The Anne Boleyn Files

Events on this page will link to our Events Calendar. I am happy to list any events that are Anne Boleyn or Tudor related if you send me details and photos (if possible). Email me at claire@theanneboleynfiles.com.

Knights at War – Tower of London

1 – 31 August 2010

Learn how a knight is dressed in full armour and thrill to the clash of steel as a fight unfolds between two masters of the sword.

This event takes place daily between 11.00 – 16.30 with special presentations at the following times:

Have-a-go Knight School at 11.00 & 14.00 (60 mins duration)

Knights Tournament at 12.15 & 15.15

To book advanced tickets to the Tower of London, please call 0844 482 7799 or book online at http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/admissionsprices/toweroflondonadmission.aspx

Fortress & Prisoners of the Tower – Tower of London

1 September – 31 October 2010

The Tower of London prepares for war. Join the forces of our medieval monarchs as they prepare the greatest fortress in the land for an impending attack. Feel the armour, test the weapons and shoot the mighty siege weapons. Join the hands-on fun.

Also all around the Tower, keep a look out for the colourful prisoners of the Tudor monarchs. Listen to their tales of woe, help them plot their escapes or applaud as they get their just desserts.

To book advanced tickets to the Tower of London, please call 0844 482 7799 or book online at http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/admissionsprices/toweroflondonadmission.aspx

Life in the Medieval Palace

1 November 2010 – 31 March 2011

Come and meet knights, ladies and other members of the household of Edward I and find out what life was really like in this magnificent palace.

For full details, please see the Tower of London What’s On page.

Summer Events at Hampton Court Palace

New Wine Fountain

Enjoy a glass of red or chilled white wine from the new wine fountain in Base Court, Hampton Court Palace at weekends and Bank Holidays from 1st May. Hampton Court Palace say of the fountain:-

“We have re-created a Tudor wine fountain on the spot where Henry VIII’s octagonal fountain stood in Base Court. We discovered the remains of a Tudor conduit or fountain during a major archaeological dig in 2008 and decided to re-create this piece of Tudor magnificence in Base Court. The design of our fountain is based on the wine fountain you can see in the Field of the Cloth of Gold painting which hangs in the Young Henry exhibition at Hampton Court Palace. Our fountain flows with water every day but has actually been engineered, like Henry’s own wine fountains, to serve real wine at weekends.

The wine fountain stands over 4m tall and has been made by traditional craftsmen using timber, lead, bronze and gold leaf. As well as using the Field of the Cloth of Gold painting for inspiration, we have also taken inspiration from the decoration of the palace around us. The fountain features 40 gilded lions’ heads based on those in the terracotta roundels that decorate the walls of the palace, 8 brass taps based on a surviving Tudor tap found here and a motto “faicte bonne chere quy vouldra” or “let he who wyshes make good cheere” in gilded lead letters based on those in the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace.

Book tickets for Hampton Court Palace online at http://www.hrp.org.uk/HamptonCourtPalace/hamptoncourtadmission.aspx

Come and join us to toast Henry VIII in his magnificent palace!”

Henry’s Women Weekends: Sport for Kings with Anne Boleyn

28 -30 August (August Bank Holiday weekend), Hampton Court Palace

Live Interpretation at Hampton Court PalaceQueen Anne organises a series of contests to test the knights, with Tudor sporting events such as falconry and fencing throughout the bank
holiday weekend.

Hever Castle Events

Jousting Tournaments

July 23, 24, 25, 31 and August 1, 13, 14, 15, 21, 22, 27, 28

Hever Castle, Kent
Gardens open at 10.30am; Castle opens at 12 noon

Admission Prices: Adults £13 – Seniors £11 – Children £7 – Family ticket £33
Gardens only: Adults £10.50 – Seniors £9 – Children £6.50 – Family ticket £27.50
Entry price include admission to special events except where stated.
http://www.hevercastle.co.uk/

The Knights of Royal England will be charging down for some ferocious medieval combat. Throughout weekends in July and August, including Fridays for the first time ever, the knights of the Blue Order will be taking on their arch rivals from the Red Banner in a series of exhilarating full gallop jousts. Last year the Blues snatched a last-minute victory and this year’s event promises to be every bit as exciting.

“Henry VIII” at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre

by William Shakespeare

Until 21st August 2010

This play is famous for quite literally bringing the house down! On the 29th June 1613 wadding from a stage cannon used in the play ignited the thatched roof and the original Globe Theatre burned to the ground in less than 2 hours.

The play is describe on the Globe website as:-

“The Tudor Court is locked in a power struggle between its nobles and the Machiavellian Cardinal Wolsey, the King’s first minister and the most conspicuous symbol of Catholic power in the land. Wolsey’s ambition knows no bounds and when his chief ally, Queen Katherine, interferes in the King’s romance with Ann Bullen, he brings gigantic ruin upon himself, the Queen and centuries of English obedience to Rome.

Famous in its own day as Shakespeare’s most sumptuous and spectacular play, Henry VIII is a gorgeous pageant of masques and royal ceremony; a blaze of fireworks, cannonfire, red satin and cloth-of-gold. But within the passages of grandeur works the mind of the mature Shakespeare: psychological and political insight, language of great depth and power and, in the figures of Wolsey and Katherine, two of his most vivid and memorable characters.”

See http://www.shakespearesglobe.org/theatre/annualtheatreseason/henryviii/ for more information.

“Anne Boleyn” at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre

by Howard Brenton
24 July – 21 August 2010

Booking opens 15 February

Priority booking for the Friends of Shakespeare’s Globe opens 4 January.

World Premiere

“A celebration of a great English heroine, Anne Boleyn dramatises the life and legacy of Henry VIII’s notorious second wife. Anne Boleyn is traditionally seen either as a pawn manipulated by an ambitious father and his friends into the King’s bed, or as a sexually licentious predator, even a witch.

But Brenton puts a very different Anne – and her ghost – on the Globe stage. Witty and confident in her sexuality, she takes on the vicious world of Tudor Court politics. She is in love with Henry but also in love with the most dangerous ideas of her day. Conspiring with the exiled William Tyndale, the great translator of the Bible who was to be burnt as a heretic, Anne plots to make England Protestant, forever.”

Award-winning playwright Howard Brenton’s previous work includes In Extremis at Shakespeare’s Globe (2006 and 2007).

Find out more at http://www.shakespeares-globe.org/theatre/annualtheatreseason/anneboleyn/

Long Bow Warfare

August 7, 8, 29, 30
Hever Castle, Kent
Gardens open at 10.30am; Castle opens at 12 noon
Admission Prices: Adults £13 – Seniors £11 – Children £7 – Family ticket £33
Gardens only: Adults £10.50 – Seniors £9 – Children £6.50 – Family ticket £27.50
Entry price include admission to special events except where stated.
http://www.hevercastle.co.uk/

The Company of 1415 will be fielding dozens of medieval archers, men-at-arms and knights in full plate armour to demonstrate a variety of archery, martial arts skills and tricks on foot and horseback. Visitors will be shown a spectacular display of longbow and crossbow target and speed shots. There will be interactive demonstrations to show how a knight would be dressed for battle and a chance to try on pieces of armour.

Patchwork & Quilting

3rd – 5th September
Hever Castle, Kent
Gardens open at 10.30am; Castle opens at 12 noon
Admission Prices: Adults £13 – Seniors £11 – Children £7 – Family ticket £33
Gardens only: Adults £10.50 – Seniors £9 – Children £6.50 – Family ticket £27.50
Entry price include admission to special events except where stated.
http://www.hevercastle.co.uk/

The castle will be hosting its annual Patchwork and Quilting Exhibition featuring intricate traditional patchwork quilts and wall hangings, including entries to this year’s Hever Challenge competition. Visitors will get the chance to watch demonstrations of quilting techniques and take part in workshops for adults and children, browse the stalls and purchase an array of beautiful fabrics and haberdashery.

A Taste of the Garden

13th – 19th September
Hever Castle, Kent
Gardens open at 10.30am; Castle opens at 12 noon
Admission Prices: Adults £13 – Seniors £11 – Children £7 – Family ticket £33
Gardens only: Adults £10.50 – Seniors £9 – Children £6.50 – Family ticket £27.50
Entry price include admission to special events except where stated.
http://www.hevercastle.co.uk/

A flavour of the Mediterranean comes to Hever Castle with a celebration of culinary delights from the garden. Visitors can enjoy the exotic taste of lemons and olives, succulent aubergines, fiery chillies and edible flowers. The gardeners will be on-hand with hints and tips on growing Mediterranean vegetables and explaining to the younger visitors how to grow oranges, lemons and tomatoes. Lavender Court will be hosting a plant swap stall and the newly-refurbished Pavilion Restaurant will be serving a delicious array of Mediterranean dishes.

Discover Autumn

16th – 17th October
Hever Castle, Kent
Gardens open at 10.30am; Castle opens at 12 noon
Admission Prices: Adults £13 – Seniors £11 – Children £7 – Family ticket £33
Gardens only: Adults £10.50 – Seniors £9 – Children £6.50 – Family ticket £27.50
Entry price include admission to special events except where stated.
http://www.hevercastle.co.uk/

Visitors can welcome in the season with a brisk hour-long walk around the lake. The ‘Walking in the wild’ autumn trail starts at the foot of the Italian Gardens, crosses the weir at the bottom of the lake and meanders past a glorious backdrop of mature evergreen and deciduous trees. Special leaflets will be provided to highlight all sorts of autumnal wildlife that can be spotted along the route.

Halloween Half Term Spooky Fun

25th – 31st October
Hever Castle, Kent
Gardens open at 10.30am; Castle opens at 12 noon
Admission Prices: Adults £13 – Seniors £11 – Children £7 – Family ticket £33
Gardens only: Adults £10.50 – Seniors £9 – Children £6.50 – Family ticket £27.50
Entry price include admission to special events except where stated.
http://www.hevercastle.co.uk

A challenge for all the family to find out about the ghosts of Hever past. Visitors will have to find the pumpkins scattered around the grounds to learn about the spooky history of the castle residents and be entered into a prize draw at the end of the week. Younger visitors can drop into the Halloween craft workshops or be entertained with scary stories and ghoulish games by The Lady of the Wildwood.

Halloween Ghost Tours

Saturday 30 October only
Time 6.30pm – 8.30pm

Join us as darkness descends and prepare to be spooked at Hever Castle this autumn with our ghostly guided tour in the rooms of the castle if you dare……

Your guide will take you back in time as you walk along the eerie shadows of topiary walk to the deserted castle. Experience the darker side of the castle with new and old chilling tales of its mysterious past.

£15.00 per person

Recommended minimum age 12 years
Tour lasts approximately 1hr
Limited numbers. Advance booking necessary

The Guthrie Pavilion
Ghost Tour and Supper

Late evening Halloween Experience

8.30pm – 10.30pm

Enjoy supper in the magnificent atmospheric new Guthrie Pavilion before being guided into the darkness of the night to the castle.

It is Halloween and who dares to walk through the moonlit gardens to the castle where they say a figure paces the castle forecourt, who is the child sitting on the chair and why do some feel claustrophobic with the activity in the Queens’ Chamber?

An experience to send a shiver down your spine!!!

£45.00 per person including supper

Recommended minimum age 12 years
Tour lasts approximately 1hr
Limited numbers. Advance booking necessary

For more information telephone 01732 861702 or email from 20 August
or Book on line from 20 August 2010 at www.hevercastle.co.uk

Christmas at Hever Castle

2nd – 24th December
Hever Castle, Kent
Telephone 01732 865224 or visit www.hevercastle.co.uk for details.

Narnia comes to the castle as a liberal sprinkling of magic transforms the gardens into a sparkling Winter Wonderland. Father Christmas and his elves will be in his workshop* and there will be donkey rides in the orchard. The Ice Maze will enchant and confound as visitors follow the clues to reach the surprise hiding at the centre. The Christmas shop will be open and the restaurants will be serving a selection of seasonal favourites.

*Santa’s Grotto chargeable; booking in advance; limited places

Christmas Late Night Specials*

December 9, 10, 16 & 17
Hever Castle, Kent
Telephone 01732 865224 or visit www.hevercastle.co.uk for details.

As darkness falls, the spectacular gardens will be awash with colour as thousands of fairy lights illuminate the grounds and capture the spirit of the season. Visitors can enjoy a walk in the crisp night air, taking in the tuneful sound of Christmas carols accompanied by a brass band. Inside, the castle will be adorned with traditionally dressed Christmas trees and draped in festive decorations with toasty log fires burning brightly in the grates. The restaurants and shop will be offering a warm welcome.

*Christmas Late Night Specials chargeable; booking in advance; limited places

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