Visit to Kennilworth

We went to Kennilworth over the weekend to see the new Elizabeth gardens that English Heritage have painstakingly researched and recreated.
The castle itself is huge and mostly in ruins, only the gatehouse and stable block are in use and there is a very good exhibition of the life of the castle and who lived there. The gate house has been restored to the setting of the people who lived in there in the 1930's together with an exhibition of Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley Earl of Leicester. This is very good and holds your interest well throughout.
The real centrepiece of the visit was the knot gardens. The privy gardens that Dudley created to impress Elizabeth in the summer progress of 1575. They are superb, and the sort of place that you can go back to at different times of the year and see something different. next year the plants will be a little bit more mature and will be a splendid site in the springtime.

We also went to see Kimbolton Castle and Buckden Towers, two places that are important in the later life of Catherine of Aragon. Buckden is a tranquil place that is now owned by the Claretian Missionaries and Kimbolton has been a school for a number of years and is not generally open to the public. In the nearby parish church there is the only Tiffany stained glass window in a parish church in England and worth a little look.

www.tudorhistorytours.com

Henry VIII study day at Parham House Sussex.

I had a superb day yesterday at Parham House near Storrington in Sussex built in 1557.see www.parhaminsussex.co.uk.
A whole day set aside to study all about Henry VIII and how he lived, how splendid is that?
Sitting in the Great hall at Parham full of people and with a larger than life portrait of Robert Dudley Earl of Leicester gazing down on me from one side and Elizabeth I from another was inspiring to say the least.
Author and historian Robert Hutchinson started the day with a talk on Henry and his failing health and ailments later in his life.
Marc Meltonville from Hampton Court Palace kitchens gave a facinating talk on the food prepared for Henry. Dr Sue Berry spoke on the property owning courtiers and how they managed up and down the greasy pole of the Tudor Court.
Professor Maurice Howard talked about the construction and Architecture of Tudor houses. Finally medical man Steve Bacon, not only spoke but gave some practical demonstrations of the perils of letting medical men near you in Tudor times including handing round live leeches for us to inspect!!.

All in all a truly great day in a wonderful setting and thanks to Parham House staff for putting the day on.

www.tudorhistorytours.com

Warrior Queen

I went to Upnor castle near Rochester in Kent today. The only Castle that Elizabeth I ordered to be built in her entire Reign. It's mostly still original and is evocative of the Tudor period. It was used in the defence of the Realm right up to the second world war. It is where according to local sources that the immortal words " Britannia Rules The waves" were first spoken when Elizabeth visited the castle.

See the program of tours for next year that will include Elizabeth- The Child, the Lover and Warrior Queen

www.tudorhistorytours.com

Elizabeth I famous Armada speech

I made a visit to Tilbury last week to see the Fort and the place where Elizabeth I gave her most stirring speech " I am come amung you...." only by a chance meeting with a great local character who explained where it is and the help of the landowner of the Manor and church was I able to find it. What a surprise it was, after a walk behind the church and through the graveyard to come across an isolated spot with a majestic view over the Thames Estuary. Maybe the locals don't want the spot to be a large tourist attraction as the village pub is called the Kings Head. I do think though that English Heritage should fund a plaque on the spot.