Entrance to Framlingham Castle. Photo May 2015.
Picture of the Week #933
Palmer’s Farmhouse at Mary Arden’s Farm, Wilmcote, near Stratford-upon-Avon. Photo May 2015.
Picture of the Week #932
More embroideries from the Marian Hangings at Oxburgh Hall, Norfolk. Photo May 2015.
Upcoming Books and Events for October 2026
Hello October! We’re starting into my favorite time of year (and not just because it won’t feel like the surface of the sun outside…)
Books
We have one book that has already been out for a while in the UK that is now coming out in the US, as well as a couple of new releases!
Mary Boleyn: The Queen’s Slandered Sister by Sylvia Barbara Soberton came out back in May in the UK and will be out on October 20 in the US.
And in new releases, Amy Licence’s latest Philip II: The King, the Man, the Marriages will be out in the UK at the end of October and is due out next year in the US.
And finally, England’s Bears: The Blood and Glory of the House of Warwick by Aaron Manning will be out in early October in the UK and in May in the US.
Continuing Exhibitions
Peterborough Cathedral, the original burial place of Mary Queen of Scots, will have an exhibition about the queen that will run from September 15, 2026 to November 15, 2026. More information and ticket sales are available at this link.
Hever Castle is hosting a new exhibition, Capturing a Queen: The Image of Anne Boleyn which “brings together the largest ever gathering of portraits believed to depict Anne Boleyn, including a ground-breaking newly identified contemporary image unveiled for the first time.” The exhibition will run from February 11, 2026 to January 2, 2027 and is included with admission to the castle.
Picture of the Week #931
Looking back down the stairs at the entrance to Castle Rising, Norfolk. Photo May 2015.
Picture of the Week #930
The Long Walk at Windsor Great Park. Photo May 2015.
This is the view you see with Windsor Castle behind you.
Picture of the Week #929
Hall’s Croft, Stratford-upon-Avon. Photo May 2015.
Picture of the Week #928
Junction of the Tudor/Elizabethan section (left) of Hampton Court Palace with the William and Mary section (right). Photo May 2015.
Upcoming Books and Events for September 2026
Sorry I missed the August round-up – things kind of got away from me after I realized the summer was 2/3rds over and I hadn’t done a lot of things I had on my to-do list (both at home and at work) before the new academic year started.
Books
Elizabeth Norton contributed Jane Seymour: Patronage, Material Culture and Image Crafting to the Routledge Lives of Royal Women series, and it was released back in July in both the UK and the US. Since this is “academically priced”, I’ve linked to the paperback version (which is still pretty pricey!).
Henry VIII’s Quest for an Heir: The King’s Great Matter by Helene Harrison was originally due out at the end of August in the UK but has been pushed back to the end of September. It’s due to be released at the end of October in the US.
New Exhibition
Peterborough Cathedral, the original burial place of Mary Queen of Scots, will have an exhibition about the queen that will run from September 15, 2026 to November 15, 2026. More information and ticket sales are available at this link.
Continuing Exhibition
Hever Castle is hosting a new exhibition, Capturing a Queen: The Image of Anne Boleyn which “brings together the largest ever gathering of portraits believed to depict Anne Boleyn, including a ground-breaking newly identified contemporary image unveiled for the first time.” The exhibition will run from February 11, 2026 to January 2, 2027 and is included with admission to the castle.
Picture of the Week #927
Entrance to Leicester’s Gatehouse at Kenilworth Castle. Photo May 2015.
Picture of the Week #926
View on the Bosworth Battlefield trail. Photo May 2015.
Picture of the Week #925
The River Medway and the outer wall of Rochester Castle from the top of the castle’s keep. Photo May 2015.
Picture of the Week #924
Ruins of the Abbey of Bury St Edmunds. Photo May 2015.
The Abbey of Bury St Edmunds was the original burial place of Mary Tudor, Queen of France and Duchess of Suffolk (sister of Henry VIII) before the Dissolution.
Picture of the Week #923
Effigies of the daughters of Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey on his tomb at St. Michael’s, Framlingham. Photo May 2015.
A companion to last week’s picture. It’s hard to tell from the angle of my photo, but all three of the Earl’s daughters are represented on the tomb.
Picture of the Week #922
Effigies of the sons of Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey on his tomb at St. Michael’s, Framlingham. Photo May 2015.
Picture of the Week #921
Arms of Catherine of Aragon at Peterborough Cathedral. Photo May 2015.
Picture of the Week #920
Oxburgh Hall. Photo May 2015.
Upcoming Books and Events for July 2026
Sorry this is a little late! I was actually off work this past week but got pulled into other things (which I’ll fully admit included watching the World Cup and Wimbledon) so I just got to it today.
Books
Just one book this month, an academic biography of Anne of Cleves by Valerie Schutte – Anne of Cleves: The Historical and Cultural Legacy of a Queen, part of the Routledge “Lives of Royal Women” series. It was released this past week in both the US and the UK.
Events
Sorry for the short notice on this one – it managed to get past me until I got an email about it! (That’s the drawback of stepping away from some of the social media platforms, unfortunately.) The Mary Rose Trust will be launching its first history festival Six Queens, One King and His Ship coming up on July 18 & 19. And there is an online option for those who can’t attend in person!
About the event:
This July, the Mary Rose will host a two-day fundraising event to help raise funds for the continuing work of the Trust. It will see a unique gathering of leading Tudor historians each telling the story of one of Henry’s Queens. Alongside the day of talks on the 18 July, there will be a commemoration of the sinking of The Mary Rose on the 19 July with a Service of Remembrance at the twelfth century Portsmouth Cathedral, followed by a boat trip to the wreck site in The Solent.
You can book tickets at the link above!
Continuing Exhibitions
Ending soon!
Philip Mould & Company has an exhibit Elizabeth I: Queen & Court currently on display, which opened in May and will run through July 10, 2026. Be sure to also download the PDF exhibition catalogue!
Hever Castle is hosting a new exhibition, Capturing a Queen: The Image of Anne Boleyn which “brings together the largest ever gathering of portraits believed to depict Anne Boleyn, including a ground-breaking newly identified contemporary image unveiled for the first time.” The exhibition will run from February 11, 2026 to January 2, 2027 and is included with admission to the castle.
Picture of the Week #919
Spinning wheel in Palmer’s Farmhouse at Mary Arden’s Farm, Wilmcote, near Stratford-upon-Avon. Photo May 2015.
Picture of the Week #918
Painting of Henry VIII at Hampton Court Palace. Photo May 2015.
I know I just used a pic from Hampton Court last week, but I realized that today is Henry VIII’s birthday and this is one of the few pictures of Henry VIII that I haven’t used yet. (Mostly because of the glare and the blur, so I was trying to decide whether to use it at all…)
