The Royal Palaces of Tudor England: Architecture and Court Life 1460-1547

by Simon Thurley

Why did Henry VIII have sixty houses? How did he feed his court? Why did his later houses lack great halls and chapels? This vigorous and original book investigates the social history of the Tudor court and the life of Henry VIII through the king's own buildings, and interprets these structures through an examination of his public and private activities. Simon Thurley begins by surveying the development of royal residence building from the two-room lodgings of the Plantagenets to the Tudor mansions covering dozens of acres. Then, focusing on the reign of Henry VIII, Thurley explains how and when the king's palaces were used and explores common myths about these buildings and the kind of life that was led in them. Drawing on contemporary accounts, inventories, diplomatic notes, and new archaeological research, Thurley illuminates early Tudor etiquette, hygiene, religion, government, recreation (from tennis and bowling to cockfighting), cooking, and interior decoration. Thurley concludes that this period saw major innovations in both the structure of the court and the form of royal residences - changes that would set the pattern for royal domestic architecture for two hundred years. Lavishly illustrated with photographs and plans, this intriguing book will delight readers interested in architectural and social history.

Genres: History, Tudor Period, Nonfiction, Architecture, Art

283 pages, Hardcover

First published October 27, 1993

Reviews

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The White Tower which is located within The Tower of London I visit whenever I am in London as it is my favorite, but Simon Thurley’s The Royal Palaces of Tudor England discusses five Tudor monarchs, Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI (Henry VIII’s son and heir), Mary I (Henry VIII’s first daughter), and Elizabeth I (Henry VIII’s second daughter) and the royal buildings these monarchs built, maintained, and/or called ‘home’. Upon Henry VIII’s death on January 28, 1547, The Crown “possessed” more than sixty royal houses, most commissioned by Henry VIII. From 1547 forward, the ‘history of of royal houses in England’ was one of “declining numbers” and “of unrealized projects for new buildings”. This book has illustrated doorways to be used as entryways to buildings as well as the Tudor stylized staircases also used as entryways to buildings. This type of staircase became all the rage in Tudor England if one could afford it. The two major ‘buildings’ associated with Henry VIII were The Field of Cloth of Gold and Hampton Court. Both of these projects, especially The Field of the Cloth of Gold, involved Cardinal Wolsey. The Field of Cloth of Gold was built as a temporary palace-nothing was spared as Henry VIII wanted to impress Francois I of France. It was a grand success. Wolsey also built Hampton Court, but when the king desired Hampton Court for his 2nd wife, Anne Bolelyn, Wolsey had to surrender it. The year was 1529, and the end of Wolsey’s ‘position of power’ began. Now the king became totally involved in his building projects because Wolsey’s fall from power left a whole in the chain of command. The king may have had six wives, but he stayed in tune with his building projects and the acquiring property.

The size of the court and the ruling monarch help to determine amount of royal residences. Henry VIII’s court became the largest, and with each new project all of the following areas were included: purpose, function, style, form, feeding the court - The Tudor Royal Kitchen, hygiene, sanitation, sport, recreation, and the household chapel. These topics were researched and applied even after Henry’s death. “At Hampton Court his culverts, water-supply system and kitchens continued to serve the Courts of William III and the first two Georges.” Henry VIII had done the job well, and his designs provided for the next three to four courts. 4.75 stars.

[Vanessa Sumner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scholarly work, not something you read for pleasure unless it’s a real passion of yours. I read the parts I was interested in: their bathing rooms and waste disposal systems, the kitchen layouts, their private chambers, the interior decor and skimmed the parts I didn’t care about (sports and recreation, for example).
The pictures are excellent and it was worth buying the book for the portraits alone!!!!

[Saxon Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in order to do research for an essay in my book “The Modern Salonnière.” It is chock full of all of the historical information I love. According to Dr. Thurley, Henry VIII was regarded as “a perfect builder” as early as Elizabeth I’s reign. The author goes into detail about his built legacy, down to how he renovated the kitchens at Hampton Court Palace and, especially, the King's passion for building tiltyards for jousting. If you'd like to see how ga-ga Henry VIII was about jousting and chivalry, I've excerpted a post from the book here: https://bit.ly/3bEcuXF

[Crystal Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book! It has information in it I've been unable to find anywhere else.

As an author writing about Henry VIII this book was paramount for my research so much so that I was willing to plunk down $80 to buy it.

The pictures are stunning. Truly a great work!