Insights and behind the scenes from our palaces
Researching and redecorating Queen Victoria's childhood home
22 May 2019
On 24th May 1819 at Kensington Palace, Queen Victoria was born. On 24th May 2019, her 200th birthday, the home of her youth will be re-opened to visitors after a major makeover in the form of a new exhibition called ‘Victoria: A Royal Childhood.’
Unearthing two early Tudor buildings at Hampton Court Palace
15 March 2019
In 2017, two early Tudor buildings were unexpectedly discovered in a small trench excavated during conservation works on a set of historic railings. The bricks used were dated to Cardinal Wolsey's building phase, (1515-1529), or possibly even slightly earlier.
Why we need to stop looking for sex: letters and LGBT+ royal history
25 February 2019
'How do you know?' I've been asked this a lot recently when I've been talking about LGBT+ royal history. I'm glad to be asked it, because it gets to the heart of studying LGBT+ identities in the past. In this post, I'd like to talk about the evidence and assumptions, which tell us a lot about sexuality in the past, and today.
Love between women on the Stuart stage: Queen Mary, Queen Anne, and Arabella Hunt
15 February 2019
In 1675, Princesses Mary and Anne – the future Queen Mary II and Queen Anne – performed in one of the most glittering and glamorous performances ever to grace a London stage. Callisto: Or, The Chaste Nymph, a court masque, was commissioned by Mary and Anne's uncle Charles II and written by John Crowne. The production consumed daily life at Whitehall Palace for six months and, like many stories of the dramatic stage, has an awful lot of LGBT+ history to uncover.
Ambrose Rookwood and Sir Everard Digby: Lesser-known gunpowder plotters
30 January 2019
You might not have heard of Ambrose Rookwood and Sir Everard Digby. But their marks on the Tower of London can still be seen today.
Restoring Hillsborough's Courthouse Clock
18 January 2019
An exciting conservation project has been undertaken in Hillsborough. The courthouse clock - which stopped over 30 years ago - has been revived and is chiming once again. Our conservator David Orr was thrilled to discover the history of this important horological piece...
Conserving Queen Victoria's Jacket
21 December 2018
Behind the scenes with Textile Conservator Beatrice Farmer as she prepares a beautiful pink embroidered jacket, once owned by Queen Victoria, for display.
A Head in the Bloody Tower
04 December 2018
When I started my job at the Tower of London I fully expected to encounter extraordinary things every day. And true to form I was only onto my second week when a fragment of a wall painting on the upper floor of the Bloody Tower was revealed.
Lord of the Isles Tartan Suit worn by The Duke of Windsor
11 September 2018
September's Object of the Month is the spectacular Lord of the Isles Tartan Suit. This suit exemplifies the cutting-edge, fashion-forward, extravagant Duke of Windsor, and is one of two suits within the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection of tartan – the other being the Rothsay Tartan.