Join popular British historians, authors, and broadcasters, Dr. Owen Emerson, Dr. Nicola Tallis, and Kate McCaffrey (a.k.a. The TUDOR TRIO)  for a unique look into the lives of the Boleyn family!
​When you think Boleyn, the name Anne always comes to mind.  But there is so much more to this family.  If you love Tudor History, this is one Adventure you don't want to miss!

ITINERARY AND EXCURSIONS

Day 1
Wednesday
​October 16, 2024
Travel

Arrive in London, and transfer to our hotel.  ​We will have our traditional "Welcome Meeting" in the evening. 
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Day 2
Thursday
October 17, 2024
Norwich:
Blickling Hall & Gardens
St. Andrews Church

 

After breakfast, we leave for Blickling Hall, the Boleyn family’s early seat.  Though this is largely a 17th-century rebuild, new research shows that much of the original ‘house of fair brick’ that Geoffrey Boleyn built in the 1450s remains inside the Jabobean facade. Geoffrey had been the ‘pivotal’ Boleyn, transforming the family’s fortunes from being workers of the land to being Lord Mayor of London. Blickling was his first major property acquisition and remains the most likely property where all of the subsequent Boleyns were born. Following our visit, it's lunch on your own.

 

Next, we go to St Andrews Church, a beautiful building that retains its original painted medieval font where Anne was very likely christened.  In the evening, dinner is on your own. 
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​Day 3
Friday
​October 18, 2024
Norwich Cathedral

Following breakfast we take a tour of the beautiful Norwich Cathedral.  We'll take a short break for lunch on your own and continue on to Royal Tunbridge Wells.  Dinner is on your own. 
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Day 4
Saturday
October 19, 2024
Penshurst Place

 

After breakfast, we go to Penshurst Place to visit the House and Gardens.  Penshurst is a somewhat hidden gem in the story of the Boleyn family, and a beautifully preserved one. Originally the seat of the Duke of Buckingham, it was seized by the crown in 1521 following the execution of Buckingham and Thomas Boleyn acquired the stewardship of the property in 1522. He therefore was responsible for its upkeep and attained the right to occupy it when the King wasn't using it. If Henry ever visited Anne at her Kentish castle, it is very likely that it was at this palatial residence, just four miles from Hever. We find Thomas occupying Penshurst on several occasions too. Later, Queen Elizabeth I would often visit Penshurst, staying there on at least three occasions. As Hever is directly on the route from London to Penshurst, it is overwhelmingly likely that she saw her mother’s former home of Hever during these visits.​  Dinner is on your own. 
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​Day 5
Sunday
October 20, 2024
Allington Castle &
Leeds Castle

 

We begin our day with a rare opportunity unique to our group, a visit to Allington Castle; a real hidden gem rarely open to the public. It is the family seat of the Wyatt family and is just 15 miles from Hever. Because of this closeness, the Wyatt and Boleyn family were close neighbours, and the poet Thomas Wyatt the Elder developed a passion for Anne Boleyn, immortalising her in famous poems such as ‘Whoso List to Hunt’.  Allington features again in the Boleyn story when Thomas Wyatt the Younger used the castle as the base for his rebellion in 1554 as he attempted to overthrow Queen Mary I in favor of her sister, Princess Elizabeth. Allington’s proximity to Hever also endangered the life of Hever’s then-tenant (and close stepmother to Elizabeth) Anne of Cleves.  After our visit, we are off to visit Leeds Castle.

 

Leeds Castle is a stunning Kentish property with connections to six fascinating queens. During the Tudor era, it emerged as a favourite property of Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII’s first queen. It was at Leeds that Henry and Catherine resided in 1520 before travelling to the famous Field of Cloth of Gold summit with King Francis I, an event where Henry may have first set eyes on Anne Boleyn, who was serving at the French court. Leeds would later be occupied by Gregory Cromwell, whose father, Thomas Cromwell, had been a key player in facilitating Anne Boleyn’s rise to the throne and her bloody downfall. ​ When finished, it's lunch on your own then we return to the hotel.  Dinner is on your own this evening as well. 
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Day 6
Monday
October 21, 2024
Hever Castle

 

Today, we spend the day at Hever Castle, the second major acquisition by Geoffrey Boleyn in 1463.  Hever would emerge as the central seat of his grandson, Thomas Boleyn, who moved his family here from Norfolk in 1505. It is here that Anne Boleyn would spend her formative years, and then later, would base herself during the tumultuous years of The Great Matter. During this latter period, Hever acted as a central location in the political upheaval that would result in the break with Rome, and Anne acted as a significant political player in that process.  We will see the exciting new curation of the rooms occupied by the Boleyn family, giving us a flavor of how the rooms looked during their tenure.  We will complete our day with dinner at the castle and sleeping at the castle B&B.  At Hever, a limited number of guests will have an opportunity to dress in authentic Tudor attire! (for an additional cost) 
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​Day 7
Tuesday
October 22, 2024
London:
The Tower of London
& ​Westminster Abbey
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​We begin our day with a tour of London, stopping at the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey.  Both Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I stayed in the royal apartments of the Tower before their respective coronations, and important features survive at the Tower that were installed especially for Anne’s coronation celebrations. This was also the place where Anne was imprisoned and executed in 1536, and where her daughter, Elizabeth, would be imprisoned following the Wyatt Rebellion in 1554. Mother and daughter would share the same prison room, and though Elizabeth would survive, she was released from the Tower on the anniversary of her mother’s execution. Anne is buried here in the chapel of St Peter ad Vincula.  Following our visit, you will have time for lunch on our own before our final stop, Westminster Cathedral, the site where both Anne and Elizabeth were crowned queen consort and regnant (respectively). Indeed, Anne was pregnant with Elizabeth when her mother had received an unusually lavish coronation and had been crowned with St Edward’s crown which had only ever been used to crown the monarch previously. This is also the burial place of Elizabeth I, with her magnificent tomb adorned - amongst other emblems - with the white falcon used by her mother.  After this visit we say goodbye to London and return to our hotel for dinner on your own. 
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Day 8
Wednesday
October 23, 2024
Leave for Home

We will transfer to the airport for our return trip home, taking with us connections to new friends and memories of a wonderful adventure!