The Tudor Roses

The Tudor Roses are very proud to have Claire Ridgway of The Anne Boleyn Files fame and acclaimed author of two Anne Boleyn history books, write a guest BLOG as part of her Virtual Book Tour. We are very excited about hosting Claire on The Rose Garden and we hope that you will all enjoy reading about Claire's experiences of dressing up as Anne Boleyn. There is also a great Tudor related competition at the bottom of this BLOG! So without further delay we hand you over to Claire....

Thank you so much to the beautiful Tudor Roses for hosting me on their blog as part of my virtual book tour, I'm excited to be here.

I must admit to being very jealous of these ladies who get to dress up as Tudor women at historic properties on a regular basis, but I can't complain really as I have had the opportunity three times now to dress up as my favourite historical person, Anne Boleyn, at her home, Hever Castle. They were experiences that I will never forget.

I've always enjoyed dressing up – from trying on my Mum's high heels, as a child, and parading around the house, to dressing up as Cruella De Vil and chasing a dalmatian around the school assembly hall, when I was a teacher. Dressing up is all about using your imagination and becoming someone else. You become temporarily transformed, physically and mentally.

I had fallen in love with the red velvet dress that Natalie Dormer wore as Anne Boleyn in “The Tudors” series, in the scene where Anne is created Marquis of Pembroke. I knew very well that the costumes in the show were not in keeping with those worn during Henry VIII's reign, but that dress had just caught my eye. I had the dress made by a costumer and it was amazing, it looked just like Natalie's dress. It was made out of sumptuous, red, crushed velvet decorated with gold beaded appliqués. I couldn't wait to try it on when it arrived!

It was at that moment that I realised why Tudor ladies had maids. Trying to get a corset and Tudor dress on by yourself is near impossible. My corset and bodice both laced at the back, so I held them in position while my husband laced me up. As soon as I was in it, I felt completely different. The corset and bodice were both boned so I was holding myself differently for a start, but it was more than that, I felt special, I felt like a queen! I knew that I had to take it on our Anne Boleyn tour and wear it at Hever.

The first time I wore it at Hever Castle was in May 2010. We had taken a group there on a tour and part of the tour was an afternoon show featuring a gentleman called John dressed up as King Henry VIII. It was too good a chance to miss! Those ladies who had Tudor costume with them dashed off to get changed for a photo opportunity. It was a glorious day, so we went out on the lawn outside the Astor Wing and stood with Henry by the moat, with Hever Castle in the background. We looked beautiful and we felt amazing. We felt even more special when tourists started asking us if they could take our photos!

Later that day, Henry VIII escorted our group to dinner in the main castle dining room and I sat there in the Boleyn family dining room, in my Anne Boleyn dress, surrounded by tapestries, portraits and other historical artefacts. I felt like pinching myself as Henry banged on the table to give us permission to start our meal. It was like stepping back in time.

In May 2011, I wore my dress again to eat in the dining room of Hever Castle and those of us who had dressed up in Tudor costume gathered at one end of the room for photos. It was at that point that someone realised that we had a man and six ladies: Henry VIII and his six wives! We quickly manoeuvred ourselves so that Henry was in the middle flanked by his wives. That was a fun photo.

The downside to wearing Tudor costume was the heat and the restriction. There I was, in the castle dining room, with a roaring fire behind me and a roast dinner in front of me – hmmm... How was I going to fit that food in when I could hardly breathe anyway? Then, the heat got to me and I started to feel faint. Time for some fresh air in the courtyard! It must have been worse for real Tudor ladies in heat-waves, as they would had extra layers, like a smock and kirtle – phew!

Whenever I have worn my dress, or seen others wear Tudor costume, people comment on the dramatic change. You stand differently, you glide around, you have poise and dignity. One lady who dressed as Anne Boleyn changed before our eyes. It wasn't just her clothes, her whole demeanour and facial expressions changed; she became who she thought Anne Boleyn was. It was an incredible transformation.

It's been nearly a year now since I put my dress on and I regret that I don't have the opportunity to wear it more often. I would love it if there were Renaissance Faires or historical festivals near me, but I live in rural Spain and the only opportunity to dress up is Mardi Gras. Perhaps I will dress up for that and be a queen for a day once more.

If you have the chance to dress up as a Tudor gentleman or lady then grab it with both hands. It is a wonderful experience and one you will treasure for ever. Just be prepared to turn into a completely different person!

In celebration of Claire's guest BLOG on The Rose Garden, The Tudor Roses have a competition for all you Anne Boleyn and Tudor fans to win a fantastic prize. To be in with the chance to win a Henry VIII and his Six Wives Drink Charms Set kindly donated by The Anne Boleyn Files, all you need to do is email us the answer to the following question...

Claire's second book is shown above, but, what is the title of her first book?

If you think you know the answer email us and the winner will be randomly picked from the correct entries on Saturday 16th June. The winner will then be notified by email.

The email address to send your answers to is info@thetudorroses.co.uk

Good luck to all of you!

While you're at it, don't forget to visit The Anne Bolyen Files and The Tudor Roses Facebook pages!

A BIG thank you to Claire for your guest BLOG, it is an honour and a privilege to have you write for The Rose Garden. Also thank you for your very generous donation of the prize for our competition!

The Tudor Roses

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

Well we've done our first Sudeley Castle event and it was great! For three (Darren, Emma and Katherine) of us it started on the 14^th as that was when we booked into our very appropriately named hotel, The Tudor House Hotel, in Tewkesbury in early the evening. There were a lot of ooosss and aaarrss as the hotel had very lovely stained glass windows all over, along with many Tudor features including a full set of armour that Darren wanted to take home!

We took our bags to our room (after we had look at each others rooms) to settle in and then Emma went to the bar to get a food menu with which she went to Katherine's room where she was meet with a very rosy smell! After collecting Darren we all made our way down to get some dinner! 

After a lot of looking and talking we all went for a very Tudoristic chunk of Daisy the Cow with something called chips? Dinner went down very well, then come the pudding. The best part of the night was moments away when after the pudding it was time for the tea and coffee and Darren asked if he could have Cointreau coffee to which the young man said “We can do you a coffee with Cointreau on the side as we don’t do floaters here”! To which Emma bust out laughing as Darren replied to him “That is just as well”! We don’t think he got our humour as it might have been a bit too British (or childish)… oops!

From there it was back to Emma and Darren's room (and keep it clean you lot this is a family page) for yet another cuppa before bed!

We all woke to a lovely sunny morning as Erica was making her way from Nottingham with her mum and dad. Our guest Rose for the day Sarah (a little more about Sarah later on) was making her way too and as was we on the road again after a hearty full English. Sudeley here we come all very excited.

We arrived at Sudeley Castle and was greeted by Kate who sent us up to the Castle where Erica and Sarah were waiting as they got there just before us. It was there that we was meet by Kim who showed us to the office in the castle tower where we were to get changed. Erica and Katherine started to change while Emma dressed Sarah in the dress she was going to be wearing. Just going to take this moment to say thank you to Sarah for being our guest for the day! We loved having you and glad you want to come and join us again. Sarah is at the moment writing a book about Anne Boleyn, the book is going to be called Le Temps Viendra: A Novel of Anne Boleyn. We hope spending the day with us will help with the book.

So where were we, oh yeah getting dressed…. Katherine and Erica was dressed and so was Sarah who when she was all finish and saw herself in the gown started jumping up and down very excitedly. It only left Emma to get ready which didn’t take too long thanks to some lacing from Darren. Then we were ready to step out into the sun! We are very proud to announce that it was the premier viewing of three new gowns for the Roses at Sudeley. Erica was wearing her new red one, Emma wearing her new gold one and Sarah wearing Emma’s new black and red one!

When we came out of the tower we were met by our King. also known as Good King Hal, who we have worked with last year at Leeds Castle in Kent. That wasn’t it for Tudor ladies as not long after we had stepped out Diane and her step-daughter appeared all dressed and ready to go (it was lovely to meet Diane and her step-daughter, and to work with). All set we headed off to meet the guests!

Henry set off with Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Katherine Howard, Princess Mary, Katherine Parr and Princess Elizabeth for a walk in the lovely gardens and castle estate all merrily chatting whilst meeting and greeting the guests along the way. Our good lord took us  into St Mary’s Church where Katherine Parr lies buried (Katherine Parr was Henry VIII’s last queen, lived at Sudeley and is buried in St Mary’s Church within the gardens. She is the only English Queen to be buried in a private residence). We cannot think of a nicer place as it is a breath taking little church. Inside the church there is a wax figure of Katherine Parr laying in state and in the background you can see Lady Jane Grey, her chief mourner. This is an image projected on the wall and so Lady Jane actually moves and wipes her tears! Incredibly moving and it sends a chill or two down the spin. We also got to see the impressive tomb of Katherine, a very fitting resting place for such a great lady. From there we walked, talked and greeted more of the guests. We eventually came across a thing called a 'gift shop'?

 

 

From there we made our way to the restaraunt for a nice hot cup of tea which presented a funny sight for the guests walking in and having to take a second look at us all sitting round the table drinking tea, it is something you won’t see everyday. After that it was time for some more photos and to look around the exhibition and what is left of Katherine Parr's apartments; it is just such a shame that the rest of it is not there for us to enjoy. From there we walked the grounds meeting more of the guests and taking in lots of other attractions that were there besides us for the guests to see and do which included circus skills training group, archery and a falconer which had a run in with a dog who was not on a lead!

It was time to try and squeeze some food down us which we did just about with some heaving and hoeing we got ourselves out of our chairs to walk lunch off in the lovely gardens in the late afternoon sun. From there we went back to St Mary’s.

It was time for some more photos and it was with much mirth that our lord king instructed us to perform the Tudor YMCA, which we all found very amusing and a bit surreal. Once we had all recovered from that moment of madness it was time to walk when we had a very cute little girl come up and ask us all for our autographs.

It was time to watch some falconry whilst sitting in the knot garden and winding down as that was it for us, our day was at an end  and all that was left for us was to change back into our normal clothes and head home after a very enjoyable and successful day.

So if you missed us at Sudeley don’t be upset as we will be there again on Monday 7^th May for the next Tudor Fun Day, so please come and see us and say hello as we would love too meet you. Also we want to say thank you to Kim who works at Sudeley for giving us the chance to visit such an amazing and enchanting castle, asking us to come back again and for the lovely email she sent us on Wednesday.

We hope you have enjoyed reading our Blog about our first ever visit to Sudeley Castle and have enjoyed looking through the photos on our Facebook page (photos soon to be added to our website).

We look forward to seeing you at the next one!

The Tudor Roses

Hedingham Castle – By Lady Katherine

It has been one of the warmest March’s in history, bright sunshine, hosepipe bans, days in the park, shorts and t-shirts weather – it couldn’t last. The weather/mother nature, of course, knew an Easter Bank Holiday was approaching! And so it was with great trepidation the week prior, that myself and Lady Emma were obsessively checking the forecast for this particular weekend as it would be our first Roses outing at Hedingham Castle and we wanted it to go off without a hitch.

Well Sunday arrived and, despite the mad rush due to someone’s alarm not going off (Not mentioning any names, particularly not our photographer’s) we set out early for Hedingham under the oppressive gloom of a grey sky. “I think it is brightening up a bit” I was repeatedly convincing myself and my fellow travelling companions to little effect (“Shut up or you’ll jinx it!” was their reply). Our only hope was that it would, at least, stay dry. I should also mention here that we were sadly a ‘Rose down’ due to Erica having other commitments that day so the remaining two of us were particularly keen to make a good impression despite not operating in ‘full capacity’.

We arrived in good time at Hedingham Castle, an impressive Norman Keep which reminded me somewhat of Rochester Castle only in better nick. There was also a beautiful Georgian manor house within the grounds where, sensibly, later owners opted for a less draughty existence and more comfort.

We were led to the wedding marquee where we were able to get changed in privacy (and also extremely quickly due to freezing temperatures!) Emma had opted for her blue gown and I had chosen my new green gown. A bit of bright colour amongst the grey day!

A little nervous about what to expect (we were simply told, “head to the castle”) we left the comfort of our marquee/refrigerator and made the walk up to the castle where visitors were starting to arrive.

The weekend was billed as a Jousting with the Knights of Arkely with Food and Craft Fayre and it was great to see many of the stallholders in traditional garb selling homemade produce and crafts. Some of the ‘merchants’ took it further by actually sleeping overnight in their tents – actually they were much more elaborate than tents, the back area was covered by thick curtains and housed the living quarters, the front area was where the trading took place and produce displayed. All traditional and very impressive!

The rat-catcher was playing a merry tune (although thankfully not a rat in sight!) as we walked over the bridge to the castle and we were pleased to see that the threat of bad weather had not put the visitors off. In fact the public’s spirits were high and it was lovely as we were doing a walkabout to be approached by so many people of all ages wanting photos or asking questions about our gowns.

It was not long before the falconry display which was put on by Lavenham Falconry. An impressive array of birds of prey which clearly had been trained well and were well trusted by the falconer (and vice versa!). The birds really seemed to enjoy the attention from the visitors. Crowd favourite Basil the Bateleur Eagle was a bit of a show off but a huge hit with the children. It was also Sid the Vultures first display and he did splendidly around the enthusiastic crowd.

Next came the Jousting and we took to the heights of the keep to watch the action from above. It was with a great fanfare and cheering of the crowds that the Knights of Arkely came into the main Castle grounds astride their fine steeds and with armour shining in the sun (Ok, I lied about the sun, but it sounded good).  A particularly action-packed display ensued with a mix of horseback events including ring jousting (each opponent must try and loop a suspended ‘ring’ onto the end of their lance whilst riding at high speed), tent –pegging (opponents gallop at high speed and attempt to spear an object on the floor with their lance as they pass) and traditional jousting itself. The knights then took to the ground for some dramatic sword combat to end their show.

The afternoon brightened up for a while (but then started spitting for a while) and we enjoyed walking around the grounds speaking with visitors, many of whom asked us whether we had found any of the promised Easter Eggs in the Easter egg hunt.  However, despite our best efforts, not an egg was seen by us. I blame the falcons!

We also enjoyed speaking with members of the Royal British Legion who were there to raise funds for the poppy appeal. We were proud to put a poppy pin on our gown and we even made it into their magazine!

Before we knew it, it was the end of day one, visitors were leaving and we were heading back to our marquee/refrigerator to pack for home. We did a little detour in the car on the way back to pay a scouting visit incognito to one of our future Roses venues, all will be revealed at a later date! (If you are good with Google or Google maps you could potentially play detective and work out where we will be!)

DAY TWO

Another day another joust! (And also Lady Emma’s birthday! Hip-Hip Hurray!) With our first trip to Hedingham behind us we were confident with what to expect on the second day. Well, we were until we stepped outside to the car and it was chucking it down and blowing a gale! The show must go on so we left a very rainy Kent and entered a very rainy Essex.

Our marquee/refrigerator had today become a marquee/refrigerator/wind machine and between it nearly taking off and us freezing to death, we somehow managed to get ready and vacate the building before we had a Wizard of Oz-style tornado/house moment.

The rat catcher was again doing his best to cheer up the dampened spirits of brave visitors entering the castle grounds. Unfortunately the archery which had been so popular the day before was pretty much off for the day due to the weather and even the hardened stallholders must have had a harsh nights exposed to the elements in their tents/marquees.

I hadn’t walked far before I felt my poor red skirt getting increasingly heavy until it resembled an old rag used to clean floors with. Not how taffeta should be treated! I could already feel the sympathetic looks from visitors who were mostly wrapped up in their war against the weather looking like Michelin Men with waterproofs, wellies, scarves, gloves and umbrellas – the lot! We retreated up to the relative warmth and dry of the castle gift shop/cafe where for the next few minutes I proceeded to mop the floor clean with my skirt much to the joy of the castle maintenance department and much to my sorrow looking at the state of my skirt train! It was also an appropriate time, whilst drenched, muddy and somewhat windswept to bump into the dashing BLACK KNIGHT looking cool as cucumber not a hair out of place whilst grabbing a quick drink before his event. I tried to remain cool and demure (as any Tudor lady should!) whilst chatting until I realised my skirt was dripping mud on his shoes and I had made a nice U-shaped pattern around him as we were talking. Sigh

Embarrassing moment with a Knight aside, we were particularly delighted to meet up with Debbie Allen, a faithful supporter of our little Tudor group pretty much since day one and it was wonderful that both she and her husband had braved the weather to come out and say hello. I only wished we were able to look less soggy in our photos with her and that she could enjoy all the other events downpour-free but a good laugh was had none-the-less and hopefully it won’t have deterred her from returning to see us on another occasion, preferably in better weather!

Both myself and Emma ascended to the next floor of the castle to the banqueting hall where there was a beautiful stone arch spanning the room. There was a lovely display of artefacts from the castles history and there we met another very knowledgeable and enthusiastic man in traditional medieval costume who would quite happily talk all day about the castle history or medieval period. (Although I don’t think he liked Richard III very much – but does anyone? Hehe)

We ventured outside again briefly during a break in the weather but were only too soon forced back inside due to the elements. It was such a shame because it really affected visitor numbers and there was nothing like the crowds from the day before. Those brave enough to come along all seemed to be making the best of it though and we enjoyed a good laugh with people as they all rushed for cover during a particularly heavy downpour.

After the falconry display we had the pleasure of meeting Steve, the falconer at Lavenham Falconry, who very kindly allowed us to hold some of his magnificent birds. This was a wonderful birthday treat for Emma (and, of course, myself and Darren too) who has always been keen on falconry and birds of prey. I enjoyed holding the barn owl, eagle owl and the fish eagle. Both of the owls were very passive and were light in weight. My eagle owl spent most of the time on my arm looking up with his big amber eyes at the flag at the top of the castle blowing wildly in the wind. My barn owl ALMOST ended up adding insult to injury on my already sodden dress by having a little ‘toilet time’ within millimetres of my skirt. Fortunately that crisis was averted just as the Knights of Arkely again returned to the field for their jousting show! I got a sideways look from the Black Knight...though I feel that was probably more in sympathy than in anything else (the weather was, again, turning dreadful).

The fish eagle was a beautiful bird with fierce eyes and an attitude to mix! You can certainly understand why ladies of the Tudor era stuck to much lighter merlin’s when hunting as my arm after a few minutes was feeling the strain of the much heavier eagle. I can imagine it was such a wonderful pastime though as the birds are all very intelligent and, with fine weather and good company, there could be nothing better than hawking in the English countryside.

Fascinating fact: The term ‘Hoodwinked’, derives from falconry - namely the action of placing the hood over the falcon's head to recover the captured prey from the falcon's talons, it means pretty much the same as now when you are cheated of something.

After the jousting whilst the remaining crowds disbanded and headed for cover, we reluctantly made the decision that our gowns (and our cold and soaked selves) could not take any further punishment by the weather so we called it a day and headed back to get changed. Getting soaked in Tudor costume is very different to getting soaked in modern clothing. The various skirts, petticoats, farthingales and fabric get heavy very quickly and the buckram from my French hood started to warp a bit. Fortunately we have dry cleaners in this day and age but I doubt that ladies gowns in Tudor times could withstand regular exposure to the elements.  Thank heavens for the invention of umbrellas!

All in all both myself and Emma did not let the elements dampen our spirits and it seemed that everyone who attended had a great time all things considered. We were delighted to be asked to return again later in the year where hopefully good weather and the addition of a complete set of Tudor Roses will make for a very merry time indeed!

On Saturday 26th May The Tudor Roses are going to Dudley Castle to take part in Compass Paranormal Events' Spookfest 2012.

This event is something a bit different for the Roses and we are very excited about being part of it and cannot wait. If you are not of faint heart why not visit the Spookfest 2012 website and book your tickets...they are going fast!! http://www.spookfest2012.com/#/home/4559458508

Standing tall over the Black Country town, Dudley Castle is a foreboding place, with a history of siege, death, plague, anguish, torture and witchcraft!

When you enter the grounds at 6pm, a torch lit path will take you up the steep incline to where medieval performers will cast a spell of magic over you as the impending evening begins to unfold.

If you want to steady your nerves before the clouds gather, take a walk around the Psychic Fayre where you can buy mystical items to maybe offer you protection, or have your tarot cards read or have a personal reading as the clock ticks towards 10pm. If you’re searching for something really special, you’ll also maybe have a chance to meet Derek Acorah, Richard Felix and Denise Mott and purchase their books and DVD’s as the tension mounts.

At 9pm the gates will open to the walled Courtyard, where a huge stage will herald the evening that is in front of you, live experiments, all with audience participation, delving into the world of the unknown.

You are welcome to find your comfortable spot to sit, drink and eat from your own provisions as the sky grows darker.

As the clock strikes 10pm, International Spirit Medium Derek Acorah and paranormal historian Richard Felix will be joined on stage by ghost hunter Denise Mott, host Paul Gannon, plus special guests as the team behind the UK’s most successful interactive paranormal production, “ Psychic & Science ” takes to the stage.

The atmosphere heightens as Derek connects with his spirit guide, Sam to bring forward the spirits that haunt this darkening courtyard. Maybe some of the messages are for people in the audience or maybe some are the ghosts of legends who still reside within the castle ruins.

Richard Felix regales stories of hauntings that go back over many many years as the team begin the first of tonight’s experiments with a Ouija Board. Volunteers are chosen from the brave to come up onto the stage as the lights are dimmed and the spirits brought forward.

Throughout the next two and a half hours, the team lead members of the audience on multiple experiments, including vigils and investigations within the darkest depths.

Live cameras relaying their experiences onto the screen overshadowing the Courtyard for all to see.

THIS IS NOT TO BE MISSED!! COME JOIN THE TUDOR ROSES FOR A NIGHT FULL OR PARANORMAL AND HISTORICAL EXCITEMENT!