Issue 24

Increasing wealth, the emergence of an urban middle class, and the rapid growth of London and the regional cities transformed domestic architecture during the Tudor period. The English townhouse evolved in both form and appearance, influenced by fashions from across Europe. Dr Emma J. Wells explores the townhouse’s development, tracing changes in its plan, structure and design.

The city of Winchester has had power, wealth and royal ties since its early days as the capital of the kingdom of Wessex. Julian Humphrys looks at how the early Tudors made use of Winchester’s supposed Arthurian connections to strengthen their claim to the throne of England and enhance their standing on the international stage.

Jane Seymour, the daughter of a modest Wiltshire landowner, had the most humble background of Henry VIII’s six wives. Yet, the training in estate management she would have received prepared her well for managing the substantial portfolio of properties granted to her as queen. Drawing on extensive archival research, Dr Elizabeth Norton’s newly-published work reveals a fresh perspective on Henry VIII’s third queen as landowner and businesswoman.

Plas Mawr in Conwy, north Wales, is one of the finest surviving Elizabethan townhouses in Britain. Combining Welsh building traditions with architectural ideas drawn from Renaissance Europe, it reflects changing patterns of domestic life, status and display in late sixteenth-century Wales. Deborah Roil looks at the history and development of this wonderful property.

Dr Elizabeth Norton is a British historian specialising in the queens of England and the Tudor period. The author of fifteen non-fiction books, her latest book is the first full-length academic study of Queen Jane Seymour. Elizabeth makes frequent appearances on television, radio and podcasts, and has worked as a historical consultant on a number of non-fiction and fiction historical films.

Sarah Morris, The Tudor Travel Guide, takes us on a tour of the Tudor north-east, discovering the magnificent cathedrals, formidable castles and imposing fortresses of the powerful Prince-Bishops and Neville and Percy families. These magnates rose at times against the Crown, most notably in the Pilgrimage of Grace in 1536, and the Rising of the Northern Earls in 1569.