some reading into Tudor fashion and came across some interesting information about a nightgown that Henry VIII, in 1532, ordered from John Malte as a gift for the Lady Anne Boleyn. Nightgowns in Tudor time were the equivalent of a modern day dressing gown. In 1530, George Cavendish hurried to court to share the news of Cardinal Wolsey’s death. In his own words: ‘The next day I was sent for to the King, conducted by Mr. Norris, where the King was in a nightgown of rochet … [Read More...]

An interview with Nell Gavin

I have just published my interview with Nell Gavin, author of Threads: The Reincarnation of Anne Boleyn. Threads was Nell Gavin's first novel published in 2001 and a William Faulkner Competition finalist for best novel. Here is the synopsis: It's 1970. Anne and Henry still have issues they need to address. It's been 434 years since they parted - on bad terms - and they haven't spoken since. Henry now has problems with alcohol, drugs and irresponsibility, and Anne is still holding onto a … [Read More...]

Haunted Hampton Court

One of my readers recently wrote in to share with me a strange experience he had whilst visiting Hampton Court Palace as a child. Like many other 'strange' experiences that take place at Hampton Court, this one occurred in the 'Haunted Gallery' where the ghost of Katherine Howard is said to make a final plea for mercy. Whether you believe in the paranormal or not, I think it is fascinating that so many people report unusual phenomena in this area of the palace. This is Joseph's … [Read More...]