Dr Alden Gregory
Position: Curator of Historic Buildings, HM Tower of London and Whitehall Banqueting House
About
Alden is an architectural historian specialising in late-medieval and early modern palaces and great houses. As curator for the Tower of London and the Banqueting House, he has undertaken detailed studies of both, including extensive research on the King’s House at the Tower. His research interests also include early modern court culture, progresses and entertainments, and the ephemeral and temporary buildings and structures that were created to support these aspects of court life. He has led an AHRC-funded project focused on Tudor royal tents and timber lodgings, and he is currently working with colleagues to develop new research around the important collection of historic graffiti at the Tower.
Select publications
Gregory, A., ‘The Timber Lodgings of King Henry VIII: Ephemeral Architecture at War in The Early Sixteenth Century’, The Antiquaries Journal, 100 (2020), pp. 1-20
Gregory, A., ‘An early seventeenth-century Gunpowder Plot monument and a portrait relief of James I in the Queen’s House at the Tower of London’, Sculpture Journal, 26 (2017), pp. 305-320
Gregory, A., ‘In his own image’: architectural patronage and self-symbolism in Archbishop Warham’s motivations for rebuilding the palace at Otford (c.1514-26)’, in The Intellectual Culture of the English Country House, 1500-1700, ed. M. Dimmock, A. Hadfield, and M. Healy (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2015), pp. 27-46
All articles by Dr Alden Gregory (5)
The Jewel House Keeper's Ghost
31 October 2024
Curator Alden Gregory explores one of the many ghost stories associated with the palaces in our care: the Tower of London's Phantom Bear.
Imagining Anne Boleyn's Coronation in 1533
10 May 2024
Curator of Historic Buildings, Alden Gregory imagines the ambitious festivities that Henry VIII commissioned to welcome Anne Boleyn as his second Queen Consort.
The Extravagant Funeral of Henry VIII
16 February 2024
Curator of Historic Buildings Alden Gregory explores the elaborate hearse created to mark Henry VIII’s death, and how it links to the King’s use of temporary architecture during his life.
Charles II's Coronation Procession from the Tower of London
24 April 2023
Curator of Historic Buildings, Alden Gregory, takes a look at Charles II's Coronation - the last coronation in which the Tower of London played a starring role.
Torture at the Tower: The Case of John Gerard
04 October 2021
On the anniversary of the birth of John Gerard, Curator Alden Gregory reflects on the dark history of the Tower of London and how it resonates today.
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