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Historic Royal Palaces blog

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.

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.

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 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.

'May I Go Home?': Lady Jane Grey's First Moments as a Tower Prisoner

11 October 2024

Lady Jane Grey's biographer, Dr Nicola Tallis unpicks the moment that Jane learned of her deposition and was forced to come to terms with her fall from Queen to Tower prisoner.

A Model of Queenship: Lady Elizabeth's Summer with Katherine Parr

20 September 2024

Tracy Borman travels back to 1544, when Elizabeth spent a happy summer at Hampton Court Palace watching her beloved stepmother, Katherine Parr act as Regent. This visit would have an enduring impact on the young princess.

Elizabeth I's Brush with Death at Hampton Court, 1562

06 September 2024

In 1562, Elizabeth I was taken suddenly and dangerously ill at Hampton Court Palace. Her courtiers were thrown into panic; if the young Queen died, it could spell the end of the Tudor dynasty.

Medieval and Tudor Poets at the Tower

09 August 2024

What dramatic Tudor event might Sir Thomas Wyatt have drawn on for his poetry? And did you know Geoffrey Chaucer worked at the Tower of London?

The Death of Elizabeth of York at the Tower of London

05 July 2024

Tracy Borman delves into the story behind the death of the original Tudor Queen, within the walls of this royal fortress.