Whilst walking on the nature trail at Herstmonceux castle we came across our first bluebells of the season nestling in a really sunny sheltered spot near the folly by the lake. So spring is here at last, traditionally the first cuckoo is heard on the 10th of April but we didn't hear it. 90% of the worlds common bluebells are found only in britain and most of those in the South East. It's always a pleasure to get out walking in the spring.
Herstmonceux castle ( herst-mon-zoo) holds a special place, it's the first brick built castle in the country 1441, not a castle really but a crennelated manor house that is defensible with a moat. It is still one of the most significant brick built buildings in the country.
The Royal Greenwich Observatory took over the place in 1957 and built a number of telescopes, some of which are still used by the local astronomical society to have a look at a celestial event. The RGO moved out in the late 80's as most of the real observing is done in the Canary Islands now, since then the place has been owned by Queens University of Onatario, as the International Science and Study Centre, what a great place to come and study!
I used to work there when it was the RGO over 20 years ago and there was some fantastic childrens Christmas parties with loads of kids running about the place trying to find the treasure and rescue the princess from the tower. The place is also a wedding venue and the bridal suite is in one of the turrets, how cool is that?
The castle holds and annual medieval festival in August and its now the largest of it's type and lasts three days. It's now in it's 18th year and Tudor history tours will attend the festival on the August tour.
http://www.tudorhistorytours.com/
Wednesday, 14 April 2010
Friday, 9 April 2010
Smallhythe Place
Smallhythe is just a simple gem of a place that you stumble across almost by accident. A village set in the heart of the Kent countryside that was in Tudor times a hive of shipbuilding activity. The Great Harry, Henry VIII's warship was built here and Smallhythe Place was the Harbourmasters house and office built in 1514.
The house was purchased in 1899 by the actress Ellen Terry and the house is a shrine to her with costumes diplays and lots of theatre artifacts. Ellen Terry was hugely famous in her day and she died in 1928. After her death, her daughter set about turning the old barn, built in 1560, out the back garden into a theatre. And how she has succeeded. It's so small only 77 seats and they have performances in the summer. The seats were bought by the great and good of the British theatre and music, Paul McCartney has his name one one ( he only lives about 4 miles away). A very beautiful and peaceful place to go to nestling on a slight rise above the silted up river plain.
Only 50 yards away is the Parish church built in 1516-17 during the reign of Henry VIII. It is unusual, built of red brick brought over from flanders and the stepped gable ends are sure sign of Dutch influence. In 1509 an order was issued by Archbishop Warham that the parishoners were allowed to elect their own priest. This privelege was unique in the whole Kingdom and was to last for more that 400 years. Sadly the stained glass windows are relatively modern replaced in 1952 after the original was destroyed by a V1 rocket in 1944.
Just to finish the day off nearby is Chapel Down vinyard that sells very good English wines. All in all a beautiful place to visit.
http://www.tudorhistorytours.com/
The house was purchased in 1899 by the actress Ellen Terry and the house is a shrine to her with costumes diplays and lots of theatre artifacts. Ellen Terry was hugely famous in her day and she died in 1928. After her death, her daughter set about turning the old barn, built in 1560, out the back garden into a theatre. And how she has succeeded. It's so small only 77 seats and they have performances in the summer. The seats were bought by the great and good of the British theatre and music, Paul McCartney has his name one one ( he only lives about 4 miles away). A very beautiful and peaceful place to go to nestling on a slight rise above the silted up river plain.
Only 50 yards away is the Parish church built in 1516-17 during the reign of Henry VIII. It is unusual, built of red brick brought over from flanders and the stepped gable ends are sure sign of Dutch influence. In 1509 an order was issued by Archbishop Warham that the parishoners were allowed to elect their own priest. This privelege was unique in the whole Kingdom and was to last for more that 400 years. Sadly the stained glass windows are relatively modern replaced in 1952 after the original was destroyed by a V1 rocket in 1944.
Just to finish the day off nearby is Chapel Down vinyard that sells very good English wines. All in all a beautiful place to visit.
http://www.tudorhistorytours.com/
Thursday, 8 April 2010
Walmer and Deal castles
On a beautiful dry and sunny day we visited first Walmer and then just a mile away Deal castles. These are two thirds of the castles in the Downs, the third, Sandown was was largely demolished in the 19th Century.
These castles were built by Henry VIII in 1539 as part of the coastal defences to prevent beach landings. Deal is the largest, strong and sturdy, and right on the beach. It has largely been left as it was in Tudor times save for an update in the 1700's. You can wander around the clover leaf construction and go deep into the powder store below the keep.
Anne of Cleves landed here and stayed briefly at the castle on her way to marry Henry in December 1539 and the place still has that Tudor atmosphere. It's not too much stretch of the imagination to see her walking around the corner. It is said that you could see the glow from the Fire ships that scattered the Spanish Armada from this castle.
Walmer castle on the other hand is very much a lived in castle, as it has been the official home of the Lord Warden of the Cinque ports since 1708, and still occupied as such.
Walmer is also a clover leaf design and construction, but the place is very much alive with the famous men and women who have inhabited the official quaters.
People like the Duke of Wellington, William Pitt the Younger, WH Smith (yes the newsagent). Sir Winston Churchill and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.
All of them have left a mark on the castle in some way or other and there are many exhibitions to see inside. Outside the Queen Mother has left a beautiful walled garden but because we have had such a cold winter the plants are not yet in bloom. There were activities going on in the extensive and well tended gardens, story telling and music by a travelling troup and much face painting for the kids.
The castle looks and feels much different to Deal and it's Tudor heart is hard to find, but deep in the powder store under the keep you can hear it beating.
www.tudorhistorytours.com
These castles were built by Henry VIII in 1539 as part of the coastal defences to prevent beach landings. Deal is the largest, strong and sturdy, and right on the beach. It has largely been left as it was in Tudor times save for an update in the 1700's. You can wander around the clover leaf construction and go deep into the powder store below the keep.
Anne of Cleves landed here and stayed briefly at the castle on her way to marry Henry in December 1539 and the place still has that Tudor atmosphere. It's not too much stretch of the imagination to see her walking around the corner. It is said that you could see the glow from the Fire ships that scattered the Spanish Armada from this castle.
Walmer castle on the other hand is very much a lived in castle, as it has been the official home of the Lord Warden of the Cinque ports since 1708, and still occupied as such.
Walmer is also a clover leaf design and construction, but the place is very much alive with the famous men and women who have inhabited the official quaters.
People like the Duke of Wellington, William Pitt the Younger, WH Smith (yes the newsagent). Sir Winston Churchill and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.
All of them have left a mark on the castle in some way or other and there are many exhibitions to see inside. Outside the Queen Mother has left a beautiful walled garden but because we have had such a cold winter the plants are not yet in bloom. There were activities going on in the extensive and well tended gardens, story telling and music by a travelling troup and much face painting for the kids.
The castle looks and feels much different to Deal and it's Tudor heart is hard to find, but deep in the powder store under the keep you can hear it beating.
www.tudorhistorytours.com
Tuesday, 6 April 2010
Southsea Castle
Over a busy Easter weekend we went to a few places, Southsea Castle being the first on Good Friday.
Southsea Castle was built by Henry VIII during the frenetic buillding period of 1544. It's a star shape with pointed bastions, built right on the point of land by what is now Southsea common and dominates the approach to Portsmouth harbour. The walls are very thick, over two metres and was used by the military right up to the second world war. Indeed the army insisted on still being able to fly the flag over the castle when it was handed over to civilian powers in 1960. It has been extended over the centuries but the Tudor Heart beats fiercely and the exhibition in the Keep is mainly of it's construction and garrision during the Tudor period. Some of the
Climbing up a narrow stone stairway to the bastions, I was greeted by the sight of a huge cross channel ferry going to France passing so close by that I could have reached out and touched it. In fact the main shipping channel is only 200 yards off shore but the perspective is very deceiving.
It was here that Henry was standing during the naval battle with the French off Spithead in 1545 when he saw the Mary Rose sink. This scene is depicted in full on the Cowdray engraving, it shows Henry onshore and just the mast tops of the Mary Rose above the water with a few of the crew trying to swim for their lives. You can easily see the wreck bouy from the bastions about 400 yards offshore. The Mary Rose sank because she was turning about and her lower gunports were open, a sudden gust of wind keeled her over a bit more and water poured into the open gunports.
Last Friday the tide in the Solent was as high as I've ever seen it and the wind was driving the seas onshore. The waves were crashing over the prominade making walkers dash for safety. If the wind that day the ship sank was as anything like last week it's not too surprising that she keeled over.
More about our Easter weekend to follow.
http://www.tudorhistorytours.com/
Southsea Castle was built by Henry VIII during the frenetic buillding period of 1544. It's a star shape with pointed bastions, built right on the point of land by what is now Southsea common and dominates the approach to Portsmouth harbour. The walls are very thick, over two metres and was used by the military right up to the second world war. Indeed the army insisted on still being able to fly the flag over the castle when it was handed over to civilian powers in 1960. It has been extended over the centuries but the Tudor Heart beats fiercely and the exhibition in the Keep is mainly of it's construction and garrision during the Tudor period. Some of the
Climbing up a narrow stone stairway to the bastions, I was greeted by the sight of a huge cross channel ferry going to France passing so close by that I could have reached out and touched it. In fact the main shipping channel is only 200 yards off shore but the perspective is very deceiving.
It was here that Henry was standing during the naval battle with the French off Spithead in 1545 when he saw the Mary Rose sink. This scene is depicted in full on the Cowdray engraving, it shows Henry onshore and just the mast tops of the Mary Rose above the water with a few of the crew trying to swim for their lives. You can easily see the wreck bouy from the bastions about 400 yards offshore. The Mary Rose sank because she was turning about and her lower gunports were open, a sudden gust of wind keeled her over a bit more and water poured into the open gunports.
Last Friday the tide in the Solent was as high as I've ever seen it and the wind was driving the seas onshore. The waves were crashing over the prominade making walkers dash for safety. If the wind that day the ship sank was as anything like last week it's not too surprising that she keeled over.
More about our Easter weekend to follow.
http://www.tudorhistorytours.com/
Thursday, 1 April 2010
Fit for a King
The new exhibition called Fit for as King opened today in the White Tower at the Tower of London. No it's not an April fools joke it's real.
I was there a few weeks ago on a research visit and amidst all the carpenters, curators, armourers and technicians the exhibition was taking shape. A lot of the gallery was cordoned off to keep the public back behind the rope line, but it was taking shape. It will be stunning, I can't wait to see it finished myself. It shows 500 years of armour and arms Fit for a King, suits of Armour made for the likes of Henry VIII are on display, some rarely seen by the public.
I will report on the full exhibition in due course when we next visit.
www.tudorhistorytours.com
I was there a few weeks ago on a research visit and amidst all the carpenters, curators, armourers and technicians the exhibition was taking shape. A lot of the gallery was cordoned off to keep the public back behind the rope line, but it was taking shape. It will be stunning, I can't wait to see it finished myself. It shows 500 years of armour and arms Fit for a King, suits of Armour made for the likes of Henry VIII are on display, some rarely seen by the public.
I will report on the full exhibition in due course when we next visit.
www.tudorhistorytours.com
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