Tudor sites in UK?

This website seems to have some interesting info on what you are looking for:

http://www.ukstudentlife.com/Britain/History/Sightseeing/Medieval.htm

As does this website:

http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/Tudors.htm

This book may also be of interest:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Heart-England-Medieval-Amateur-Historians/dp/1892123657

Is Mary, Queen of Scots too tangential? There's the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh and IIRC she was crowned at Stirling.

Hampton Court is a MUST esp now they have added re-enactment characters I was just there for Christmas and got to be in a photo with Henry and being
at Hampton it was a thrill even if
he dint look like Jonathan Ryes Myers.

I have been to Sudeley Castle which is located near Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, England. It is where Katherine Parr died. It was a book on her that got me interested in all of this. I had done extensive reading on
her and this place and read it was suppose to be haunted started discussing it with a Guide who worked there and totally freaked her out as that was the first she heard
and she had to close the curtains at night in the room that I told her was haunted.

St James Park *my favorite park in the whole world has a Tudor connection:

the park came into being in 1532 when Henry the Eighth acquired an area of water meadow near Westminster as a royal chase

Henry's daughter Elizabeth the First also enjoyed the park, holding various celebrations and entertainments here

A couple more:

St James's Palace in London
http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/page589.asp

Jewel Tower - the only remaining building of the Palace of Westminster

Can someone tell me more about Fulham Palace? Hard to tell how much Tudor-era buildings remain from its website.
http://www.fulhampalace.org/

BTW, if you have been to a Tudor site that I haven't not mentioned, would you mind giving a little info instead of just mentioning a name?

I don't think any explanation is needed for Tower of London, HCP, Windsor Castle, or Westminster Abbey.

I'll say a few words about:
Eltham Palace - the Tudor great hall still exists, and merged with the modern house built by the Courtaulds. Definitely worth a visit.

Christ Church - originally named Cardnial College as it was started by Cardinal Wolsey, but renamed after Wolsey was ousted.

Sutton House - the oldest-existing house in East London. Several rooms still retain wood paneling dated back to the Tudor times. Other rooms were shown in Georgian and Victorian decor.

Hatfield House - Elizabeth was staying there when she became queen. See wikipedia entry for more.

Hi
The National Portrait Gallery has some magnificent Tudor paintings which might bring everything even more to life for you when you visit the various sites,
www.npg.org.uk/collections/explore/by-period/tudor.php

It's hard to think of Elizabeth I without thinking of William Cecil, first Lord Burghley - so how about Burghley House?

http://www.burghley.co.uk/t2_whatis.asp

Cheers.

I don't know if any Tudor monarchs visited it, but Little Moreton Hall in Cheshire is a Tudor gem

http://www.manchester2002-uk.com/history/history5.html

Knole, at Sevenoaks in Kent; it was seized by Henry VIII from the Archbishop of Canterbury,and given to Thomas Sackville by Elizabeth I, his cousin. It remains in that family I believe.

One of my favourite places in London when I lived there I would visit Fulham Palace weekly,it was always on my cycle routehttp://www.fulhampalace.org/.

Hardwick Hall:

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-hardwickhall

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bess_of_Hardwick

Linlithgow Palace west of Edinburgh is where Mary, Queen of Scots was born. It's a ruin now but still interesting to visit. The fountain there was sometimes used for wine rather than water.

Ooooooh, great thread! I must go to Hatfield House! I am reading "I, Elizabeth" now, and am mad for anything Tudor.

Pembroke Castle. Where Harri Tudur (Henry VII) was born.

Ludlow Castle.

Where Katherine of Aragon lived when she was married to Arthur, Henry's elder brother, and where he died.

Henry send Princess Mary to live there for several years when she was young.

http://www.ludlowcastle.com/Pages/history.aspx

Great info!

crdtny - can you tell me more about Fulham Palace? How much is left of the Tudor era there?

Thornbury Castle near Bristol is a luxury hotel with strong connections to Henry VIII - he stayed here with Anne Boleyn when they were on their grand tour. !0 days according to the website...

http://www.thornburycastle.co.uk/default.asp?Page=history_2

There are several places in the Cotswolds with Tudor connections - Hailes Abbey, which Henry later had ransacked in the Dissolution, then he gave it to Katherine Parr. Sudeley Castle is another place visited by Henry and Anne.

Closer to London is Sutton Place, a former Getty residence. Built and owned by the family of Sir Francis Weston, later executed by Henry for his supposed adultery with Anne. She is supposed to have visited him here. There is a trilogy of books based on the history of Sutton Place, and its alleged curse, by Dinah Lampitt/Deryn Lake

http://www.derynlake.com/sutton.php

I'll post more if I think of any.

No I know you would never consider a tour like this, yk, but there are quite a few references to other Tudor Monarch specific sites...

http://tinyurl.com/cgycl6

Can someone tell me anything about the Banqueting Hall in London? Is there any tudor remains (ie York Place that belonged to Cardinal Wolsey) within the Banqueting Hall complex?

Also, does Lambeth Palace in London count?
http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/1510

For YK
As a child I played games in Bishops Park just by Putney Bridge where the annual boat race starts.
Later in life I acquired an allotment adjoining the palace so I would be visiting there with friends on cycle trips very often.
I used to reach the palace from Putney Bridge just near the underground and cycle on a path just next to the Thames At the entrance to the grounds there are pillers on either side and a quaint small lodge on your left.Directly in front is the entrance to the palace courtyard with a fountain in the middle.Rumour has it from the workers.... the fountain was built on the site where witches were burnt.One day whilst sitting in the courtyard enjoying the peace and tranquility I got into conversation with one of the caretakers and he told me of a ghostly event both himself and another collegue witnessed.He also informed me of some Bishop of old who used to take girls there and do strange things to them.
The entrance to the courtyard has a very old wooden entrance and the brickwork of the building consists of smallish bricks.The courtyard has cobbled stones.
At the side of the palace is a small museum which has various items from the past.
I seem to recall reading somewhere Henry eight stayed there.
Around to the front of the palace is a lawn with benchs where one can sit and enjoy viewing the many different types of trees.
My favourite part of the palace grounds is the herb garden next to the original tudor wall with a beautiful arched entrance to the lawn in front of the palace.The herb garden was planted I believe by William of Orange.There is a plaque nearby with details.If ever I had roast lamb for Sunday dinner I always got my "rosemary" from the garden.Most locals did the same.
I have never seen a foreign tourist at Fulham Palace in all the times I have been there.
The church near the entrance to Bisops Park was where the film "The Omen" was filmed.Also again an old rumour about the church every year at a certain date a ghostly figure circles the church three times.
Many places nearby have names relevant to the Palace
The Mitre Public House
Bishops Road
Fulham Palace Road
Bishops Park etc
Coming from Hampton Court in days of old you would pass Fulham Palace on the way to Thomas Mores house fairly nearby further up the Thames towards Battersea Bridge and of course if you were on your way to the TOWER.???????????
http://www.touruk.co.uk/london_houses/fulhampalace_house1.htm
http://www.ahsoc.fsnet.co.uk/royal-ley/fulpal.htm
http://www.qype.co.uk/place/38594-Fulham-Palace-London
http://www.aboutbritain.com/museumoffulhampalace.htm

crdtny - Thank you for all the information. I'll definitely put Fulham Palace on the list for my next visit to London. Based on the Weir's book I'm reading, Katherine of Aragon also stayed at Fulham Palace for quite some time during the years of her widowhood - when she was betrothed to marry Prince Henry but King Henry VII was still wishy-washy about going forward with the marriage.

I think you were the one who brought by Prince Henry's room as well as St Etheldreda's in another thread some time last year???

yk
Worked in Lincolns Inn for over twenty years and lived in Fulham a long time.Another interesting story abouy the Fulham Palace area...Putney Bridge was where the mass murderer CHRISTIE was arrested.A policeman on river patrol on his boat saw a man on the bridge and thought he looked like Christie.He stopped the boat went up to the bridge and said "are you Christie"..it was him he was arrested and later hanged... several films were made of his life.
Whilst Fulham Palace is no Hampton Court it appealed to me because most of the time I was sitting in the courtyard I was the only person there.Hope you find it and let me know what you think.
Regards from UK.
crd

Two more:

Kimbolton Castle in Cambridgeshire; now part of Kimbolton School. This is where Katherine of Aragon spent the last days of her life after Henry VIII divorced her. She died here.
Some remains of the Tudor-era rooms survive.
http://www.kimbolton.cambs.sch.uk/thecastle.htm

Peterborough Cathedral
http://www.peterborough-cathedral.org.uk
Katherine of Aragon was buried here, her tomb can still be visited today. The Cathedral was not sacked during the dissolution of the monasteries due to Katherine's tomb there.

Leicester Abbey in Leicester Abbey Park. The abbey is in ruins but can still be seen. The abbey is where Cardinal Wolsey died, during his trip from York to London (likely to face death penalty there anyway).
http://www.leicester.gov.uk/index.asp?pgid=1944

On the other side of the nave at Peterborough cathedral from KofA's tomb (itself these days the centre of a kind of Aragonese nationalism minicult) is the tomb of Mary Queen of Scots. Oddly, whereas the plaque at Smithfield to William Wallace has become a sort of ScotNat shrine, Mary Stuart's tomb hasn't.

My understanding is that while Mary Queen of Scots was buried at Peterborough Cathedral, her remains have been moved to Westminster Abbey? So her tomb at Peterborough Cathedral is empty.

tower of london seems a bit odd (ok for all the royal families since 1060 but... might be worth checking if the armour you may want to see is still there as loads has been moved up the armories museum in Leeds, West Yorkshire.

" her remains have been moved to Westminster Abbey? So her tomb at Peterborough Cathedral is empty."

Could be. The tomb's still interesting as a tomb, and there's a ton of stuff about her

The Vyne http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Vyne is a National Trust property that was the home of Lord Sandys, who was Lord Chamberlain to Henry VIII. It's one of our favorite English historic houses.

If you are interested in Tudor sites you might like these two books I had while I was in London. They are about both the history and how to visit them.

The Amateur Historian's Guide to Medieval and Tudor London (Capital Travels) by Sarah Valente Kettler and Carole Trimble (2001)

The Amateur Historians' Guide to Medieval and Tudor England: Day Trips South of London - Dover, Canterbury, Rochester (Capital Travels) by Sarah Valente Kettler and Carole Trimble (2002)

There is a plaque in Greenwich at the remains of Greenwich Palace. Henry VIII, Mary I, and Elizabeth ! were born there.

St. Alfege Church, where Henry VIII was baptized, is also in Greenwich.

And I think I read there are some things in the Greenwich Maritime Museum.

See http://tudorswiki.sho.com/page/Greenwich+Palace?t=anon

>>Oddly, whereas the plaque at Smithfield to William Wallace has become a sort of ScotNat shrine, Mary Stuart's tomb hasn't.<<

There was a reason why she took refuge from Scotland in England....

yk I just read online yesterday that there would be a exhibit of King Henry VIII at the Tower starting in April. I caught an article (in the daily mail) about it. They showed Henry's armor suits. One from the age of about 20 or so and the other from the age of 40, it's estimated that his waist at 40 was about 52 inches.

I have read every piece of material about Henry and his wives I could get my hands on. Phillipa Gregory books too. And ain't wikipedia FANTASTIC?

I don't know how I missed this thread, but thanks for starting it.

Mamaw - thanks for the heads-up. I looked up the Tower of London website and found the info:

Henry VIII Dressed to Kill exhibition opens April 3rd
http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/WhatsOn/Dressedtokill.aspx

The British Library will also host a Henry VIII exhibition soon:

Henry VIII Man and Monarch
Opens April 23
http://www.bl.uk/henry

2009 is the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII's ascension to the throne, hence the numerous exhibitions.

I should start thinking about a trip to London.

The Banqueting House is the only building that remains of Whitehall Palace although there are bits visible inside the Cabinet Office (not open to the public). The present Banqueting House dates from 1619, so it's not Tudor. York Place was the Archbishop of York's town house, and it was the basis of Whitehall palace when Henry VIII confiscated it from Cardinal Wolsey.

You might like Sherborne Castle in Dorset, built by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1594.

Arundel Castle is also very interesting. Seat of the Dukes of Norfolk and their ancestors for over 850 years, who were major figures in Tudor times. The 3rd Duke was uncle to Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, and the 4th Duke was beheaded for plotting to marry Mary, Queen of Scots and depose Elizabeth I. Exhibits include some of Mary, Queen of Scots' personal possessions.

A former hunting lodge of Henry VIII stands near Bromley-by-Bow tube station, on the Blackwall Tunnel Approach Road. It's the oldest brick house in London, but it's not open to the public.

Queen Elizabeth's Hunting Lodge is open (built for Henry VIII in 1543).
It's on the edge of Epping Forest, near Chingford Railway Station.

You need to hurry to get a good view of Hampton Courthttp://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23605392-details/Hampton+Court+hotel+and+flats+get+go-ahead/article.do

About 16 years ago I was invited to a wedding at a mansion in Nonsuch Park.The building was of Tudor style but alas not original.After the wedding I made enquiries and discovered it was built on the site of Henry V111 hunting lodghttp://www.answers.com/topic/nonsuch-palacee.http://www.answers.com/topic/nonsuch-palace

I lived in Battersea Bridge Road which leads to Chelsea Bridge and every morning on the way to work I would pass the site of the home of St Thomas More.Nearby in Cheyne Walk was a plaque relating to a garden with mention of HenryV111.It was also near a club called the Sketch Club (very interesting place with great history and beautiful interior and very old fashioned at least when I was there last..it is in Dilke Street) where I was the first barman.Just next to Tite Street where Oscar Wilde lived prior to his stay at Reading Gaol.http://knowledgeoflondon.com/famous.html

Has anyone mentioned Syon Park? It was the site of Syon Abbey which was dissolved by Henry VIII, and given to Duke of Somerset, Lord Protector of Edward VI.

Katherine Howard was taken during the investigation period, before she was sent to the Tower.

Later in history, it was where Lady Jane Grey was offered the Crown.

From the website, it's hard to tell if any of the original building still survives. Plenty of movies were filmed there
http://www.syonpark.co.uk/index.asp

The authoritative source for finding out what remains of the pre-Reformation buildings on monastic property seized by Henry or his chums (which amount to about a quarter of England's land mass) is the Pevsner series 'The Buildings of England', now published by Yale University Press.

Many volumes (or rather, images of earlier editions) are available through Google book search: generally, guides (both human and printed) at sites themselves are useless on the subject, and heavy googling, or getting the relevant volume from a cheapo bookshop or your nearest major library, is the only way of getting an answer.

Syon House is visited mainly these days for its Robert Adam interiors. Since a huge proportion of England's great estates came into being from seizure of monastic property, and almost all the new owners built a residence that worked for a family, rather than a working community of celibates, there's almost zero interest in a few bits of rubble that might or might not be the relics of the monastic lavatories at any of the estates.

Simon Jenkins' 1000 Great Houses implies there's nothing Tudor or pre-Tudor at Syon - but consulting Pevsner might tell you different.

The Tudors really weren't that interested in building things, and even if they were their unsentimental successors tended to knock them down. Less than a dozen of England's 8,000 surviving pre-1600 churches, for example, were built after 1485 - though all 8,000 are stuffed with things the Tudors added, and all (except Fairford in Gloucestershire) are scarred with the devastation Tudor Prod fundamentalism wreaked in them.

What the Tudors put their energy into was soft stuff: studying, writing, making money, inventing modern English, social mobility, new uses for exotic veg (like potatoes and tobacco) political accountability, rewriting history and colonising America. I'd argue the most important Tudor was William Tyndale, whose translation of the bible was the basis for the Authorised Version (the committees credited with that version did lttle more than tweak Tyndale), which is really the basis for the language we're using now.

You'll find traces of him at Little Sodbury Manor, a bit east of Chipping Sodbury in Gloucerstershire: its 15th century Great Hall survives, but practicaly nothing else of the era. Tyndale, by repute, began his translation wehen working there as chaplain to Sir John Walsh in 1521.

He'd be turning in his grave if he knew how he's best remembered now: the Islington school named after him became a byword for awful teaching in the late 20th century - after earlier providing the children who sang "We don't want no education" on that Pink Floyd album. Appalling but an accurate reflection of its pupils' attitude: the overachieving parents of neighbouring Canonbury all sent their little ones to ancient establishments for which Tudor monarchs had written statutes ensuring 500 years of educational hothousing. The William Tyndale School's anti-education policy destroyed the lifechances only of less privileged Islingtonians.

Another thing the Henry Tudors were good at was re-badging their predecessors' projects to put their stamp on them and at the same time imply some continuity/legitimacy as a result. As an example, King's College Chapel in Cambridge, which, though started in the 1440s, has plenty of Tudor symbols in the finished stonework and windows.

What a simply fabulous thread. I wish I had stumbled across it before my recent trip to London. Well, there is always the NEXT trip.

Hi yk - you just hit on my specialist subject:

<<Middle Temple Hall in London (if only I could figure out how to get inside for a peek!)>>

if you look at the website for middle temple hall:

http://www.middletemple.org.uk/banqueting/lunch-in-hall.html

you will see that they cater for people just like you! I can't see any reson why they wouldn't let you have lunch as a guest, particularly if you give them plenty of notice.

alternatively, dress smartly [dark suit of some sort], look as if you know what you're doing, and copy everyone else! my recollection [I haven't done this for over 10 years] is that they give you a chit when you order or collect your starter, and then just add to it as you take hot dishes or cavery.

pay on the way out. [cash probably a good idea!]

the gardens are also well worth a look - inner temple's are the best, IMHO. the gates are open from about 12 noon til 2pm - just about enough time for a stroll after lunch. so if they won't let you into Hall [and you could try Inner temple too] go and get some sarnies from Temple Gate [opposite the Devereux pub] or Pret, and eat them in the gardens.

Have fun!

regards, ann

Hi ann-

Thanks for the tip. I'll try emailing them next time before my trip. Unfortunately, I travel for leisure only, and the idea of dressing "smartly" is not practical as I tend to walk miles and miles daily. Of course, if I stay at a hotel nearby, I can always go back and change.

I spent a little time at the Inner Temple Garden on my last trip. It was a grey and light drizzle day in November, so it wasn't exactly garden weather.

hi yk,

it doesn't have to be haute couture - after all, they let me in! black trousers and a shirt and jacket would be fine. shame you didn't see the gardens at their best - they are lovely in summer.

good luck with the e-mail - when are you going?

regards, ann

when are you going?

Sigh... don't know. I hope soon but no plans as of yet.

Don't forget the Essex and Cambridge links to the Tudors and Stuarts. Thaxted and Saffron Walden are about half way to Cambridge from London which is less than 60 miles.
You have to do a bit of spade work to see the subtle flavour of 500 years ago but it's rewarding to find it weathering in everyday high street surroundings. Here are a few snapshots: the mostly medieval street plan to Saffron Walden includes the tiny lanes where people sold goods out of homes (rather than shops) and you can see original oak shop window frames on about a dozen or more buildings (small and to the sides of buildings so look for ends of terraces such as the pair facing each other in the lane between King Street and George Street. The premises immediately to the north of the (very average) Saffron Hotel was where Henry 8th had his saddles made, while the antique shop in Church Street is where 100 years later Lord Halifax planned the destruction of Charles 1's army. Several rows of Tudor (and earlier) homes remain around the medieval church, many so tiny they have door headers at less than 5ft (get your photo of the pygmies of England!). The part Jacobean Audley End in Saffron Walden began as a gift to Thomas Audley from Henry 8th for his services as lord chancellor and later went back into royal ownership under Charles 2nd - its Elizabethan stable block is so big some mistake it for the house. Thaxted has a Tudor recorder's house, now a gift shop, has an ornate fireplace where Philip of Spain once posed for a portrait with a teenage Elizabeth (now in Madrid's Prado) and Thaxted has a unique charter owing it all to him. Elizabeth 1 would later return regularly to see her Earl of Essex in the picture postcard Hanham Hall just behind. Thaxted has a handful of extraordinary oak-framed 14th and 15th century buildings, including one house which is claimed to house highwayman Dick Turpin. (All we know for sure is that he was very active on the Cambridge road running past Audley End a couple of miles west.)

Interesting show starting tomorrow at Hampton Court

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23674409-details/King+Henry+re-weaves+history/article.do

Thanks crdtny!

Another Henry VIII exhibition opens at the British Library on April 23:
http://www.bl.uk/henry

2009 marks the 500th anniversary of Henry's ascent to the Crown, hence all these special exhibitions.

The British Library's blockbuster on Henry VIII starts April 23 (more or less the 500th anniversary of his accession) and runs to Sept 6. £9 for adults, but free for Friends (£25 a year).

Closely connected, apparently, with David Starkey's TV series on him. If it's not come to your country yet, you're in for a treat. Opinionated, lucid, enthusiastic and punctilious in its respect for its sources, it's the perfect antidote to the BBC's The Tudors nonsense. Includes his letters to Anne Boleyn - on loan from, of all places, the Vatican Library.

Probably keeping them for evidence at the Last Judgement.

That wasn't an attempt to trump yk. We were posting at he same time

The official Home Page is here:-
http://www.hrp.org.uk/HamptonCourtPalace/?gclid=CN6dpKaV5JkCFUgTzAoddiuYRw

Bookmarking

There's a special exhibition at Windsor Castle on H8 as well this year.

yk...

There was a fascinating programme on the UK's Channel 4 last night, about Henry VIII's lost palaces...


http://www.channel4.com/programmes/henry-viiis-lost-palaces

There is a catch-up link but I don't know if it will work for you in the US.

It was followed by the second part of a David Starkey series about Henry, the making of a Tyrant...

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/henry-viii-the-mind-of-a-tyrant

I hope you can get to see these, or at least you will know what to look out for when they cross the Atlantic to you, or are available on dvd.

Thank you, julia_t. Unfortunately, it cannot be viewed outside of UK. I do hope we will get to see this on TV, but if not, we'll look for it on DVD.

I'm think you get to see the David Starkey series in America. He's done other stuff on Henry and his Six Wives and I'm sure I've read it's been viewed in the US.

Shame you can't get to see the other programme. It was done by the Time Team people (led by Tony Robinson who was Baldric in BlackAdder all those years ago!). Do you get the Time Team shows, they are all about archaeology.

The one last night was investigating the palaces Henry built that have since disappeared. Hampton Court is heavily featured though Henry did poach it from Wolsey and extend it massively. They discovered the foundations of several towers built around the tilting field and the remnants of a 60m bowling alley. Not much remains of the other palaces such as Beaulieu (not to be confused with Beaulieu Abbey in Hampshire), Nonsuch (very Baroque, comparable with the Palazzo Spada in Rome), and Whitehall - though in the basements below the curent corridors of power are some wonderful rooms with vaulted fan ceilings. And I didn't know that Horseguard's Parade ground was in fact Henry's tilting/jousting field.

Like I said, it was fascinating and I am only sorry you can't view it!

Interesting article in The Telegraph with lots of information

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/artsandculture/5159510/Dr-David-Starkey-on-Henry-VIII-Houses-made-in-Henrys-image.html

I was in London on Monday and stayed with a friend who lives opposite Brompton cemetery. Always seem to find strange facts about the cemetery. He was in the theatre and whilst strolling in the cemetery he came across the grave of Louis Leonowens the son of Anna from King and I fame.

My visit to London was to get a wedding band. I first went to Leather Lane where there was a wholesaler of gold etc but could not find the premises. I popped around the corner to Hatton Garden and duly found and bought two rings.

I ventured to one of my favourite Pubs The Mitre Tavern in Ely Court to celebrate my purchase. The Cherry Tree, in the pub, is still in the glass case where it has always been. So nice to notice everything was the same as it was many moons ago when I was a more frequent visitor. St Etheldreds is just nearby.

Back home in Cardiff recovering from excess of alcohol. Not easy to recover after a bender after sixty.

The telegraph article was a fun read. One property mentioned in the article that hasn't been brought up on this thread is Ightham Mote.

From the article:
... Ightham Mote, a moated manor house in Kent, Dr Starkey's favourite Tudor property. For part of Henry's reign it was owned by one of his courtiers, Sir Richard Clement, and much of the Tudor fabric and atmosphere survives. "The interior there will take you nearer to a senior gentleman's house in the Tudor period than anywhere else," reckons Starkey.

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-ighthammote

Friends of mine actually live in Sevenoaks, so perhaps I can ask them to drive me there for a visit next time.

Interesting article about Chelsea flower show and Queen Elizabeth 1 perfume. Also mention about Hampton Court flower show.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23694576-details/Chelsea+winner+grows+his+own+ingredients+for+scent+of+Good+Queen+Bess/article.do

If I could pull off a visit to London during mid-July, that would be wonderful - Hampton Court Flower show plus an opera at ROH!

I'm not too sure that Philip actually came to England (must have made marriage to Mary a bit difficult) and there is a painting of Philip and Mary together (the paintings are together you understand) which makes Philip look like some sort of short legged goblin. Is there a link to a painting of Elizbeth and Philip?

For completeness' sake: did anyone mention Richmond Palace? There are a few pieces of it left. And Richmond is a nice stop on your way to Hampton Court Palace. We did it on a London Walks' excursion. Loved the boat trip on the Thames from Richmond to HCP, arriving just as Henry VII did on his barge.

has anyone mentioned the new elizabethan garden at Kenilworth Castle?

the idea is that it's based on the garden that Dudley had designed for Elizabeth when she came to visit.

ok, topping yet again...

ttt

The Inner Temple Gardens are to be opened on Sundays instead of just Mon to Fri.....really interesting place

http://www.timeout.com/london/around-town/event/160624/opening-of-inner-temple-gardens#details

my first reaction was "they are charging £3 to get in on sundays when during the week you can get in for free?" but then i saw it was for the NGS and there will be plant stalls, teas etc.

and the atmosphere of the Temple is something that should be experienced by everyone who visits London.

Hello Annhig.......I agree with what you say.....the area around the strand and Fleet Street is in my mind the most interesting in the whole of London.
I worked in that area for twenty years and whilst I hated my job I loved my lunch hours which were a constant stream of visits to old churches, roman ruins, buildings of note, famous pubs, obscure museums, old fashioned alley ways, hidden gardens, homes of the famous,theatres, book shops, etc.
A visit to the Temple is like stepping back in time...so much history.
When I worked in a solicitors office in Lincolns Inn I had frequently to visit barristers chambers in all the Inns of Court but always found both the interior and exterior of the buildings in the Temple to be fascinating. In some cases the interiors were like a"crazy house" you would find at funfairs.The stairs and landings, with the passage of time, would be all crooked and leaning in different directions.
Best pubs in London to be found in this area.
I dont live in London anymore but when I did I always got my tea at Twinings opposite the Law courts. I wonder if it is still there.Also an interesting pub nearby is the Deveraux. You could spend the night there if you had too much to drink. I wonder if they still let out rooms.......happy memories of my wanderings amidst the watering holes and historical sites around the Temple.

''(All we know for sure is that he was very active on the Cambridge road running past Audley End a couple of miles west.)''

That's my drive home from work every evening (can't face the M11 twice in one day!). I haven't run into Dick yet, but see Audley End every evening. Very picturesque - especially when they are playing cricket by the lake, or have the illuminated boat on the water. I also second the recommendations for Saffron Walden - a lovely town.

To bring this thread full circle, James Frain (who played Cromwell in The Tudors) grew up in the same town as me and was in the same school year. We both went to school out of town, and used to get the train in the mornings......

There is also a thread on slowtrav that may be of interest:

http://slowtalk.com/groupee/forums/a/tpc/f/6466056284/m/3611053353?r=3091066873#3091066873

I know this post is old, but I have found it so helpful for planning my possible London trip. I hoping someone will be able to answer my question.

I would like to see the tombs of King Henry the VIII, his wives and his children. I know Ann is buried in the chapel that's part of the Tower of London, but I can't find anything on their website about the chapel. Is it possible to get into the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula and see the plaque?

Are King Henry and Jane Seymour's tombs accessible? Queen Elizabeth I??

Thanks for your help in advance!

Henry VIII and Jane Seymour are in St George's Chapel, Windsor, and Elizabeth I at Westminster Abbey:

http://www.findagrave.com/php/famous.php?page=pr&FSctf=257

Yes, you can easily go in St Peters ad Vincula.

YK, We were at FulhamPalace a few months ago. Very little remains of it's Tudor features but that said it is a lovely few hours away from the center of London. Very easy to get to on the bus , lovely walk along the Thames and some interesting exhibits inside the palace itself and the grounds would be lovely in spring and summer.

I have some pictues I'll see if I can post a link for your

Here is a link to a few pictures of Fulham, mostly of the grounds and nearby church

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?token=767770271803%3A1542068992&cm_mmc=site_email-_-new_site_share-_-core-_-View_photos_button

Should you find yerselves at Fulham Palace please make the short trip to St Mary's Church nearby (at the end of the bridge). It's where Cromwell's mob thrashed out the new constitution (known as the Putney Debates).

It's not a well known part of English history and deserves a few visitors (entrance is free - but it is a working church, so be prepared for services etc there, and stick a few bob in the poor box)

CW , is that the church in my pictures? It was at the end of the bridge but I thiught it was called All Saint's. Couldn't go in , a service was in progress and I didn't want the roof to fall in

Thanks for showing photos, brought back a lot of nice memories.

In the 50's and 60's there was an old bandstand in Bishops Park and as a child I would go there to listen to the music.

At the end of the park just beyond the childrens play area there was an area where cricket was played on a friendly basis between locals in the area and also small clubs.

On a summer evening my old firm would descend on the park and play cricket with an opposing team. Everyone had to wear whites and the beer was flowing freely.After the match we would gather at the nearby captain,s house for eats and more beer. Dodgy walk home afterwards.