Henry VIII at West Horsley Place

West Horsley Place takes you back to the splendour of Henry VIII’s time on July 27th & 28th for a Tudor festival like no other at the haunt of pleasure seekers and plotters

This summer be transported back to Tudor times at West Horsley Place when they’ll be Hosting Henry VIII at a festival of authentic Tudor merrymaking.

The manor house and estate will recall entertaining the legendary king and his court 500 years ago with banquets, music, dancing, archery, falconry and a joust.

West Horsley Place was an out-of-town palace for the Tudor royal family. Henry VIII gifted it to his longest-lasting court favourite, Henry Courtenay, marquess of Exeter. The pair had been close since boyhood – Courtenay was of royal blood, the grandson of King Edward IV, Henry VIII called him ‘cousin’.

The King not only gave the Marquess West Horsley and its hunting park he also match-made his marriage to noblewoman, Gertrude Blount. At the peak of Henry’s ambitions as king, when he divorced Katharine of Aragon, married Anne Boleyn, and began his raid on the Church, the Courtenays were the golden couple of the Tudor court; and Horsley was their playground.

Everything was rosy until the power-hungry and increasingly paranoid Henry turned on those closest to him, even his own cousin. In 1538, the Courtenays fell under suspicion of hatching a plot at Horsley to overthrow Henry. They were arrested, Henry executed and Gertrude and her son were imprisoned in the Tower of London.

Researchers at the University of Exeter who worked with West Horsley Place Trust to uncover the history of the house, unearthed ‘snapshots’ of the colourful history of the time, including Lady Gertrude’s frantic letters attempting to explain away the suspicions of plots whispered in the house and garden, and the interviews given by household servants who told of the great and the good they saw come and go.

An account of a visit with a rich banquet includes gannet, heron, partridge, stork, stuffed rabbit, sturgeon and venison pasties among the meat dishes and blancmange, clotted cream and pistachios for pudding on the menu. The table was set with gold and silver goblets, jugs and serving plates and music played on the virginals, regals (portable organs) and viols.

This summer’s festival will capture the sights, sounds and tastes of this Tudor country house-party. Specialists will conjure up Tudor food, clothing, jewellery and weaponry, with music, jousting, dancing and hawking as well as fun for children such as shield making and face painting.

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