We started the day at Kenilworth Castle, built in the 12th century as an Augustinian monastery. Most of the castle is pretty much in ruins, mainly due to Henry VIII’s Dissolution of Monasteries Act, but there are some later additions which have been well maintained. Elizabeth I granted the castle to Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, who was said to be Elizabeth’s greatest love. She could never marry him though as his family had been imprisoned over a plot to overthrow Mary Queen of Scots. Dudley was married as well, which kind of complicated things, particularly once his wife was found dead at the bottom of a staircase one day! Murder, mystery, intrigue – I just love Tudor England!
We wandered through the ruins, trying to imagine how it would have all looked in its heyday. The Great Hall was built in the late 14th century had magnificent gothic windows, with stone seats set underneath them. There was a cellar below them, for food and wine, and lots of very narrow and well worn spiral staircases used by servants. The main part of the castle was three stories high, servants and cellars on the bottom, entertainment areas in the middle, and state apartments on the top. We stood in what was the kitchen and could see the remnants of three big hearths used as giant ovens.
In July 1575, Elizabeth I visited and stayed at Kenilworth Castle for two weeks. So we were there at the same time in July, exactly 436 years later! Dudley had built a privy Queens garden for her visit, which they have recreated today. It is overlooked by a long terrace, and has an aviary at the back of the garden. The flowers on display were new to England in the 16th century, so while to us they just looked like normal marigolds and chrysanthemums, they would have been considered exotic by Elizabeth and her court. Seemingly marigolds were strongly perfumed back then as well – and as this was an area that did not have an open sewer running through it, they say the smell of the flowers would have been overwhelmingly beautiful.
Leicester’s Gatehouse was built around the time of Elizabeth’s visit, and has been well maintained. It displays period furnishing and on its top floor, an exhibition entitled ‘Queen and Castle’ which explores the relationship between Dudley and Elizabeth. It was a great exhibition actually, and was very informative. It displayed paintings of both Dudley and Elizabeth, which he had commissioned for her visit. They say he hung them side by side, which was pretty presumptuous and daring on his part, to make known the closeness of his relationship with her. There are many accounts of how Elizabeth had him at her side always, by her order, and how he would not have spent much time at Kenilworth as she demanded he remain in London with her, and on procession when she travelled. He was also a part of her coronation, riding the horse immediately behind the royal carriage.
We left Kenilworth and headed off to Sudeley Castle. Two castles in one day, not a bad effort! I missed the turn off and we ended up on some tiny little dirt road. We had great views across huge meadows though! We had a slight incident when another car decided it didn’t need to pull over into the provided shoulder to let cars pass each other – but we all remained unharmed. We decided we definitely needed a cuppa though. Surely castles make the best cuppas?
Sudeley Castle is just over 1000 years old and was once home to Queen Katherine Parr, the last and surviving wife of Henry VIII. Henry, Anne Boleyn, Lady Jane Grey, Elizabeth I and Charles I have all either lived at or visited the castle at some stage. There was a fantastic exhibition on while we were there, displaying original tapestries and textiles that stretched across time from Henry to Victoria. There was an incredibly intricate sheet (for lack of a better word) that was made by Anne Boleyn to be put over the baby Princess Elizabeth (I) for her christening. It was delicate and fine with both lace and embroidery. There were also diary and notebook entries, original letters, personal seals, cameo brooches, lace collars and curios. The collection was extensive and tremendously interesting. Jamie was most put out that Henry’s second wife, Anne Boleyn, was executed simply because she could not bear a male heir. There were also recreations of royal gowns which had been used in the BBC series “Henry and his Wives”.
We went from the exhibition to the gardens surrounding the castle, starting with the Knot Garden. This was a sweet little space with dense dark green hedges shaped into the intricate knot work of Celtic designs. It was as if the hedges wound around and through each other, and there was a lovely fountain in amongst it all. Next was the Queen’s garden, with a beautiful array of flowers and colours, with a pond in the centre. Each garden was sectioned off by giant hedges and topiary. Beyond the Queen’s garden was St Mary’s church, which had its monthly service just finishing up when we were there, so we were lucky enough to get a look inside. Queen Katherine Parr is entombed in the church, you will find a photo of her tomb in our Picasa album. From there, we wandered into the ‘Pheasantry’ and found a few birds in cages, and a large male peacock high up in a tree. We saw a physics garden which had plants used in Tudor England for medicinal cures and then on to a health garden which contained herbs and plants that made life easier (St Johns Wort etc).
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