Picture of the Week #679

Kitchen at Blickling Hall. Photo May 2015.

Although the property as a whole has Tudor connections, the kitchen in this photo was moved to the current location in the 1930s and has furniture and fittings ranging from the Jacobean period through the 1980s. (Not all of which you see in this photo.) But fitting with the Food Theme for this month and with Thanksgiving on my mind, I kept thinking about this kitchen and the massive Turkey Day meal you could prep in it. 🙂

Picture of the Week #678

Hampton Court Palace Kitchens. Photo May 2015.

I mentioned last week that I would have a food theme this month and that it would mostly be fake food, but this photo isn’t! When I stopped by to visit @tudorcook at work in the Hampton Court Kitchens he was doing some tests with roasts and various cooking times on the cooking fire, some of which you can see here.

Picture of the Week #677

Small dining scene at the Shakespeare Birthplace. Photo May 2015.

I’ve decided it was time for a theme month again and since November is the month of Thanksgiving here in the US (and because Turkey Day always gets the short shrift), this month will feature FOOD! Mostly fake food in kitchen and dining displays, but it’s the thought that counts.

Upcoming Books, Exhibitions, and Events for November 2021

Books

A number of new books are due out in November in the UK and hopefully the global supply-chain woes won’t interfere with their releases!

First up is Tracy Borman’s newest work Crown & Sceptre: A New History of the British Monarchy which is due out on November 18 in the UK and will be out in February in the US.

Next is Disability and the Tudors: All the King’s Fools by Phillipa Vincent Connolly, which has already been delayed thanks to the pandemic so I hope it actually is finally released at the end of the month! It’s also due out in February in the US.

And finally, Bosworth: The Archaeology of the Battlefield by Richard Mackinder is also due out at the end of the month and in February in the US.

And a few books that have already been released in the UK will be released in November in the US.

First up, King & Collector: Henry VIII and the Art of Kingship by Linda Collins and Siobhan Clarke will be out in the US on November 1.

And Amy Licence’s Living Like a Tudor: Woodsmoke and Sage: A Sensory Journey Through Tudor England will be released in the US on November 2 with a slightly different title: Living Like a Tudor: Woodsmoke and Sage: A Sensory Journey Through Tudor England.

And Susan Doran’s companion book to the British Library exhibition Elizabeth and Mary: Royal Cousins, Rival Queens will be out in paperback on November 15 in the US.

New Exhibition

Only “new” this month because I missed it when I was writing last month’s round-up!

The Getty Museum in Los Angeles, California is holding an exhibition titled Holbein: Capturing Character in the Renaissance that opened on October 19, 2021 and will run through January 9, 2022. It’s always nice to be able to feature a Tudor-related exhibition over here in the US, even if this one is too far away for me to travel to see.

Continuing Exhibitions

The British Library‘s new exhibition on Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots opened on October 8 and will run through February 2022. You can book tickets at the website linked above.

The British Library will also be hosting TudorFest on December 4 both online and at the British Library Theatre. Click here for the line-up and ticket details.

The Royal Museums Greenwich united the three versions of the Armada Portrait for the first time for the Faces of a Queen exhibition. I’m not sure of the end date on this one, but I’m guessing it will be on for a while since it was delayed for so long.

Entertainment

The Royal Shakespeare Company‘s production of the theatrical adaptation of The Mirror and the Light – the third book of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall Trilogy – opened at the Gielgud Theatre in London on September 23 and will run through January 23, 2022.

Picture of the Week #672

Window in Castle Rising Castle, Norfolk. Photo May 2015.

This narrow, deep-set window is of the kind you’d expect to see in a largely defensive medieval structure, but there are larger windows in other parts of the castle that has caused some disagreement among historians about just how much the castle was designed for defense. The large earthworks seemed pretty imposing to me – but I was there as a tourist and not an invading army. 🙂

Upcoming Books, Exhibitions, and Events for October 2021

Books

I have lots of stuff for November, but only one new book on my tracking sheet for this month – Susan Doran’s Elizabeth and Mary: Royal Cousins, Rival Queens which is tied to the new British Library exhibition mentioned below. It’s due out in the UK on October 8, the day the exhibition opens and will be out in early 2022 in the US.

Entertainment

The Royal Shakespeare Company‘s production of the theatrical adaptation of The Mirror and the Light – the third book of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall Trilogy – opened at the Gielgud Theatre in London on September 23 and will run through January 23, 2022.

New Exhibition

The British Library‘s new exhibition on Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots opens on October 8 and will run through February 2022. You can book tickets at the website linked above.

From the exhibition website:

Step back into a dangerous world of plots, espionage and treachery to explore the turbulent relationship between Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots in their own words.

In an England and Scotland engulfed in religious turmoil and with civil wars raging on the continent, this major exhibition follows the storm that threatened these two powerful women as they struggled for control of the British Isles.

They never met but their fates were intertwined. From their shared beginnings, facing the challenge of ruling in a man’s world, feel the tension escalate as handwritten letters between the queens show how paranoia turned sisterly affection to suspicion.

With the threat of conspiracy ever present, communications written in code reveal how Elizabeth used a network of spies to trap and destroy her rival, bringing the dramatic story to a swift and bloody conclusion.

Encounter some of the Library’s most exceptional 16th-century manuscripts and printed works on display: Elizabeth’s stirring ‘heart and stomach of a king’ speech; the papal bull excommunicating Elizabeth; Mary’s 10-page plea for freedom.

These sit alongside haunting objects which reveal the complex story behind the two queens’ reigns. Tales of imprisonment and escape. Elizabeth’s speech to Parliament on her cousin’s fate. Eye-witness accounts of Mary’s execution.

Enter the dark side of the 16th century. Meet the real Elizabeth and Mary.

Continuing Exhibitions

The Royal Museums Greenwich united the three versions of the Armada Portrait for the first time for the Faces of a Queen exhibition. I’m not sure of the end date on this one, but I’m guessing it will be on for a while since it was delayed for so long.

Both of these wrap up at the end of October so time is running out!

And the Tudors to Windsors: British Royal Portraits exhibition that has been around the world (including here in Texas!) opened in Greenwich on May 28 and will run through October 31.

And finally, the celebrations of the 500th anniversary of the birth of William Cecil, Lord Burghley at Burghley House were also delayed because of the pandemic, but the did begin this year starting back in March and will run throughout the year.

Upcoming Books, Exhibitions, and Events for September 2021

Welcome September!! (well, in a few days). Even though we lucked out and didn’t have a soul-sucking and miserable summer here in central Texas this year (I think the weather gods were trying to apologize for The Big Freeze back in February) I’m ALWAYS ready for it to be fall!

Books

A few new releases this month!

The Tudor Times has created two new “Book of Days” that will be released this month. I have their Tudor Book of Days that was released a few years ago and it’s lovely so I expect these will be wonderful as well.

The first is Queen Elizabeth I Book of Days which will be released, appropriately, on Elizabeth’s birthday – September 7!

And the second is Mary Queen of Scots Book of Days which also has an appropriate release date – September 9, the anniversary of Mary’s coronation as Queen of Scotland.

And also this month, Sarah Gristwood’s latest work, The Tudors in Love: The Courtly Code Behind the Last Medieval Dynasty will be released on September 23 in the UK (no US release info yet, but I’ll keep an eye out!).

Events

The Society of Antiquaries have a couple of upcoming online lectures in conjunction with their virtual exhibit Henry VIII: Defender of the Faith?. And you can see past lectures on their YouTube Channel! The lectures are free, but you must register in advance. More information on each talk at the links:

First up – The Boleyns: Behind the Scenes of A Scandalous Family by Dr. Lauren Mackay and Dr. Estelle Paranque will be on September 3 at 1:00 p.m. (13.00) UK time.

And a few weeks later – Queenship in Early Modern England? will be presented by Professor Susan Doran on September 14, also at 1:00 p.m. (13.00) UK time.

Entertainment

The Royal Shakespeare Company‘s production of the theatrical adaptation of The Mirror and the Light – the third book of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall Trilogy – will open at the Gielgud Theatre in London on September 23 and will run through November 28.

Continuing Exhibitions

This one closes on September 5 so time is running out!

The celebrations of the 500th anniversary of The Field of the Cloth of Gold, Gold and Glory: Henry VIII and the French King at Hampton Court Palace were delayed for about a year, but they finally started on May 20 of this year.

The Royal Museums Greenwich united the three versions of the Armada Portrait for the first time for the Faces of a Queen exhibition. I’m not sure of the end date on this one, but I’m guessing it will be on for a while since it was delayed for so long.

And the Tudors to Windsors: British Royal Portraits exhibition that has been around the world (including here in Texas!) opened in Greenwich on May 28 and will run through October 31.

And finally, the celebrations of the 500th anniversary of the birth of William Cecil, Lord Burghley at Burghley House were also delayed because of the pandemic, but the did begin this year starting back in March and will run throughout the year.

Picture of the Week #667

Tomb of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk at St Michael’s, Framlingham. Photo May 2015.

Last week was the anniversary of the death of Thomas Howard so I had to pull a photo of his tomb. I seem to recall that it was hard to get a photo of his part of the tomb figures (without crawling over ropes) but I managed to get an angle that shows that epic carved beard.

Picture of the Week #665

The Hathaway Bed at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, Shottery, near Stratford-upon-Avon. Photo May 2015.

This bed was made sometime between 1580 and 1650 and if this was the (in)famous “second best bed” left to Anne in Shakespeare’s will, then that’s not too shabby! There might be more images of beds in the next few weeks since I’ve started going back into the office 3-4 days each week and I’m getting less sleep now. 🙂

Picture of the Week #664

Mosaic pavement in Norwich Cathedral. Photo May 2015.

This mosaic reminded me of the magnificent Cosmati Pavement at Westminster Abbey although the one at Norwich is not actually a Cosmati and is much ‘newer’ since it dates from the 19th century. A younger, more ambitious version of me (or maybe a future, retired version of me) would make a quilt of this!