Picture of the Week #586

Former burial place of Mary Queen of Scots in Peterborough Cathedral. Photo May 2015.

This is just another angle on Picture of the Week #455 from a few years ago. I picked this photo since the anniversary of Mary’s execution was a couple of days ago, but I had totally forgotten that it was actually several months before Mary was actually buried in Peterborough. (And then a few decades later, her body was moved to Westminster Abbey, in the reign of her son James VI/I).

Upcoming Books, Events, and Exhibitions for February 2020

Books

The Man Behind the Tudors: Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk by Kirsten Claiden-Yardley came out at the end of last month in the UK and will be released in early May is the US:

And later this month, John Paul Davis has A Hidden History of the Tower of London: England’s Most Notorious Prisoners coming out in the UK and it will be out in June in the US. While not solely a Tudor history book, you can’t talk about prisoners in the Tower without talking about the Tudors!

New Exhibitions

The Royal Museums Greenwich will be uniting the three versions of the Armada Portrait for the first time for the Faces of a Queen exhibition that opens on February 13 and runs through August 31. I would love to see this but it’s quite unlikely that I’ll be getting back across the pond this year (still saving up to buy a new car…) so I’m going to be jealous of anyone who gets to visit!

Continuing Exhibition

The Bacton Altar Cloth at Hampton Court Palace – See the Bacton Altar Cloth, a rare survival of Elizabethan dress worn by Elizabeth I and the iconic Rainbow Portrait, this autumn at Hampton Court Palace. The cloth will be on display from October 12, 2019 through February 23, 2020.

Picture of the Week #583

Bury St Edmunds Abbey and Gardens. Photo May 2015

The ruins of the Abbey (former burial place of Mary Tudor, Queen of France and Duchess of Suffolk) have been made into a nice garden space that I spent a while wandering around when I was there.

Picture of the Week #582

Blickling Hall, Norfolk. Photo May 2015

I thought I would celebrate the 125th birthday of the National Trust by posting a photo from one of the properties in their care that I visited on my last trip over. If I remember correctly, this is basically my first view of the Hall after coming around the hedges after the short walk over from the car park.

Picture of the Week #581

Bedroom at the Shakespeare Birthplace. Photo May 2015

I think this is the bedroom that is traditionally said to be where Shakespeare was born. I chose this in honor of starting the Shakespeare 2020 Project where I’m joining William Shakespeare’s Star Wars author Ian Doescher’s reading of all the works of Shakespeare this year. I made an attempt to read and/or watch all of the plays between 2014 (450th anniversary of the Bard’s birth) and 2016 (400th anniversary of his death) but only made about 1/3 of the way. I’m trying again this year and, using Ian’s schedule, I think I’ll actually do it. Once I figured out that you really only need to read about one act a day, it doesn’t seem quite so daunting. I have the Shakespeare Pro app on my iPad and iPhone so I will have the plays handy most of the time!

Upcoming Books, Events, and Exhibitions for January 2020

Books

We’ve got a couple of books that came out last year in the UK that will be out in the US to start the new year:

First is Melita Thomas’ The House of Grey: Friends & Foes of Kings which came out last fall in the UK.

Next is the second edition of Tudor Folk Tales by Dave Tonge that will be out in paperback in the US.

And a few new releases at the end of January:

First is an academic work by Alexander Samson Mary and Philip: The Marriage of Tudor England and Habsburg Spain

And second is Sir Francis Bryan: Henry VIII’s Most Notorious Ambassador by Sarah-Beth Watkins:

Events

The annual Katharine of Aragon Festival will be held at Peterborough Cathedral from January 23 – 26, 2020. This year’s program features, among other things, a talk by Melita Thomas and evening of music, drama, and dance from Spain.

Continuing Exhibition

The Bacton Altar Cloth at Hampton Court Palace – See the Bacton Altar Cloth, a rare survival of Elizabethan dress worn by Elizabeth I and the iconic Rainbow Portrait, this autumn at Hampton Court Palace. The cloth will be on display from October 12, 2019 through February 23, 2020.

Picture of the Week #577

The ruins of Castle Acre Priory viewed from Priory Lane. Photo May 2015.

This was on the short walk between the place I stayed in the village and the ruins of the priory.

(BTW – I’m moving the Pictures of the Week to the weekend for the time being since that’s when I actually have more time these days!)

Picture of the Week #576

Dining and kitchen area at the Shakespeare Birthplace. Photo May 2015

As much as I love looking at the kitchens in the old castles and houses when I travel, today (Thanksgiving in the US) is definitely a day I appreciate modern kitchen appliances!