The Tudor Roses

On Sunday Emma, Darren and their two boys accompanied Henry VIII (aka Good King Hal) to Barrington Court in Somerset for a walk around in the lovely spring sunshine (yes it looks like we may start getting some good weather).

Emma took the chance to show off her Katherine Parr dress and jewels by being Katherine Parr while her two sons Jonny and Matty was Prince Edward and Sir Matthew of Rochester respectively. Darren as always was there to catch every moment with his camera! Once we were ready the king showed us around the amazing house and told us all about it. We learnt a lot of interesting things and I even pointed out a thing or two that the King had missed after all these years.

After walking around the house it was time to take air in the garden which was lovely and in bloom. While walking in the garden we chatted to the visitors there for the day. Amusingly there was a moment when Matthew slipped on the gravel and nearly ended up as another statue in the pond - boys will be boys!

While at Barrington we did our FRIST video blog for you as we know that many of you cannot make it to the lovely places we go to, so we decided to do something that no one else has done and bought the day to you! We will be doing this at all the places we go so keep an eye on our Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages to see them!

We were not the only ones there that day as there was a group teaching dancing! There was also a choir which I am sure the king enjoyed as much as he enjoyed Anne of Cleves and Catherine Howard put together!

After another walk around we got changed and went and had a lovely chat over a cuppa before it was time for us all to head for home! Thank you to the King for having us with him at the lovely Barrington Court and hope to be back there with you one day soon.

Last Bank Holiday weekend (7th May '12) marked another outing of the Tudor Roses at Sudeley Castle. It was the second of the Castle’s ‘Tudor fun days’; all part of a summer of celebrations marking the quincentenary of the birth of Katherine Parr in 1512.

Clearly, it was a day to draw upon the inherited resilience of our Anglo-Saxon forefathers whose hardy blood surely ran through our veins; for the weather was set to be of the worst variety, biting cold whipping up prodigious amounts of rain. Whilst I was looking forward to the revels (and the chance to wear my new gown of purple taffeta), I had indeed girded my loins in anticipation of a miserable day, entertaining a mere handful of the most die-hard visitors, armed only with a burning passion for my ghostly Tudor ancestors, and my hearty fondness for my new found friends; Emma, Katherine and Mike (alias Good King Hal). Sadly, Erica and the one of the newest Roses, Francesca, were not able to join us.

But if I imagined, a long, wretched day of being frozen to the bone, huddling in doorways and confined indoors on our own, then I could not have been more wrong; the great British determination to enjoy a bank holiday, come what may, was out in force. 400 visitors in total were entertained by the sheer beauty and grace of us Roses, the witty banter of Good King Hal, (who rather cheekily lent me his knee to sit on alongside some bawdy jokes), the fantastic ‘Waytes and Measures’ who serenaded us as we feasted in the Great Hall (OK, the cafeteria but a girl can dream, right?) and the wonderful court jester who wowed us with his circus skills.

Yes, it was cold and yes, we got wet, including the hem of my gown which ended up muddy and soaked through; but we all had a blast. Princess Kara, replete in her own princely dress, was surely the guest of the day for me, insisting that I held her lovely 6 week old brother, Luke, of whom clearly she was very proud. Many photos were taken, Katherine and I’s Tudor knowledge tested (Katherine Parr was married to Henry, right? LOL!), and as ever, I adored spending the day flouncing around in dresses that make you feel so incredibly graceful and full of feminine guile’s. I cannot help but love the way the bodice pushes everything in the right direction – waist in, chest up! All very well, as long as you don’t need to breathe, eat too much or bend over. 

So what did I learn; I understood why Tudors had long galleries to walk in during inclement weather (fabrics too expensive to get dirty), but if you do have to go out, always take a wiling gentleman along to carry your train (thanks Darren!); that it is impossible to reach over too far to pour yourself a cup of tea when laced tightly into a bodice and finally, that no matter what the weather, the British will be there come rain or shine! In the words of a certain King Henry VIII, ‘pastime with good company, I love and shall, until I die’. The company was fabulous and the pastime most excellent. And so now to get ready for jousting at Hedingham Castle on 3^rd/ 4^th June. I’ve been looking for a knight in shining armour for a while...wonder if I’ll find him there!

Lady Sarah - The Tudor Roses