by Helen Kain | Jul 22, 2026 | Hidden Framework, Human Infrastructure, Tudors (1485–1603)
Westminster Hall has witnessed coronation feasts, royal courts, state trials and the evolution of Parliament. Yet England was never governed from this room alone. Beyond these walls, thousands of members of the peerage and gentry quietly carried out the work that kept...
by Helen Kain | Mar 8, 2026 | Act IV - Reinvention, Carousel Fascinating People, Fascinating People, Tudors (1485–1603)
In the north aisle of Peterborough Cathedral lies the tomb of a woman who once sat at the centre of European politics. Visitors often pause there longer than they expect. The inscription records her not as Queen of England but as Katherine, Dowager Princess of...
by Helen Kain | Mar 7, 2026 | Act IV - Reinvention, Carousel Fascinating People, Fascinating People, Tudors (1485–1603)
Travel through England long enough and a single name begins to surface again and again. It appears in the roofless remains of monasteries scattered across the countryside, in royal palaces rebuilt on a scale meant to impress Europe, in the uneasy stories associated...
by Helen Kain | Jun 8, 2025 | Act IV - Reinvention, Fascinating People, Tudors (1485–1603)
You may not know his name, but you’ve seen his work—echoed in country houses, government buildings, and countless stately facades across Europe and America. If you’ve ever stood in front of a Georgian manor or admired the U.S. Capitol, you’ve been in conversation with...
by Helen Kain | May 10, 2025 | Chateaux, Fascinating People, Tudors (1485–1603)
Few rivalries in history are as deliciously dramatic—and as deeply embedded in architecture—as that of Catherine de Medici and Diane de Poitiers. These two formidable women left their mark not just on French politics, but quite literally on its châteaux. Catherine de...
by Helen Kain | Feb 27, 2025 | Abbeys, Monasteries and Churches, Tudors (1485–1603)
A Church with Deep Roots St. Etheldreda’s Church stands just outside the grounds of Hatfield House, deeply entwined with the history of the Cecil family and the broader Tudor and Stuart political landscapes. While its origins date back to the medieval...
