Bumper Collection

In its heyday, Otford Palace in Kent, built for William Warham, Archbishop of Canterbury at the beginning of the sixteenth century, matched Hampton Court in size and splendour. It was left to decay in subsequent centuries but luckily some remnants remain. Dr Elizabeth Norton explores the history and ruins of this once magnificent palace.

When Thetford Priory was surrendered in 1540, access to the centuries-old mausoleum of the earls and dukes of Norfolk was also lost, so Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, established a new family mausoleum near the ducal stronghold at Framlingham. Dr Kirsten Claiden-Yardley examines the tombs of the Norfolk family in the church of St Michael the Archangel, Framlingham.

Julian Humphrys explores his alma mater, Emmanuel College, Cambridge. Founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay, its distinctly Puritan character would be the cause of some controversy in late Elizabethan and early Stuart England.

Christmastide in Tudor England, beginning on Christmas Day and ending on Twelfth Night, was a religious festival, but it was also a time of entertainment and revelry. The Tudor monarchs celebrated Christmas in magnificent style with feasts for a thousand people. Siobhan Clarke guides us through Christmas at the Tudor court.

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is an award-winning historian, author, and broadcaster, specialising in the early modern period. She is Professor Emerita at the University of Roehampton, a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and of the Royal Historical Society, Trustee of the Mary Rose Trust, and a columnist for History Today.

Sarah Morris, The Tudor Travel Guide, shares a four-day itinerary for a leisurely trip through the picturesque towns and historic attractions of Dorset, taking in churches, castles and manor houses with captivating Tudor history and connections. Dorset is one of the counties most often overlooked by Tudor enthusiasts. This may be because no main artery ploughs through it, leaving the challenge of a long, meandering journey from London or the north to reach its many Tudor treasures.