Sunday, August 09, 2020

Question from Daniel - Surviving things from Henry VIII's reign

Does anything survive today how it was during his reign if Henry Viii was alive today, would he recognise anything?? If he was alive or has everything completed destroyed? Is sad because that was the golden age of england, wheres it all gone is my question??

2 comments:

Tess said...

The Tower of London definitely stands as it was, but also Eltham palace where he spent most his childhood (although he would only recognise the great hall, as the rest of the palace has been redone in the art deco style). Very little of his favourite palaces remain (Whitehall palace is down to only the banqueting house, Richmond palace was demolished during the Civil War, Greenwich palace was demolished and there now stands the old royal naval college, etc.)

So, no, he would not recognise "his" London. The Great Fire of 1666 destroyed so much. The Civil War also did some damage. Five hundred years of building, demolishing, building again, fires, building again and again... he would be utterly lost!

Unknown said...

Many things from that era still exist. A beautiful full set of Henry's armor. Many of his letters, house hold accounts, furniture and bits and pieces of several palaces. We know a great deal about the Tudors and their lives by the archives that were left but nothing remains static and of course the Great fire, civil war, world wars, building and renovation have changed London greatly since his time