The Tudor History & Travel Show

To commemorate The Battle of Bosworth, fought on 22 August 1485, I recorded a three-part podcast series 'on-location' in Leicester and at the battlefield site. In Episode 1, we visit Leicester and visualise the medieval city as we go on a 'walk-and-talk tour of some of the most important sites connected to Richard's time in Leicester before the battle. In Episode 2, we visit the battle site to del...

To commemorate The Battle of Bosworth, fought on 22 August 1485, I recorded a three-part podcast series 'on-location' in Leicester and at the battlefield site. In Episode 1, we visit Leicester and visualise the medieval city as we go on a 'walk-and-talk tour of some of the most important sites connected to Richard's time in Leicester before the battle. In this episode (Episode 2), we visit the bat...

To commemorate The Battle of Bosworth, fought on 22 August 1485, I recorded a three-part podcast series 'on-location' in Leicester and at the battlefield site. In this episode (Episode 1), we visit Leicester and visualise the medieval city as we go on a 'walk-and-talk tour of some of the most important sites connected to Richard's time in Leicester before the battle. In Episode 2, we visit the bat...

Here is a show notes page accompanying this on-location podcast at The National Portrait Gallery to visit  Six Lives: The Stories of Henry VIII’s Queens,  the first major exhibition of historical portraiture to take place since the reopening of The National Portrait Gallery. Focusing on the women who married the infamous Tudor king, the exhibition reunites items that would have last been seen toge...

Here is a show notes page accompanying this on-location podcast in the county of Gloucestershire at the beautiful Berkeley Castle. One of very few inhabited and fully intact castles in the country, Berkeley Castle remains largely untouched since it was built in stone during the eleventh, twelfth, and fourteenth centuries. It is considered one of the ‘supreme residential survivals of the fourteenth...

Here is a show notes page accompanying this on-location podcast to West Horsley Place in Surrey, southeast England. West Horsley's history dates back to the eleventh century, with a manor house built not long after the Norman Conquest. The present house was originally timber-framed and constructed in the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries. Later, a red-brick façade was fixed to the orig...

Here is a show notes page accompanying this on-location podcast to the Lord Leycester in Warwick. One of the most important examples of intact medieval architecture in Britain, this incredible building has a history that spans nine hundred years. Originally founded as a guild for the care of the deserving poor of Tudor England, Robert Dudley, Queen Elizabeth I's favoured courtier, later founded a...

NOTE: This is a copy of an earlier podcast recording, which has been re-added due to the audio file being corrupted.    Part Two: STIRLING CASTLE This month sees the launch of a special celebration of the life of Mary, Queen of Scots, here, on The Tudor Travel Show. Throughout September, I will be publishing one episode a week, as I follow 'In the Footsteps' of this legendary Scottish queen, visit...

Here is a show notes page accompanying this on-location podcast to St David's Cathedral. Home to St David's historic cathedral, the final resting place of its eponymous saint, the patron saint of Wales, it has been a place of pilgrimage and worship for over a millennium. A more picturesque spot for such a venerable building is hard to imagine, nestled as it is in a verdant valley adjacent to the n...

In this Podcast Extra episode of The Tudor History & Travel Show , I revisit the site of Collyweston Palace on the day of an exciting find that emerged from the first in a series of on-site archaeological digs scheduled across the site during 2024.    Recorded on location from the site, I reveal the team's latest discovery. it might be small - but it turns out to be a key piece of evidence! To...

Here is a show notes page accompanying this on-location podcast to the Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace. We tour Holbein at the Tudor Court,  the largest exhibition of Holbein’s work in over 30 years, and incredibly, all the pieces come from the Royal Collection. This exhibition serves up a mesmerising cornucopia of Tudor treasures, and Kate Heard, curator of  Holbein at the Tudor Court , shows...

Here is a show notes page accompanying this on-location podcast to Pembrokeshire in Wales. To commemorate the birth of Henry VII on 28 January 1457, we visit his birthplace: Pembroke Castle, one of Wales's largest and best-preserved castles. It was built on a motte and bailey design around 1093 by Roger of Montgomery, a Norman knight and Earl of Shrewsbury. Although Henry VII never returned to his...

Here is a show notes page accompanying this on-location podcast at Sudeley Castle and the site of Collyweston Palace. I revisit these fascinating sites to discover the findings from their archaeological digs.  As a Christmas special, this is the full version of the podcast episode. Normally, full episodes are available only to members of The Ultimate Guide to Exploring Tudor England . To explore w...

Here is a show notes page accompanying this on-location podcast in Ipswich, Suffolk. To commemorate the anniversary of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey's death in November 1530, we explore the town deeply connected to his early life.  This is a shorter version of the full episode. The latter is available only to members of The Ultimate Guide to Exploring Tudor England . To explore what you will find in the...

Here is a show notes page accompanying this on-location podcast at Sheffield Manor Lodge in South Yorkshire. A once luxurious sixteenth century hunting lodge, much of the building's fabric has since been lost to time. This is a shorter version of the full episode. The latter is available only to members of The Ultimate Guide to Exploring Tudor England . To explore what you will find in the members...

Here is a show notes page accompanying this on-location podcast at Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire. One of the best-known and most magnificent Prodigy Houses in England, Hardwick is well known for its iconic architecture: the lavish use of glass, its impressive turrets, and its parapets, embellished with the Countess of Shrewsbury's monogram. This is a shorter version of the full episode. The latter i...

Here is a show notes page accompanying this on-location podcast at Otley Hall in Sussex. A house of enormous historical significance, the current hall dates back to the sixteenth century when it was constructed in 1510 by William Gosnold, a wealthy Suffolk merchant. This is a shorter version of the full episode. The latter is available only to members of The Ultimate Guide to Exploring Tudor Engla...

Here is a show notes page accompanying this on-location podcast at Bembridge Down on the Isle of Wight and Southsea Castle in Portsmouth. Travelling back in time, we consider the historic battle from both the French and English perspectives.    This is a shorter version of the full episode. The latter is available only to members of The Ultimate Guide to Exploring Tudor England . To explore what y...

Here is a show notes page accompanying this on-location podcast at Launde Abbey. You can read highlights of its links to the Cromwells, access the podcast and enjoy images of some of the cathedral’s highlights.   This is a shorter version of the full episode. The latter is available only to members of The Ultimate Guide to Exploring Tudor England . To explore what you will find in the membership t...

Here is a show notes page accompanying this on-location podcast at Winchester Cathedral. You can read highlights of its Tudor history, access the podcast and enjoy images of some of the cathedral’s highlights.   This is a shorter version of the full episode. The latter is available only to members of The Ultimate Guide to Exploring Tudor England . To explore what you will find in the membership th...

In this episode of The Tudor History & Travel Show , we travel to Shropshire, a landlocked county in the West Midlands. We head to the tiny village of Kinlet, nestled in the rural countryside. Although it once stood next to the Blount's country manor house, today, the parish church of St John the Baptist appears to stand in solitary grandeur on top of a hill surrounded by parkland and green pa...

In this episode of The Tudor History & Travel Show , we travel to the Cotswolds. An area made rich by its wool trade in the medieval times, wool merchants would often fund the construction and renovation of churches in their communities as a way to display their wealth and status. The churches became known as "wool churches."    Joined by our guide, Dr Samantha Harper, we take a tour around tw...

In this episode of The Tudor History & Travel Show , we travel to the surprising remains of an incredible Tudor building, tucked away in the suburbs of south London. A lesser known Tudor place, Croydon Palace is truly historical building with some fascinating Tudor artefacts. Joined by our guides, Mary and Janice from The Friends of the Old Palace , we take a tour around the building, now an i...

In this episode of The Tudor History & Travel Show , we travel to the Loire Valley, France, to visit the beautiful Château de Chenonceau. We step back in time, as we tour this incredible building, following the stories of five important Renaissance ladies.  Joined by our guide, Amelie Lanseaux, we head to the tranquil, riverside setting to wander through the sun-drenched rooms of a building th...

This episode of  The Tudor History & Travel Show , is Part II, from a special, behind the scenes mini-series recorded at Hampton Court Palace. I'm joined by Daniel Jackson, Hampton Court Palace Curator. We travel back to the mid-1530s, exploring the royal apartments and lesser known parts of the palace, imagining the characters and stories that unfolded here.  Some useful links, mentioned in t...