I am a HUGE fan of Tudor history (which I know is bizarre seeing as I live in Australia) - however - I am heading over to the UK (London) in around August next year as part of my GAP year and I was wondering if you had any recommended places to go and see, as most of the Tudor period buildings and places of interest are not open to the public or are not particularly relevant. I am particularly interested in Elizabeth I. If you had any suggestions I would be most grateful - I intend on going for two months so I'll have plenty of time.
Thanks
Caitlin
8 comments:
If you're a 'fan' of Elizabeth I, I HIGHLY recommend you pay your respects to her in Westminster Abbey. She is buried in one side aisle, with her cousin Mary, Queen of Scots on the other. Beneath Elizabeth is "Bloody Mary", so you get three Tudors in one.
St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle is open to the public. It is here that you can pay homage to Elizabeth's father, Henry VIII and the woman who replaced her mother, Jane Seymour.
As for Anne Boleyn herself, St. Peter-ad-Vincula Chapel on The Tower of London's grounds is where she is buried. Also to be seen is the area on Tower Green where the block was kept.
St. James Palace, while not open to the public, can still be appreciated from the outside. The main gate was built for Henry VIII and Elizabeth spent time here just before the Spanish Armada was sighted.
Hampton Court is a given, although it is associated more with Henry than with Elizabeth.
Don't be let down, though, by the many places which have been demolished and rebuilt, or refurbished completely. If you can be satisfied with walking the same ground as Elizabeth, you'll find plenty of England to explore with her in mind.
If I was going to London, I would definately visit the Tower of London where Elizabeth was held prisoner by her half sister Mary for a short time.
I think the National Portrait Gallery is a MUST see for Tudor fans. There you'll find so many of the portraits of Elizabeth, Anne Bolyen, Henry VIII, Thomas More and his family, Cromwell, all the major players at court. It is a stunning collection and you'll recognize many of the portraits you've seen in biographies.
I think Windsor Palace would be a great thing to see even if only parts of it are open to the public. Elizabeth's ghost is said to be there, so even if you can't see it, it will still be cool knowig she's nearby.
In addition to the places already said I would recommend Hatfield palace where Elizabeth spent much of her childhood.
Visit Globe and Stratford Upon Avon to find out about Shakespeare
I am going to put on a play about a fictious encounter between `elizabeth tudor and mary stuart, hopefully autumn 2006. Keep an eye out for "Two Queens" !!!!
If you find yourself with the time or the inclination to leave London for a while, you have many other properties to visit; including Hardwick Hall. Something very different however, if you find yourself in Devon, is the home of Richard Grenville and later Francis Drake - namely Buckland Abbey, near Yelverton and Tavistock.Originally a Cistercian Abbey, it was sold to the Grenvilles at the dissolution, and later bought by Drake. It is unusual in that the Abbey church was turned by Grenville into his house, and many fine Tudor features remain, despite a serious fire in the 1930's. Long way from London though!
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