Insights and behind the scenes from our palaces
Protecting wildlife and their habitat at Home Park
22 November 2024
Park Ranger Eleanor Evetts explores the importance of nature conservation efforts at Home Park at Hampton Court Palace.
John and Mary: Black Children at Queen Anne's Court?
04 October 2024
Dr Misha Ewen explores what we know of John and Mary, two children baptised at the Chapel Royal of St James's Palace during Queen Anne's reign.
'The new Terrors of Death': Dr John Arbuthnot, Queen Anne’s favourite physician
11 March 2024
Dr John Arbuthnot was among the army of medical specialists who were summonsed to serve the Royal family in the 18th century. Arbuthnot is little remembered today, but he was 'the Queen’s favourite physician' — a gentle-mannered confidante to courtiers, politicians, poets, writers and ladies-in-waiting alike.
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.
Queen Anne's Throne Canopy Conservation: Almost There!
27 September 2017
These past few months we've been busy finishing the Queen Anne throne canopy conservation; tying together all the loose ends ready for its display at Kensington Palace.
Happy New Year! Queen Anne's Throne Canopy Conservation
10 January 2017
Happy New Year and welcome back! For our first post of 2017 we would like to take you behind the scenes and give you an insight into the trial installation we did at Hampton Court Palace in November 2016.
Throne Canopy - Going Up!
09 December 2016
We recently moved out of the conservation studio and into the (rather chilly) Queen's Guard Chamber at Hampton Court where we have been busy with the next exciting stage of our project - the trial installation.
Queen Anne's Throne Canopy Conservation: Come and See for Yourself
15 November 2016
The main conservation treatment of the cloth of state from the throne canopy has now been completed and it has been hanging in our workroom for a week while we carry out some all-important structural checks. This will confirm that our interventions have done their job and are supporting the damask as intended.
Versatile Velcro: Queen Anne's Throne Canopy Conservation
01 November 2016
As we get closer to the installation date, our current priority is to ensure that all the hanging textiles - the seven valances and cloth of state - will be safely and securely attached for display.
Progress on the Coat of Arms: Queen Anne's Throne Canopy Conservation
18 October 2016
At first glance, the coat of arms embroidery appears to be one whole piece. It is however made up of 19 individual pieces, put together like a puzzle. The picture of the unicorn below shows that it is in fact made of four different sections.