Henry VIII with Professor Suzannah Lipscomb

We spend the day at beautiful Hampton Court. Originally begun by Cardinal Wolsey in the early 16^th century, it was later remodelled by Henry VIII who made many additions to the palace and laid out the overall plan for the gardens, the basic structure of which is still seen today. We examine the architecture and visit the kitchens, State Apartments and Young Henry VIII exhibition to look at the nature of his court and how the palace functioned. We also trace the stories of Henry’s last four wives through their associations with the palace.

Today we visit Anne Boleyn’s childhood home at Hever Castle, situated in the lovely Kent countryside. Some believe that Anne was born at Hever, though there is little evidence to suggest this. After Anne’s relationship with Henry Percy was abruptly ended, she once again took up residence at Hever and was later visited there by Henry VIII. Anne remained closely connected to the house until her death in 1536, and it was later bestowed upon Anne of Cleeves as part of her divorce settlement from Henry VIII. She then owned Hever Castle until her death in 1557. We take a special guided tour of the house and later explore the extensive, award winning gardens.

On our last day we end our tour with a guided tour of Windsor Castle ending the day at the perpendicular chapel of St. George’s at Windsor and the simple black marble slab that marks the resting place of Henry and his third wife, Jane Seymour.