Sienna asked Sharon Kay Penman:

I discovered Richard III through your lovely Sunne In Splendour just as his bones were found. Sunne remains the best book I've read on the time period. I'm going to England this Autumn to see some of the places I've read so much about. Can you recommend places in York, Leicester & London that I should not miss? I'd like to know some of your personal favorites, hidden gems which may not be on the main tourist track.

Sharon Kay Penman Hi, Sienna. Will this be your first visit to England? York is a lovely city, one of my favorites. You will naturally want to see York Minster and the York Museum; when I was last there two years ago, they had a marvelous exhibit centering around Richard III. The ruins of St Mary's Abbey is another site worth seeing; there is not much left but there is something compelling about them. One of my favorite churches is the Holy Trinity, very old and well preserved. A walk around the city walls is a Must. There is a small Ricardian museum in Micklegate Bar, where the heads of Richard's father and brother were once displayed. There are other medieval buildings in York, too, like Clifford's Tower; I would suggest you visit the York Tourist Bureau as they can be very helpful. The Jorvik Museum is worth a visit, too. If you have a car, you must drive out to Middleham Castle, about 50 miles from York if my memory serves. You'll naturally want to visit Richard's tomb in Leicester and to see the exhibition devoted to him. There is only one site in London directly connected to Richard--Crosby Hall, where he dwelt when he was still Duke of Gloucester, but unfortunately it is privately owned and no longer open to the general public, only to special groups. The Tower and Westminster Abbey will be on your list, but I would also add the Museum of London, which I actually prefer to the British Museum. Have a wonderful trip.

flag