A little bit of a transport problem this morning, it failed to turn up for an hour to take us to Sudeley, sometimes things got little wrong. On the plus side, it was supposed to be raining yet we had sun and a bit more sun and dry all day, which meant we could enjoy the outdoor part of the day.
Sudeley is such a peaceful place, set in islation near the village of Winchcombe deep in the Cotswolds. It is mostly a ruin blown apart by Cromwell's forces during the civil war, but it was partially restored in 1837 and it's still the family home of the person who restored it.
It is where Catherine Parr, Henry VIII's sixth wife, lived after she married Thomas Seymour after Henry died. It's where she died shortly after childbirth two years later. She now lies peacefully in the chapel within the grounds of the castle in a suitable tomb on the left hand side of the chancel. The grounds are not yet in full bloom so not as colourful as they might be. But inside they still have the exhibition of costumes from David Starkey's series of the six wives of Henry VIII.
On to Kenilworth, where not exactly within the Six Wives story, never-the-less has a very important place in the Tudor century. It is where Elizabeth I came on her grand progress in 1575 and Robert Dudley spent two weeks and a vast amount of money to get Elizabeth to marry him, all to no avail. It ruined him financialy, English Heritage spent £3million two years ago just to re-create the Privy garden. What with all the pageants and displays, games and hunting Dudley must have spent a small fortune.
Lets hope the weather is as dry and sunny tomorrow.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment