Leanda de Lisle

As you know, we are running three Tudor history tours this year – the Executed Queens Tour, Discover the Tudors Tour and the Anne Boleyn Experience – and Tim and I have been putting the finishing touches to the itineraries. We’re pleased to announced that historian Leanda de Lisle, author of “The Sisters Who Would Be Queen” and “After Elizabeth”, has just confirmed that she will be speaking on Lady Jane Grey on our Executed Queens Tour in June and Anne Clinard Barnhill, author of the recent historical novel “At the Mercy of the Queen: A Novel of Anne Boleyn” is actually attending our September Anne Boleyn Experience Tour! Yay!

So, we have the following guest speakers for our tours now:-

• Executed Queens Tour – Author and historian Gareth Russell (tour leader), historian Dr John Guy and historian Leanda de Lisle
• Discover the Tudors Tour – Historian Dr John Guy, historian Linda Porter and tour leaders Claire and Tim Ridgway of The Anne Boleyn Files
• The Anne Boleyn Experience – Historian Eric Ives, author Robert Parry (Tour leader), author Anne Clinard Barnhill and Tudor costume expert Bess Chilver

Combine those expert speakers with accommodation at places like Hever Castle, Coombe Abbey and Alveston Manor, and visits to Tudor attractions and I think you’ll agree that these tours will be a Tudor history lover’s dream come true! I’m so excited!

You can view or download a brochure at http://www.historytoursofbritain.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/2012_brochure_cover1.jpg and you can book your place on our Booking page.

New Speakers Confirmed for Tours

Our sister website, www.TheAnneBoleynFiles.com has just launched an online Tudor Advent Calendar for this month.

Simply go to this site and get opening those pages!

Tudor Christmas Advent Calendar

Last night I was watching the second episode of “The Antiques Roadshow” to come from Hever Castle in Kent. It’s a beautiful place with the castle set in stunning grounds. The program focused on the restoration work that Lord Astor had done to Hever, bringing it back from a disused building in danger of ruin to what is now an incredible English treasure.

What I found fascinating though was not the section where they talked about the building and some of its history, but the fact that NONE of the filming of the members of the public was in the private areas of the castle. The whole episode was filmed from the front of the castle, and as is always the case, the public were not allowed to go “behind the chains” into the Astor wing and its private grounds.

The programme reminded me of the first time that I sat on the private lawns of the Astor wing, drinking a cup of coffee, before the general public was even allowed into the grounds of Hever Castle. The sheer feeling of opulence was incredible! That was on our first Anne Boleyn Experience back in 2010, and it’s a memory I’ll never forget.

Then my train of thought went to our 2011 Anne Boleyn Experience, when on the last morning of the tour, many of our group were again out on the private lawns. One of the groundsmen was carefully pacing back and forth staring intently at the ground. Of course, the group asked me to find out what he was looking for, and the story is very interesting…

He was looking for any weeds in the lawn that were there. I asked “are there many?” and he told me no. The reason was that he mowed that part of the lawn, the croquet pitch, three times a week! After he had examined every square inch of the lawn, he then got out his lawn mower, and proceeded to cut the grass. But not just in one direction! The groundsman first went left to right, zig-zagging back and forth across the area. THEN he went at 90 degrees across the same area. THEN he went at 45 degrees across the same area. What attention to detail!

The funny thing is, that I asked him if he had ever played croquet on the lawn. “Oh no” he replied!

There is something incredibly special about Hever Castle, and the groundsman is just one example of the almost magical experience you have when staying there.

I really hope that we’ll get to see you on one of our 2012 tours so that you too can get to actually STAY in the private areas of Hever Castle that even the BBC don’t go! It’s magic…

Antiques Roadshow from Hever Castle

Eric Ives with The Anne Boleyn Experience 2011 group

I’ve just received confirmation from Professor Eric Ives that he can speak on our September 2012 Anne Boleyn Experience Tour! Yay!

Eric has spoken on our tours twice now and has thoroughly enjoyed meeting tour attendees and talking about Anne Boleyn. In July he stopped his talk and apologised for the length of it and when we said we were happy listening for as long as he could speak he commented, “I can talk about Anne until the cows come home, so please stop me when you’ve had enough!” Could we ever have enough of Eric Ives talking about Anne Boleyn? I don’t think so! You will also have the chance to ask Eric those burning questions and to get your book signed.

I’m so glad that Eric can make it as I believe there is no-one better to talk on Anne Boleyn. I refer to his biography of her as my “Anne Boleyn Bible” and get very stressed if it gets moved off my desk! If you haven’t read it then make sure you get hold of a copy, it is huge and covers every aspect of her life and reign.

Other Anne Boleyn Experience Tour highlights include:-

• Staying at Hever Castle – A magical experience in itself!
• Visiting Hampton Court Palace and the Tower of London, as well as Hever.
• Meeting others who want to ‘talk Tudor’ – It really is wonderful to not have people’s eyes glazing over when you talk about Anne Boleyn!
• Meeting Robert Parry, author of “Virgin and the Crab” and “The Arrow Chest”, two of my favourite historical novels.
• Eating in the main castle dining room surrounded by tapestries and paintings.
• Hearing Bess Chilver speak on Tudor costume.

Click here to view our 2012 tour brochure now.

Professor Eric Ives Confirmed as Speaker for Anne Boleyn Experience 2012

Download our 2012 Tour Brochure

Following on from the success of their 2010 and 2011 history tours, experienced history tour company http://www.historytoursofbritain.com has just launched its 2012 brochure of luxury Tudor tours. These tours, which are designed to be dream vacations for Tudor history lovers, all feature a stay at Hever Castle, childhood home of Anne Boleyn, private guided tours of Tudor attractions and talks from historians and experts.

In an interview, Claire Ridgway of www.HistoryToursofBritain.com, who is also creator of top Tudor website www.theAnneBoleynFiles.com, said “We’ve been blown away by the response of this year’s attendees who all commented on how our tours really were a dream come true for them and the chance of a lifetime. It’s so heartwarming when people really don’t want to go home and then rebook for the following year.”

History Tours of Britain tour attendees won’t just visit a castle, they’ll stay in one! They will also enjoy learning more about the Tudor period, perks like out-of-hours access to Hever Castle, spending time with like-minded people in small groups, visiting beautiful and historic places, and picking experts’ brains.

For more information and a downloadable brochure please visit http://www.historytoursofbritain.com

Tudor Tours Launched – Press Release

Download our Brochure Here

Today sees the launch of our new downloadable brochure for our 2012 programme of Tudor tours – yay! Tim has done a fantastic job with it and I think that it really brings our tours to life. Please have a browse through it and let me know what you think of it.

To celebrate the launch of the brochure, we’ve decided to extend our special Early Bird booking offer and include The Anne Boleyn Experience September 2012.

So, if you reserve your place before midnight on Friday 9th September we will take £100 per person off the balance owing. The full balance isn’t due until 90 days before the tour so you have time to save up! This offer is valid for all 3 of our 2012 tours.

Tim and I are very much looking forward to those of you who have booked a place on the Discover the Tudors Tour, I’m excited already!

Click on the PDF icon above, or the brochure image on the right hand side bar of this website, to download the brochure. Enjoy!

2012 Tour Brochure Launched!

Everyone who has been on one of our tours has commented on the magic of Hever Castle.

Like Anne Boleyn, the place just seems to grab you and you find yourself wishing you could stay there for ever. As Tim and I walked the grounds, we would bump into other members of the group with dazed smiles on their faces, they were in a dream world and loving every minute of it! Dazed smiles and happy sighs, that’s the Hever effect!

Hever Castle and the Boleyn Family

The defensive castle dates back to 1270 but the inner part of the castle, which is actually a traditional Tudor manor house, was added by the Boleyns in the 15th and 16th centuries.

In 1462, the castle fell into the ownership of Geoffrey Boleyn, Lord Mayor of London, who passed it on to his son, William Boleyn. In 1505, Thomas Boleyn, father of Anne Boleyn, inherited the castle and moved there with his wife, Elizabeth (née Howard), and young family.

We don’t know exactly how much time Anne Boleyn spent at the castle, seeing as she was sent abroad in the summer of 1513 and did not return until late 1521, but the primary sources do tell us the following:-

• 1525 – Anne was sent to Hever after the break-up of her relationship with Henry Percy
• Summer 1527 – Henry VIII wrote to Anne when she had retreated to Hever to avoid him
• February 1528 – Anne was visited by Edward Fox and Stephen Gardiner on their way to Rome
• June and July 1528 – Anne suffers sweating sickness at Hever and then stays there to recover
• September 1528 – Anne is sent to Hever in anticipation of Cardinal Campeggio’s arrival in England to conduct the legatine court
• October and November 1528 – Henry VIII writes to Anne at Hever and then visits Penshurst Place, just a few miles form Hever

So, Hever was Anne Boleyn’s home at key moments in her life.

The castle remained in the possession of the Boleyn family after Anne’s downfall until Thomas Boleyn’s death in March 1539. We know that Thomas was outlived by his mother, Lady Margaret Butler, and that she was still living at Hever at that time, but arrangements were made for her to be removed and the King took possession of the castle. In 1540, the castle was granted to Anne of Cleves as part of her annulment settlement and, contrary to what many historians say, Anne of Cleves did stay there, writing a letter to Mary I in 1554 “from my poore house of Hever” and letters to her brother about the local honey and the good hunting in the area.

Hever Castle Today

After the death of Anne of Cleves in 1557 the castle passed into the ownership of various families, the Waldegraves, Humphreys and Waldos, but by the end of the 19th century it was in a very sorry state and would have declined into a ruin if William Waldorf Astor had not purchased the property in 1903.

William Waldorf Astor, a wealthy American who became a British subject and was created the first Viscount of Hever in 1917, set about renovating the castle with the intention of enlarging the property into a Tudor-style “village” without detracting from the castle or ruining it. With the help of his architect F.L.Pearson, he added accommodation such as guest rooms (where tour attendees stay) and staff quarters which were linked by an interior passageway and linked to the main Castle by a bridge that ran across the famous moat.

The grounds of Hever Castle were landscaped under the direction of Joseph Cheal, to allow for a wide range of shrubs and trees to be planted, and a two year excavation project in the surrounding meadows and marshland resulted in a beautiful 35 acre lake which can now be enjoyed by rowing boat or by doing a lake walk and spotting birds like kingfishers, swans, crested grebes and herons. Cheal’s landscaping project also included making a covered walk from the lake, which is bordered by columns and runs through a pretty Italian style garden complete with grottoes, fountains, cascades, statues and sculptures. The statues and sculptures were collected during Mr Astor’s time as the American Ambassador in Italy.

The castle itself was also restored by Astor, a Tudor history lover, who went to great lengths to restore it to its former glory and beauty. He even made sure that his workers used Tudor techniques and tools to handcraft beams and panelling!

Hever Castle Highlights

Visitors to the castle and grounds today can enjoy:-

• The Tudor Portraits – A collection which David Starkey has described as “one of the best collections after the National Gallery”.
• The castle dining room, or Great Hall, complete with a 1540 tapestry and Henry VIII’s lock, which he took to every place he visited for security
• The inner hall which was once the Great Kitchen – Admire the beautiful carved walnut columns and panelling, as well as the portraits of Anne Boleyn and Mary Boleyn
• The Priest’s hole – Legend has it that a priest perished in this hole and that he now haunts the castle
• Anne Boleyn’s bedroom – The bedroom traditionally thought to have been shared by Anne and Mary Boleyn.
• The Book of Hours Room – Here you will find two beautifully illuminated prayer books which belonged to Anne, one with her famous “le temps viendra, je Anne Boleyn” inscription and astrolabe motif, and also an exquisite tapestry depicting the marriage of Princess Mary Tudor and Louis XII of France in 1514. It is likely that Anne and Mary Boleyn are among the ladies in this scene as they both attended Mary at this time.
• The hidden chapel built behind panelling in the late 16th century
• The stunning Italian Garden which leads down to the lake
• Water features, grottoes and the formal Loggia fountain
• The Tudor Garden, rose gardens, Rhododendron Walk and Anne Boleyn’s Walk
• Yew Maze and water maze

The Astor Wing

Attendees on all of our tours get to stay in the private and exclusive Astor Wing of the castle. This wing consists of individually designed, luxury, en-suite bedrooms, the music room for socialising and the Tudor Suite of dining and function rooms which feature rich panelling and portraits. We book out the whole wing so it’s completely ours and is a beautiful place to stay. Some rooms have views over the castle, others have views over the gardens and grounds. One of my favourite things is drawing back the curtains and taking in the Hever view – a happy sigh moment!

Highlights for Tour Attendees

• Out of hours access to the castle and grounds – Our private guided tour takes place before the castle is open to the public and we can stroll around the gardens at our leisure.
• Eating in the main castle dining room – Each tour has one dinner in the main castle dining room and there’s nothing quite like eating in the Boleyn family’s Great Hall with its tapestries and portraits.
• Waking up at Hever – I still have to pinch myself every morning!
• The Hever magic fairies – Beds magically made or turned down, bedroom lights switched on… No matter how many times I return to my room I’ve never been able to catch the fairies! Seriously, the Hever staff are wonderful and nothing is too much trouble.
• The food – Hever Castle’s food is to die for! So yummy!
• Hearing Tudor historians speak in an historical setting
• Getting lost – On purpose: one tour attendee didn’t turn up for a buffet lunch because she couldn’t drag herself away from the gardens. By accident: The corridors of the Astor Wing are a bit maze-like so scatter breadcrumbs or be guided by the portraits, but ask yourself “is there any better place to get lost?”

The Bad News

We asked Anne Boleyn Experience 2011 attendees if there were any negatives about the tour and quite a few people responded “going home”! Sorry, the bad news is that you do have to tear yourself away from Hever, but I can assure you that the magic lives on and you will never be the same again.

Our Tours

Hever is visited on every single one of our tours so do check out the tour itineraries and details here at our special tour website History Tours of Britain. We offer:-

• The Anne Boleyn Experience – This Anne Boleyn focused tour runs in May and September 2012 and is completely based at Hever, with day tours to the Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace.
• The Executed Queens Tour – This takes place in June 2012 and is split between Coombe Abbey and Hever Castle. Attendees will visit places associated with Mary Queen of Scots, Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard and Lady Jane Grey.
• The Discover the Tudors Tour – New for 2012, this June tour is an 8 night/9 day tour taking attendees back in time through visits to the Tudor attractions of London and Stratford-upon-Avon. We also visit Bosworth Battlefield and accommodation is split between London, Stratford-upon-Avon and Hever.

Early Bird Booking Offer

We’re presently offering an Early Bird Discount of £100 off the full cost of The Executed Queens or Discover the Tudors Tours if you book before midnight on Monday 22nd August. You can reserve your place with a deposit of £300 per person. Click here to reserve your place.

Now sit back and enjoy these photos of Hever Castle taken on our past tours by Tim Ridgway and Paudie Kennelly:-

Hever Castle – A Magical Place

As we rapidly approach July, our final preparations for this year’s Anne Boleyn Experience are now complete. This year, like last, we’ll be staying at Hever Castle in Kent for our four night luxury historical holiday … and like last year we have an amazing number of things we’ll be doing!

For me, last year was a magical experience (we definitely named it right!), and just staying in Hever was enough to give a lifetime of memories. From the staff, through the rooms all the way to the beautiful gardens and the fascinating history of the castle itself, everything was perfect.

Claire Ridgway with Eric Ives

For the 2011 Anne Boleyn Experience, we are having Professor Eric Ives as our key speaker. He is such a well known “personality” in the world of Anne Boleyn and the Tudors, yet he is so mild and kind. A true expert on the period, and incredibly happy to share his insights into the Tudor world.

It’s going to be great to spend time visiting the Tower of London again, and this year we are looking forward to having John as our tour guide. This year, we’ll be learning all about the history of the Tower on the coach into London. That means we’ll be able to spend more time really exploring once we are inside…

Not long to go until the history tour now!

Preparations for Anne Boleyn Experience 2011

Last year's Anne Boleyn Experience group

I can’t quite believe how quickly the time has flown by since our May 2010 Anne Boleyn Experience and now I am packing for the Executed Queens Tour 2011 which starts on Sunday.

I am so excited about this tour, which is a brand new one this year. We have 24 attendees from lots of different countries –  the UK, Ireland, the USA, Canada and the Netherlands – but we all have one thing in common, our love of Tudor history! It’s going to be so wonderful to discuss Tudor history all week, to get to know other Tudor history fans, to visit magical Tudor attractions, to stay at Hever Castle and to listen to our guest speakers and learn more about our favourite subject.

I will be doing a daily blog diary, but here us what we will be getting up to:-

• Visiting the ruins of Bradgate House, Lady Jane Grey’s family home
• Staying at the 17th century Bosworth Hall Hotel for three nights
• Visiting Sheffield Manor Lodge, once the prison of Mary Queen of Scots
• Visiting the Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre
• Staying at Hever Castle for three nights
• Exploring Hever Castle and its gardens
• Visiting the Tower of London on the anniversary of Anne Boleyn’s execution
• Visiting Hampton Court Palace
• Dining with and listening to Eric Ives, John Guy and Leanda de Lisle

Now can you understand why I am so excited!

I’m also happy that we have a few repeat attendees from last year’s tour, it’s so good to know that they enjoyed themselves.

Upcoming Executed Queens Tour

The table where we sat and had coffee! What a view!

What history lover hasn’t dreamed of staying overnight in a castle? Well, now you can!

When I started planning my very first history tour, I spoke to Hever Castle, the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, and asked them if it was possible to stay there. I was blown away when they said that if I was willing to book the whole Astor Wing then I could – wow!

So, Tim and I and 19 other Tudor history lovers spent four nights last May at Hever Castle in their private Astor Wing. We had the whole wing to ourselves, we got to eat in the main castle dining room and we had access to the castle and grounds when the general public weren’t around.  Tim and I made a habit of walking down to the lake every morning before breakfast and chatting to the gardeners as they went about their daily sprucing of the exquisite gardens. Did we pretend that we were the Lord and Lady of the estate? You bet we did, in our heads anyway! It was pure magic!

But Hever Castle isn’t the only castle you can stay at on our tours. We have just added the Discover the Tudors tour to our programme and that includes a stay at Leeds Castle, a castle which dates back to the 12th century and which received a visit from Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon in 1520 as they made their way to the Field of the Cloth of Gold.

What about our other accommodation venues, are they castles?

Well, here’s a brief rundown…

• Alveston Manor Hotel, Stratford-upon-Avon – This hotel in the historic town of Stratford-upon-Avon, birthplace of William Shakespeare, has parts which date back to the 16th century. Features include Tudor panelling, leaded lights and an Elizabethan staircase. It also has a vaulted cellar leading to an underground passage which was once used by monks from Worcester. This hotel is used on the Discover the Tudors Tour.
• Bosworth Hall Hotel and Spa – This a Grade II listed mansion, set in 11 acres of beautifully landscaped gardens, which dates back to the 17th century. It features individually designed rooms with a period style. This hotel is used on the Executed Queens Tour.
• The Tower Hotel – Not a historic building but we chose this luxury 4 star Guoman Hotel because of its location, just a stone’s thrown from Tower Bridge and the Tower of London, and with views over the River Thames. Close to the action of Tudor London! This hotel is used on the Tudor London Tour.

Last Year's Anne Boleyn Experience group dining in Hever Castle's dining room

Don’t Just Visit Castles, Stay in Them!