Insights and behind the scenes from our palaces
Triumph and tragedy: Thomas Cromwell's legacy at the Tower of London
06 December 2024
For Thomas Cromwell, hero of Wolf Hall, the Tower of London would be the scene of the start of his career and the end of his life. Here, Chief Historian Tracy Borman explores the Tower through the lens of Thomas Cromwell's rise and fall.
Thomas Cromwell's fateful match-making
29 November 2024
Tracy Borman explores the real history behind Thomas Cromwell's downfall, which forms the dramatic conclusion to Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light.
Protecting wildlife and their habitat at Home Park
22 November 2024
Park Ranger Eleanor Evetts explores the importance of nature conservation efforts at Home Park at Hampton Court Palace.
The History of the Abraham Tapestries at Hampton Court
15 November 2024
Tudor tapestries were the epitome of cultural sophistication and a symbol of the lucky owner’s accomplishments and values: highly coloured, glittering expositions of magnificence and success. Here, Curator Brett Dolman explores how the 'Abraham' tapestries came to be at Hampton Court, and their meaning to those who gazed upon them in the 16th century.
'Buried Among Kings': Hampton Court and the Coffin of the Unknown Warrior
11 November 2024
On 11 November 1920 the Unknown Warrior was laid to rest in Westminster Abbey, in a coffin said to have been made of Hampton Court oak. Here, Assistant Curator Minette Butler investigates this curious palace story, including an unexpected link to the Tower of London.
Things are looking up! Conserving our upper outer valances of Queen Caroline's state bed
08 November 2024
Work on Queen Caroline’s State Bed, which we care for on behalf of the Royal Collection Trust, continues in the Conservation Studio at Hampton Court Palace. We have now moved up to the top of the bed with the upper outer valances.
Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford: The Most Hated Woman in Tudor England?
01 November 2024
Tracy Borman investigates whether Jane Boleyn, widow of George Boleyn, deserves her notorious reputation, or whether the hostile accounts of her a product of Elizabeth I's later attempts to rehabilitate her mother.
The Jewel House Keeper's Ghost
31 October 2024
Curator Alden Gregory explores one of the many ghost stories associated with the palaces in our care: the Tower of London's Phantom Bear.
The Extraordinary Life and Death of Lady Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury
25 October 2024
On 27 May 1541, Lady Margaret Pole – another victim of Henry VIII’s increasingly bloody regime – was led to her execution inside the Tower. But Margaret was no scheming minister or prisoner of conscience. She was a 67-year-old woman who had spent her life serving the Tudors.
Conserving Henry VIII's Abraham Tapestries
18 October 2024
Textile Treatment Conservator Alice Young introduces a new major project at Historic Royal Palaces, to keep the Abraham tapestries looking their best for future generations.