13-11-2012 Evening At Hever...

13-11/2012 Evening:

After travelling from Windsor to Hever, Mute and I found ourselves stood outside the small trainstation of Edenbridge. After throwing our heavy bags down on the floor rather unceremoniously, because of our own devised detours on the train (which didn't save us any time, like we had hoped it would), we called a taxi to take us to Hever Castle. Within minutes the taxi had arrived, and we were cruising our way to the Castle.

The first time I had been to Hever Castle it was with 'The Tudor Roses', in which we had a private photoshoot within the castle in our Tudor gowns. I chose to wear my Henrican styled gown, rather than Elizabethan as I felt it more appropriate for Anne Boleyn's childhood home. Thus, I was eager to show Mute one of the places that the group had visited during the summer season.

Hever Castle - The Childhood Home of Anne Boleyn

 

Eventually, we came to the private entrance of the castle, where we soon were buzzed to be allowed in. Slowly creeping up the drive, my thoughts began to whirr back to the memories of my visit in the summer. This time though, we would be entering in to Astor wing directly, and not in through the back corridors, and I had no gown with me. After leaving the taxi woman, we sauntered in through the doors, with big smiles on our faces. After payment, and a short talk we were shown to our room, the Daffodil suite (which is pictured on the advertisements).

 

 

The Daffodil Suite - Our Room For The Night

 

After settling in somewhat, Mute made a beeline for the bath (after showers all the time, you can imagine the sense of joy), and I for the tea and coffee's tray. After a cup and saucer of Earl Grey, and a catch up on facebook, Mute emerged from the bathroom looking bright pink, in a matching pair of white towels. It was then my turn to have a bath in the wonderful en-suite. After, sinking in to the hot water, it was so hard to want to move, and get back out again. After using the Molton soaps provided and a half hour soak, I came out into the room, and sunk into a chair. There must be something in the water, because I found it so hard to remove myself from the chair afterwards.

 

 

 

Our Wonderful Bathroom!

 

 

Bathing complete, Mute and I dressed, and made our way out of the suite to the reception, where we borrowed some torches to walk to the Henry VIII Inn pub just down the road for tea (exploring the Astor Wing would come after dinner). When in the pub, I was amazed to see the small quaintness of it, it was just like a true country pub, and had a real sense of locality about it. Without realising it, we were suddenly taking part in a pub quiz, with which we were quite rubbish! The states of America really isn't our fortay unfortunately.

 

After a delightful meal, we wandered back to the Castle, and decided to take a tour of the Astor Wing. We started with the Billiard Room, which was next to our suite. We proceeded to play our own version of Billiards, which was if you can get a ball in a hole you get a point - cheating a little! As you can see in the picture below, the fireplace with the mounted stag heads on top was a real eye catcher. I could just imagine Lord Astor and his many friends, surrounding the fire, lounging in the chairs with a brandy and cigar, whilst sporting a game of Billiards.

 







 

The Billiard Room - This Room Also Houses Card Tables

 

Moving on from the room we made our way down the oak panelled corridors to the Music Room. This room has no musical instruments in, in any way, but it probably used to be used for that purpose. The room itself is large and cosy, with many sofa chairs. There are no televisions or radios in sight, just a log burner and a writing desk (which I hope to write one of my poems at when I return - yes, we so want to go back!). Hever Castle also provide a number of books for you to read. This was by far my favourite room of the Astor Wing, and the picture below will give you an idea of why.

 



 

 

The Music Room

 

After spending a few moments within the music room, we retired to our room (as it was very late), ready for a well deserved nights sleep in the most comfortable bed in the World. We spent the night dreaming of what delights the next day would hold, as we got to explore the Castle, Astor Wing and Gardens properly.

Utopia by Thomas More

Last night I finished my copy of Utopia written by Thomas More, who published his work in 1516. For anyone who has not heard of Utopia, the book centralises around an imaginary island, with an impressive, and fair political system. Originally written in Latin (the intellectual language of our forefathers), the book has been translated over the years into Modern English. The book itself is set into two parts, book one focuses on a discussion between Raphael Hythlodeaus, Pieter Gillis, and Thomas More on the corruption on European politics, and kingship. With Raphael emphasising that to bring about a social change would be difficult, for the human mindset was not logical to that way of thinking (think about a herd of sheep, following one another).

Book two primarily recalls the land of Utopia, and the Utopian society from whence Raphael had travelled a few times, in order to spread the Christian word, and studies of Greek, such as Aristotle, and Cicero. More's style of writing is consistent, and flows nicely. As he states in the book, he 'does not state the obvious', therefore he challenges the reader, and their direct line of thinking about the system they live in. 

Although, the book itself is meant for a Tudor audience, mostly Kings, and nobles etc. (Basically anyone who could read, had the wealth to buy the book, or were in a position of great influence), I have found myself comparing Utopian society, to our modern day equivalent. Now, I'm not normally one for politics, but I must admit that Utopia seemed a remarkable place to live. For in Utopia everyone was given the best health care imaginable, for free! However, our healthcare system costs us the tax payer, such as £7.20 on prescriptions, and £48+ at the dentist for just a filling.  The lower classes aren't penalised in Utopia.

For me, I find it hard to establish the England I know and love, under Utopian rule. For instance, I could not for one imagine, people rejecting the idea of jewels, fashion, and a class system, yet the system works in More's Utopia. Everyone dresses in the same fashion, with the same materials (they do not mind if the wool in their shirts be coarse or fine), and they regard jewels and gold as something that hangs round the necks of slaves, or toys that infants play with. Even though More himself served in Henry VIII's court, which was famous for luxury, he chose to wear a coarse hair shirt under his clothes, regarding it all the better if it drew blood. 

There are many positives to Utopian society, yet I consider some of there limited laws, and ways of 
living to be quite shocking. Such as, a member of the society who is seriously ill within hospital, and is not the like to get better. A select group go up to the person in question, and basically ask them if they are content with living, and have they ever considered suicide (which is carried out in a humane way if they agree to it)? If the person decides they don't want to, the matter is dropped, and never spoken of again. Maybe I find this so bizarre, because of the way in which we live today, and our modern attitude towards critical illness and ending life.

I will, without a doubt continue to evaluate the society with which we live in, by Tudor and Utopian standards. Has anyone else read the book? What do you think of More's work? Has it affected your way of thinking? 

The Half-Hanged Man by David Pilling

 



The front cover of 'The Half Hanged Man by David Pilling' 

I have just finished reading 'The Half-Hanged Man' by David Pilling, which I started only yesterday, and didn't want to put down. Alas, work pulled me away from my Kindle, and I was itching to resume reading the rest. The book is set in the late 14th Century, and tells the life story of a man named Thomas page (aka. The Wolf of Burgundy), who became notorious throughout West Christendom in The Hundred Year Wars for starting his own company. The Companies themselves were loosely connected into small armies, whose main aims were to become rich from pillaging and plundering.

The novel is set in to three chapters, with the first two giving different perspectives on the wars from the views of Thomas Page (The Wolf), and his lover Eleanor Menezes (The Raven). Whilst the last, but shortest chapter is that of Captain-General Hugh Calveley (The Bull), who wants blood thirsty revenge against Page. The famous chronicler Jean Froissart is being retold this story, so that he can record it, and lives to see the chilling conclusion to the story.

Whilst, the Hundred Year Wars are not in my area of Historical knowledge, I thoroughly enjoyed Pillings book. His passion for the weaponry, and savagery of battle from within the period is evident throughout. His style of writing is also to be complemented, he doesn't hide from the sheer truth of how battle would have been, he is very descriptive, which is why I found it such an intriguing read. If you love chivalric wars, before the introduction of cannon, and gunpowder, then this book is a must.

The only issue I have with the book, is probably the ending, whilst I enjoyed it, I feel it could have benefited from being made more surprising, as you were able to guess the ending. That aside it is truly a great piece of writing. Well done, David Pilling!

The Half-Hanged Man is currently available to buy from Amazon (Kindle Version) for £3.09, using the following link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss/276-3246080-3071812?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=half hanged man by david pilling

Day 3 - 13/11/2012:

This morning Mute and I woke up feeling a little bit sore, and dishelved. The last two days of carrying heavy luggage had caught up with us, and we were feeling it in the legs, shoulders, and back! Despite the pain, we walked to the castle from the hotel with relative ease, and with me constantly asking Mute whether my calf muscles were more toned. She wasn't that impressed with my legs - wonder why? After a good ten minutes we reached our destination, Windsor Castle.
We were here to see one man and one woman in particular; perhaps you can guess who that might be...

Windsor Castle - One of Henry VIII's favourite residences

 

It was a good day to visit, because it was the birthday of Edward III, such a magnificent monarch, who created the Order of the Garter. After making our way slowly through security, and with the bottle of mead confiscated yet again (honestly, I'm beginning to think people don't like it!), we managed to catch on to the tail end of a tour being given by one of the guardsmen. Having been to Windsor Castle last year, we were quite familiar with where everything was located, but he revealed to us, secrets about Windsor we would not have known, or probably noticed. For instance if you look closely at the stonework, the slag holding it together has bits of flint within it, and historians and academics alike have all argued on why the castle was built that way. Also, the majority of the castle is built using local stone from Oxfordshire, which is able to self clean itself whenever it rains. Meaning the stone will always manage to look like the castle has recently been built.

Our tour was only of the outside of the castle unfortunately, but before the tour ended he showed us, as to where the Queens private apartments were, and the state entrance. Behind us lay something which held my interest a lot more, Queen Elizabeth I's addition to the castle. Whilst her additional building work is small, and thought to be a large set of bedrooms, the detail is exquisite. Below is a picture featuring her addition. Like her father before her, Windsor was a favourite residence of Elizabeth.

 

 



Elizabeth I's Addition - The difference in architecture and building work is clear.

 

After we had thanked the guide, we made our way to the state apartments - my second favourite place to visit within Windsor. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos within the apartments, but a visit is well worth it. As you enter into the apartments, there is a staircase, and on either side of the staircase sits a horse, and knight, whose armour and saddles are quite breathtaking. Moving idly through the rooms with such a vast array of history from the reigns of many of England’s monarchs, we came into one of my favourite rooms: St Georges Hall.

 

 

In the picture above you can see the shields upon the ceiling.

 



Upon the roof of the hall lie 1001 shields, all of which have the arms of members from the Order of the Garter on. Some shields, however are white because they either have not been filled yet, or the arms have been removed due to them bringing shame to the Order. Along the walls lie lists of all the men who were installed into the Order within every monarchs reign. I was looking for one man in particular, one whom I am a great fan of. His poetry evokes much emotion. I am of course talking about Henry Howard, the Earl of Surrey. Henry was installed into the Order in 1541, but was later degraded in 1547 after his later failure in Boulougne, and once he was found to be planning the kidnap/control of Prince Edward (later Edward VI).




Below is one of the works of Henry Howard, capturing some of his time at Windsor, when we was the companion of Henry Fitzroy, the bastard son of Henry VIII from his affair with mistress Bessie Blount.

WHEN Windsor walls sustain'd my wearied arm ;
My hand my chin, to ease my restless head ;
The pleasant plot revested green with warm ;
The blossom'd boughs, with lusty Ver¹ y-spread ;
The flower'd meads, the wedded birds so late
Mine eyes discover ; and to my mind resort
The jolly woes, the hateless, short debate,
The rakehell ² life, that 'longs to love's disport.
Wherewith, alas! the heavy charge of care
Heap'd in my breast breaks forth, against my will
In smoky sighs, that overcast the air.
My vapour'd eyes such dreary tears distil,
The tender spring which quicken where they fall ;
And I half bend to throw me down withal.

 

Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey

 

After our tour of the state apartments, Mute and I made our way to St Georges Chapel, the resting place of Henry VIII and Queen Jane Seymour. Stepping into the chapel the magnificence overwhelms you. The different colours of light from the stained windows dance throughout. On making our way through the chapel to see Henry and Jane, we stopped a minute to appreciate the beautiful boxed window, which belonged to Katherine of Aragon, so that she could see the services. I have included a picture below:

 

The box on the right was built by Henry VIII for his first wife Katherine of Aragon.

 

You can still see Katherine’s emblem within the carvings, I speak of course of the pomegranate. To the left of this photo, and down the centre of the aisle lies a marble slab atop of a vault, of which lies Henry VIII and Queen Jane Seymour. We paid our respects to them both.

 

 

'Of all losses, time is the most irrecouperable'

 









We lost more time through wandering within the chapel; we are most content when visiting such establishments. Once our visit to the chapel was complete, we headed out of the doors and out of the castle onto the street. We were now on the next part of our journey; we were now travelling to... Hever Castle.

I shall include details of our time and travels at Hever on Day 4- 14/11/2012.

Rachel

Day 2 - 12/11/2012

Today, mute and I hopped on the train back into Victoria Station, in order that we could carry out todays proceedings. Once in Victoria, we weaved past the numerous crowds of people, who were sluggishly dragging themselves to work, but we were not sluggish, we were excited. After a quick trip on the underground, and a quick walk we were in Westminster. As we stood and stared at the houses of Parliament wondering how many biscuits the prime minister had eaten that morning,  we were in awe of the architecture. Gothic Tudor. The houses of Parliament were rebuilt after a fire had burnt down eveything, except the hall, which they had managed to save. Truly a masterpiece!

Suddenly, we had a spur of the moment idea (which detoured massively from our Tudor agenda), we wanted to take a ride on the London Eye, and see the City in all it's glory. Running off to the ticket office, we paid the extortiante price of £18.50 each, and 10 minutes later, and a confiscated bottle of mead, we were in the pods. Having a trip on the London Eye was something on my bucket list, so I was happy dispite the mead situation. Below you can see a picture of Buckingham Palace from our pod, this is the first time I have ever seen the palace with my naked eye!

 

Good Morning Your Majesty!

 

As more, and more of London came in to view, I was beginning to picture together what London might have looked like before the Great Fire had struck in 1666. If only the original London Bridge was still there, imagine all the history it has seen, not to mention the decapitated heads of notorious traitors. Featured below is a print that I got from the British Library on a previous trip, of the City of London, before the Great Fire of London struck.

 

 

The City Of London, before the Great Fire of London, within the print you can see London bridge.

 

After half an hour (which felt like five minutes) our trip had come to an end. After much talk on the various buildings we had seen, mute and I made our way to Westminster Abbey, we had originally intended to visit Westminster Abbey (like we had last year) to see Henry VII's Lady Chapel. However, we ended up taking a walk around the Abbey's Remberance Poppy Field for all the fallen soldiers, who had fought for our country. Whenever, we hear of the numerous deaths from the World Wars it's hard to imagine the scale, but the field, really put the numbers into perspective, and of course that was only a small portion. The picture below will show you what I mean:

 

 

'Lest we forget...'

 

 

After walking round, and giving thanks to those who gave there lives, we made our way out of Westminster Abbey to the Cenotaph just down the road, which the Queen and many other military heroes had laid wreaths of poppies down on, the day previously. I had always seen the Cenotaph on the television, but to see it in person was something else all together.

 



 

The Cenotaph - An empty tomb used to commemorate the soldiers/heroes who fought for the country.

 



After a moments silence out of respect for the fallen, mute and I made our way to our next Tudor destination, the National Portrait Gallery. This was my second visit to the National Portrait Gallery, and much to our disappointment the exhibit that we were there to see, was closed. The Tudor exhibit. I have, included below a picture of one of the most famous portraits that hangs in the gallery, that of Anne Boleyn. Although the portrait has been identified as a later portrait, and therefore can not show her true likeness, the picture I feel helps show some of the mystery of the infamous Anne, and how she managed to attract a King like Henry VIII.

 

 



 

Anne Boleyn - This was the portrait I really wanted to see.

 

We didn't stay long at the National Portrait Gallery (We aren't fans of Modern Art), although we did wander around the Stuart exhibition. In which we marvelled at the different styles and paint strokes of the various artists. The next destination was The British Library in Euston Road, and after a quick lunch from a nearby cafe, we made our way there with much haste. The library was to be our last destination of the day, and I was eager to show Mute the many illuminations, and manuscripts on display.

 

Unfortunately, you are not allowed to take pictures within the British Library exhibit, so therefore we were unable to obtain pictures. Admittedly, if we were I would be photographing everything. Nevertheless, I will tell you of some of the treasures that the library houses, and why I find them so fascinating. Within the exhibit, they have Lady Jane Greys book of hours, which is inscribed with her own fair hand. To see the book of a Lady, who only ruled for nine days, and had such an affect within Tudor monarchy is something in which I will never forget. The detailing of the book is magnificent, and helped show Jane's status in society, and helps show her studious, and pious nature. There is also a letter from Elizabeth I to her brother Edward VI, in which she is pleading to see her brother, but to no avail. It is wonderful to see the elegant style in which Elizabeth writes, just one of her many talents.

 

There is also, the Coronation book of Anne Boleyn, which shows the detailed planning and events of what took place on the very day of Anne's Coronation. The picture below shows Anne at the head of the table, dining, following her crowning. Henry was overlooking Anne, out of sight of the many Nobles and Courtiers, so as not to draw distraction from Anne on her big day. How thoughtful, eh?

 

If you get the chance to visit the exhibit at the British Library, please do, it is amazing to think what other wonders of Tudor significance might be hiding within the sacred walls. After, what felt like ten minutes, but what was infact an entire afternoon, Mute and I left the library, quite mesmerised, and travelled by train to Windsor ready for the next day. And we slept so soundly due to the large amount of travelling we had done that day - result!

London 2013

The infamous 'Mute' and I took our annual trip to London in order to celebrate my birthday, before Christmas hits. Over four days we covered a lot of ground very quickly, and needless to say we relished our beds at the end of each night, just as much as the places we visited. I want to share our travels with you... So if you love the Tudors hold on to your french hoods, cause you've come to the right place.

Day 1 - Hampton Court 11/11/2012

 

"Why come ye not to court?
To which court?
To the King's court,
or to Hampton court?
Nay, to the King's court!
The King's court
Should have excellence
But Hampton Court
Hath the pre-eminence"

John Skelton

Hampton Court was one of Henry VIII's main palaces, originally built for Cardinal Thomas Wolesey, the King's favourite, who eventually fell from grace in 1529, after he failed to secure Henry a divorce from Katherine of Aragon, and thus gave Henry Hampton Court. As seen in the extract above by John Skelton, Hampton Court rivalled that of the Kings own palaces, and hunting lodges etc. Once in Henry's hands, Henry enlarged it, on a grander scale to rival other palaces within continental Europe. Both Henry's and Cardinal Wolesey's designs within/on the palace can still be seen to this day.

 

After a two hour coach trip to Victoria Station, and then an hour long train journey from Victoria, Mute and I were stood at the gates of Hampton Court. Our second visit to the palace, and still the magnificence it showed astounded us. After getting our tickets, and dropping off our luggage into the lockers, we headed to the Chapel Royal to attend a Choral Matin (well, we enjoyed it so much last time). Staring up at the breath-taking ceiling that Henry himself had designed, Mute and I took to our pew, right behind the choir.

 

 

The Chapel Royal - It is thought that Jane Seymours heart is buried within the chapel.

 

 

In the picture above, you are able to see where we were sat. If you looked up, you were able to see the Royal pew, where monarchs sit and listen to the services. For an hour and a half we were lost in the music, and in the humble service giving thanks to the soldiers who had fallen and fought for us. As a Te Deum was sung, I was thrown back into the past, thinking of Henry who had sat so very close, listening to the same Te Deum, as we were now. It truly was astounding.

 

 

Once the service was over we moved onto the kitchens. As we went through the many different rooms, and corridors, it was interesting to see how a Tudor kitchen ran. As the kitchens were serving many courtiers etc. they were of course large, for me it is always interesting to see the spit in action, the taste of roasted meat from the spit is apparently magnificent. Did you know that a pie in Tudor times, worked in the same way as our modern day take-away equivalent? They would rip the top off of the pie, and eat the insides, discarding the rest of the pastry, or eating it as was there fancy. They also allowed meat to cool for an hour, so that the rich herbs and spices flavouring the meat could be infused. You could imagine trying to keep meals from turning cold, before being presented in the Great Hall was a mammoth task in the Tudor days. I particularly loved the kitchen administrators office, with rolls, upon rolls of parchment. These rolls would have included the costings of the kitchens, and orders would have been made there. Also, the pewter and silver were on an adjacent room to the kitchen administrators office, so that they could always be closely watched, as they were such costly items.

 



 



After our kitchen tour, we suddenly became quite hungry (can't think why?), so we stopped off into the privy cafe to enjoy a hearty beef stew, with crusty bread and butter. It was delicious, a tad over priced, but you expect it to be at historical establishments. Once warm and full, we headed off to Hampton Court maze. In all honesty we had thought we were going to be in there hours, instead it was ten minutes if that, and we didn't get lost once! We were quite happy with our feat however, and the photo below shows it.

 

 

'Looks like we made it...'

 

After the maze, we headed back into the palace to enter one of my favourite parts of the palace, Henry VIII's apartments, housing the Great Hall. These rooms really helped show the splendour that Henry constantly had around him, giving you a better insight into how his majesty lived, alongside his wives, nobles, courtiers, diplomats etc. Upon entering the Great Hall, you are in awe of the tapestries which line the walls, these are Henry VIII's own personal tapestries depicting the stories of Abraham, and are the second costly item the monarchy own under the Crown Jewels housed at the Tower of London. But did you know, these aren't all the tapestries? There is another from the series within Westminster, it is hidden away from public view. You can still see the woven gold within the tapestries, and though the colours have faded somewhat, you can just imagine how they would have been 500 years ago.

 

 

The hammerbeam roof is also an architectural dream, surrounded by the wonderful stain glass, throwing various colours into the hall. Time Team have done there own reconstruction of how the hall might have originally looked back in Henry's day (Time Team - Henry VIII's Lost Palaces). It would have been alive with colour.

 

 

 

The Great Hall

 

In this hall there is something very special. When Henry had his second wive Anne Boleyn executed on 19th May 1536, he had all her emblems removed from the palace, but he had missed one! A lovers knot enterwining an A and a H. I have included it in a picture below.

 

 

The last remaining lovers knot of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII

 

After speaking to one of the stewards within Hampton Court, he spoke to us of his studies into the palace, and how the Great Hall had changed over the years. He stated that the lovers knot that remains might be a Victorian invention to bring visitors to Hampton Court. I hope this is not true, for it would be wonderful if this was truly Tudor. We also saw a stone carving of Anne Boleyns falcon, the detailing was phenomenal. It's the little thing's that help make the past come alive.

 

 

Moving on from the Great Hall, we went down into the Haunted Gallery, where Katherine Howard so say escaped house arrest, and ran down the hall screaming for Henry's name, and banging on the door of the Royal pew. The portraits that hang the wall are very fine, but one particularly caught my interest. It shows just how much power the reformation was having in England.

 

 

The Four Evangelists Stoning The Pope: A Protestant Allegory, By Girolamo De Traviso The Younger, c.1542.

 

Before we knew it the day was drawing to a close, we just had time to nip into the shop, and buy a bottle of mead (mmm... if you haven't tried it, you haven't lived!). Bottle of mead in hand, we walked out of Hampton Court, and out of the gates on to the street, and my heart sank. I can not wait for our next visit. We stayed at the Kings Arms Hotel over looking the Hampton Court Maze, in the Anne Boleyn suite for the night. I noticed they had all of the queens, except Anne of Cleves?? The pub had a picture of all Henry's Queens on the bar, which was quite nice. As the night drew to a close, we put our heads down, and went to sleep ready for our journey, the next day.

 



 







 



Anne Boleyn The Production In Great Malvern

On 28th April, my mother and I hopped on numerous trains. The day's adventure (and lets face it, with us it always is) was to travel from our hometown of Cirencester, to Great Malvern in order to watch the production of 'Anne Boleyn'. As many of you might already know the production of 'Anne Boleyn' was written by Howard Bretton for the Globe Theatre. After two seasons with packed seats, Shakespeare's Globe, and ETT (English Touring Theatre) partnered together, in order to bring the popular production to the masses. Here is a synopsis of the play from the Globe Theatre's website:

'Hunting through an old chest, the newly crowned James I discovers the controversial legacy of Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII’s notorious second wife. Time jumps back 70 years, when the witty and flirtatious Anne was in love with Henry, but also with the most dangerous ideas of her day. Conspiring with the exiled William Tyndale, she plots to make England Protestant – forever.
A celebration of a great English heroine, Anne Boleyn leaps between generations to reveal the debt the outrageous but scholarly James owed to Anne when he shrewdly reconciled England’s religious factions by creating his common, ‘authorised’ Bible.' 

As an avid Tudor nut, I had my speculations about this play. Was it going to be as good as the trailers made it out to be? And all the reviews?

I needn't have worried, it was a fantastic production being so witty, and humerous at points. I am not going to be like all the reviewers by only stating the positives, I do have some negatives about the play too, which are listed below:

• The protrayal of Anne Boleyn played by Jo Herbert lacked everything I was expecting, she had none of the elegance, charisma, or appeal that Natalie Dormer had portraying her. Jo Herbert, however was a fine actress, and carried the story well enough.
• The portrayal of Henry VIII by David Sturzaker was weak, I found that I was more taken with Thomas Cromwells authortarianship. Henry VIII is a large character to live up too, and David portrayed a fine example of a well dressed, and handsome monarch, but for me that was it.

It sounds mean, but I was expecting more from the actors when it came to portraying such important historical figures as my two heroes Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.

I would recommend this play, it was espcially made (for me and mum) by James Garnon who played King James I. He provided so many comic moments, his timing flawless, just like his enthusiasm. I was so pleased when after the show I managed to see him outside the theatre having gone for a smoke. I plucked up the courage to talk to him, and ask for his autograph. James garnon is a truly fine actor!

The production finished touring in May, so if you get a chance go and see it, you wont regret it!

Rachel

Ian Mortimer - The Time Travellers Guide To Elizabethan England

On 11 April 2012, I had the pleasure of meeting historians Ian Mortimer and Marc Morris for an informal talk on their newly released books. Whilst I am a fan of history, I am afraid to say that the Norman Conquest is not within my area of historical knowledge, thus the 45 minute talk given by Marc, although humorous was slightly lost on me I am afraid to say. I was here to see Ian Mortimer famously known for his book 'A Time Travellers Guide To Medieval England'.

Ian's latest book was designed in the same pretence of his Medieval one, only this time it is based (as it's title suggests) on the Elizabethan period. Listening to Ian Mortimer it is clear to see that his book covers many topics within the Elizabethan period, from bearbaiting to the Gloriana herself. It was easy to see also that Ian was highly taken with this period of history, from the way he spoke about it.

After a glass of wine I plucked up the courage to ask him a question. My question was thus:

"I noticed that you quite significantly jumped from the two periods. I was just wondering why you chose to focus on Elizabeth rather than the other well-known Tudor monarch Henry VIII? Surely, The period within history that he reigned over brought many changes, and was periodically as interesting as Elizabeth's."

His answer was relatively simple and shocked me he disliked Henry VIII greatly, and would only write a book on his negatives, involving comments of courtiers, nobles, and ambassadors who disliked him greatly.

Ian was then kind enough to sign my copy of 'A Time Travellers Guide To Elizabethan England'. I can't wait to read it.

Rachel