Insights and behind the scenes from our palaces
A Model of Queenship: Lady Elizabeth's Summer with Katherine Parr
20 September 2024
Tracy Borman travels back to 1544, when Elizabeth spent a happy summer at Hampton Court Palace watching her beloved stepmother, Katherine Parr act as Regent. This visit would have an enduring impact on the young princess.
HRP Handover: Michael Ohajuru on the Black Presence at the Tudor Court
16 October 2020
We’re handing over to historian Michael Ohajuru to discuss the presence of Black people at the Tudor court, including a figure you may have already heard of: John Blanke.
500 years of the Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula
19 September 2020
Assistant Curator of Historic Buildings Alfred Hawkins introduces some of the extraordinary stories surrounding the Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula, the little Tudor church at the heart of the Tower of London.
Creating your own wildflower garden
27 April 2020
You don't need large expanses of land to make your own wildflower meadow providing cover and food for wildlife. Following the success of our wildflowers at Kensington Palace, this year we planted a new wildflower meadow at Hampton Court. You too can do the same with any old patch of lawn in an open, sunny position.
Long Live the King: St George's Day and the Accession of Henry VIII
22 April 2020
On 23 April 1509, 17 year old Henry VIII was told that his father Henry VII had died, and that he was to be crowned the new King of England. In fact, his father had died over 48 hours before, on April 21! Chief Curator Tracy Borman recounts this dramatic episode in British royal history...
Conservation of an 18th century headboard: Secrets of a State Bed
13 March 2020
As part of our Secrets of a State Bed series, Conservator Viola Nicastro explains the process of conserving the headboard of Queen Caroline's State Bed, and reveals more of its secrets.
Celebrating Hillsborough Castle's Moss Walk
09 March 2020
Although moss gardens are a relatively common sight in Japan there are very few in the UK and Ireland. So it's special for us that one of the best examples in Northern Ireland is at Hillsborough Castle and Gardens! Gardens Manager Claire Woods introduces Hillsborough's Moss Walk.
Mary Frith, The Cross-Dressing Cavalier
28 February 2020
Frith was a 17th-century public figure who caused much controversy and was arrested many times for wearing clothes made for men. In her lifetime it was this masculine attire that saw her labelled as deviant, rather than her alleged prostitution of women and a business that sold stolen goods. Frith was also an ardent royalist. Here, Holly shares a few of the contradictions of Frith’s fascinating personality.
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu: Georgian Feminism, sexual-fluidity and disease
21 February 2020
To celebrate LGBT History Month, we are exploring some of the lives and loves of LGBT+ people at the palaces throughout history. This week we learn from Holly Marsden, Queer History placement student, about the life of one of Georgian society's most fascinating women: Lady Mary Wortley Montagu.
Queer Lives at the Tower: The LGBT+ Stories that were almost on the tours
07 February 2020
Queer Lives at the Tower, our new LGBT+ tours at the Tower of London are just a couple of weeks away, and the team are rehearsing to deliver a bold and new experience. However, there are some stories that didn’t quite make the cut. I’m going to tell you them here, to see what they tell us about how we work with LGBT+ history.