The Medieval Palace at the Tower of London formed a significant part of the Tower’s large-scale expansion in the 13th Century, turning the castle into a strong defensive fortress.    In this episode, Curator Charles Farris explores the Medieval Palace that survives today, to find out what place the Tower held in medieval society. How was it used by the kings and queens who lived here, and what can it reveal about the communities who worked within its walls?   Explore the Tower of London’s Medieval Palace.

In this new three-part series Curator Charles Farris will be exploring what the Tower of London was like in the medieval times.  

We’ll step into the Medieval Palace, walking in the footsteps of the kings, queens, and communities who built these walls.  

In the 13th century, the Tower was expanded into the fortress we recognise today, but what can we learn from it, and how was it used by the people who lived and worked in its shadow?  

Join us next Thursday for our first episode on the Medieval Palace at the Tower of London. 

When the Mary Rose was raised in the 1980s, she brought to light a treasure trove of objects that can reveal so much about life in Tudor England and beyond.     In this second episode of our two-part series, Chief Historian Tracy Borman is shown the preciously conserved history of the Mary Rose by Dr Alex Hildred, Head of Research at the musuem.    Find out more about visiting and supporting the Mary Rose Museum, and discover the largest collection of Tudor objects in the world.

The story of the Mary Rose, Henry VIII’s favourite ship, is one that is closely connected to the reign of the iconic Tudor monarch, but it is the history of her demise that remains a mystery to this day. 

When she sank in 1545, she lost almost her entire crew, but this tragedy would preserve for posterity a remarkable time capsule of Tudor England and beyond.  

In this first episode of our mini-series, Chief Historian Tracy Borman takes us on a trip to the Mary Rose Museum to meet Head of Research Dr Alex Hildred. Together they will explore the life of the Mary Rose.

Visit the Mary Rose Museum and discover the largest collection of Tudor objects in the world. 

Visit the Tudor World Exhibition at Hampton Court, and see the oldest rooms of the Tudor palace, once lived in by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. 

Dress codes can tell us so much about historic court fashion and the rules and regulations of royal clothing. But they can also relate to the way we think about, and express who we are today, as much as in the past.

To celebrate the opening of our new exhibition at Kensington Palace, Caterina Berni speaks to Curator Matthew Story and bespoke period tailor Zack Pinsent of Pinsent Tailoring; to explore the Dress Codes we follow every single day.

Decode the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection in our Dress Codes exhibition at Kensington Palace.

See the Royal Wardrobe and items from the exhibition up close in our online collaboration with Google Arts & Culture.

See the garments discussed in this episode:

18th century court suit with silver thread

1920s Court Dress

Vivienne Westwood’s Investiture dress

Mourning Dress with white and mauve flowers.

Japanese Diplomatic Court Suit

Gold Wedding Dress

Duke of Windsor’s Tartan suit

Fancy Dress gown worn gown worn to Queen Victoria’s costume ball

Matilda of Flanders is the formidable consort of William the Conqueror, yet she is relatively unknown in the story of the 1066 conquest of England.    Chief Historian Tracy Borman makes her pitch for the pivotal role Matilda played as a champion for female sovereignty, and for her contribution to arguably the most successful dynasty in medieval Europe, the Normans.     Read more about Matilda of Flanders, William the Conqueror at the building of the Tower of London.

We're all familiar with the iconic queens who have lived at the palaces, but what about the women who haven't made it into the history books? What are their stories, and what are some of the obstacles to studying women's history? 

In this episode, Chief Historian Tracy Borman celebrates International Women's Day by asking four of our curators and researchers to tell us about their favourite lesser-known women from our palaces. Perhaps we can even learn something from them today...

To take part in our survey and be in for a chance to win a £100 voucher, visit: 

https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/HRPPodcastSurvey/    

Please be aware this episode contains themes of sexism, racism, and violence against women that some listeners may find distressing. 

 

Understanding the love life of James VI & I can give us a better picture of the man himself in his entirety, and not simply through the lens of his kingship, or the politics of the late 16th and early 17th centuries.  

So in this episode, Chief Historian Tracy Borman is once again in the Great Hall at Hampton Court Palace, joined by Gareth Russell to discuss the subject of his latest book 'Queen James; the life and loves of Britain's first King'.  

 

To take part in our survey and be in for a chance to win a £100 voucher, visit: 

https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/HRPPodcastSurvey/    

 

Please be aware this episode contains themes of homophobia, grooming, and child abuse, that some listeners may find distressing.  

The Tower of London is almost synonymous with the idea of torture, especially in the 16th and 17th centuries. When we think of this iconic historic site, the history of violence is one of the first things to come to mind, yet to what extent is this a fabrication of history?

In this episode, Dr Catherine Jenkinson from the University of Oxford talks us through one of the latest research projects at Historic Royal Palaces, the question of how the history of torture is, and should be told at the Tower of London. 

To take part in our survey and be in for a chance to win a £100 voucher, visit here: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/HRPPodcastSurvey/ 

In this mini-series on new research at our palaces, PhD student Ellis Huddart joins Lucy Worsley to explore the history of the Royal Yacht.

Ellis’ PhD hopes to examine how Royal Yachts existed as places outside of the usual rules and conventions of both royal palaces and royalty. They can therefore reveal a lot about the material culture of British Imperialism in the Victorian era, and the changing image of royalty.

This episode is part of a mini-series about new research at our palaces.

Explore more about research at Historic Royal Palaces.