Talks And Lectures

For today’s episode, we’re at Hampton Court Palace and we’re going behind the scenes into a very special place; the Textile Conservation Studio.   We’ll speak to our specialist conservators to hear about the care and craftsmanship that goes into looking after historic dress, as well as the challenges around preparing for a blockbuster exhibition.  This is the final episode in a series where we’re celebrating fashion, identity and the opening of our new exhibition at Kensington Palace called Crown to Couture.  To find out more about conserving historic dress go to:   Conserving a Rare 360-Year-Old Dress | Behind the Scenes at Hampton Court Palace  For tickets to Crown to Couture at Kensington Palace go to:  https://www.hrp.org.uk/kensington-palace/whats-on/crown-to-couture/ 

In this episode join Curators Polly Putnam and Claudia Acott-Williams for a mini tour of the Crown to Couture exhibition at Kensington Palace. They'll talk about their favourite pieces on display, as well as the craftsmenship that goes into making high fashion, from the Georgian Court to the Red Carpet of today.  This is the third episode in a series where we're celebrating the opening of our new exhibtion at Kensington Palace. For tickets to Crown to Couture go to: https://www.hrp.org.uk/kensington-palace/whats-on/crown-to-couture 

From Beyoncé to Billie Eilish, fashion is undeniably personal and political. But the legacy of harnessing fashion as a tool for power and representation goes back to the 18th century and beyond. In this episode Curators Matthew Story, Polly Putnam and Claudia Acott-Williams celebrate the joy of fashion as a symbol of identity at the Georgian Court, and its importance on the Red Carpet today.   This is the second episode in a series where we’re celebrating fashion, identity and the opening of our new exhibition at Kensington Palace called Crown to Couture.  For tickets to Crown to Couture at Kensington Palace go to:  https://www.hrp.org.uk/kensington-palace/whats-on/crown-to-couture/  

The fashion history of the Georgian Court has a lot of similarities with the Red Carpet and Met Gala glamour of today. In this episode Curators Matthew Story, Polly Putnam and Claudia Acott-Williams unpick these parallels, and take us on a journey through getting ready in the 18th century, revealing how surprisingly, it’s not that different from how celebrities are styled and prepared for the Red Carpet today.   This is the first episode in a series where we’re celebrating fashion, identity and the opening of our new exhibition at Kensington Palace called Crown to Couture.  For tickets to Crown to Couture at Kensington Palace go to:  https://www.hrp.org.uk/kensington-palace/whats-on/crown-to-couture/  

Join us for a whistle-stop tour of the History of Coronations. Curators Charles Farris, Alden Gregory and Lee Prosser will lead you on a merry dance through time, from medieval pre-coronation baths, to a man rolling down the steps at Queen Victoria's coronation. There's never a dull moment!  To find out more about the history of coronations, and how Historic Royal Palaces are celebrating visit:  https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/history-and-stories/coronations-past-and-present/ https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/whats-on/coronation-bench-trail/ For the Crown Jewels go to: https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/history-and-stories/the-crown-jewels/ 

For this week’s episode we’re bringing you another talk from our archives given by our Curator Charles Farris. We all know Henry VIII was an extravagant King, but in this talk we hear how he carried this extravagance into temporary palaces that travelled with him to events such as the Field of Cloth of Gold. These temporary structures really help to contextualise the importance of show and display for a renaissance king. In the second part of this talk, Charles Farris will talk through the experimental archaeology project Portable Palace.  These live talks were recorded in 2018 in the run up to the 500th Anniversary of the Field of Cloth of Gold. For further reading on Charles and Aldon’s research, as well as more on tents! https://blog.hrp.org.uk/curators/portable-palaces-henry-viii-tents/ https://blog.hrp.org.uk/curators/portable-palaces-royal-tents-timber-lodgings/ https://blog.hrp.org.uk/curators/portable-palaces-field-cloth-gold-1520/ https://blog.hrp.org.uk/curators/a-tent-fit-for-a-king/

For this week’s episode we’re bringing you another talk from our archives given by our Curator Alden Gregory. We all know Henry VIII was an extravagant King, but in this talk we hear how he carried this extravagance into temporary palaces that travelled with him to events such as the Field of Cloth of Gold. These temporary structures really help to contextualise the importance of show and display for a renaissance king. In part one we’ll hear from Aldon Gregory on timber temporary structures, and in the second part, Charles Farris will talk through the experimental archaeology project Portable Palace.  These live talks were recorded in 2018 in the run up to the 500th Anniversary of the Field of Cloth of Gold. For further reading on Charles and Aldon’s research, as well as more on tents! https://blog.hrp.org.uk/curators/portable-palaces-henry-viii-tents/ https://blog.hrp.org.uk/curators/portable-palaces-royal-tents-timber-lodgings/ https://blog.hrp.org.uk/curators/portable-palaces-field-cloth-gold-1

In today’s episode we’re celebrating International Women’s Day with our Chief Curator Lucy Worsley.   In this second episode Lucy joins us for a chat about why the past is important, and who we should be celebrating for International Women’s Day.   To find out more about the Crown to Couture exhibition go to:   https://www.hrp.org.uk/kensington-palace/whats-on/crown-to-couture/ 

In this episode we’re trying something new. Today is International Women’s Day, and what better way to celebrate than with two special episodes featuring our Chief Curators.   In this first episode Tracy Borman answers a quick-fire round of 21 Questions. We find out about her work, historic women who inspire her and what she always has on her desk!  We’ll be back tomorrow with another 21 Questions but this time with Lucy Worsley.  To find out more about our new displays at Hampton Court Palace visit:  https://www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace/whats-on/great-hall/ 

The Jewish medieval history of the Tower of London remains relatively unknown to our everyday visitors, and yet it is foundational to the first 200-years of the life of the fortress, as well as medieval England itself.   In this episode Curator Charles Farris is joined by Dr Rory MacLellan and Professor Miri Rubin, to reflect on how new research at Historic Royal Palaces has helped give a more nuanced picture of life for the Medieval Jewish community in England.   For more on this subject go to:  https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/history-and-stories/jewish-medieval-history-at-the-tower-of-london/   For Dr Rory MacLellan’s exploration of the Jewish prisoners, sanctuary-seekers, and staff of the medieval Tower, including access to his research findings, go to:  https://www.hrp.org.uk/about-us/research/the-jewish-history-of-the-medieval-tower-of-london/ 

For this week’s episode we’re bringing you a talk from our archives by journalist and author Anita Anand, on the extraordinary life of Princess Sophia Duleep Singh As the daughter of the deposed Maharaja Duleep Singh and Goddaughter to Queen Victoria, Sophia learned to use her fame and position to passionately fight for gender equality as a suffragette. She even campaigned regularly outside Hampton Court Palace. It's difficult to do justice to the life of this incredible woman, but Anita Anand dives into Sophia's story and brings it into the light, from her Sikh family heritage to her involvment in the fight for women's suffrage.   Further Reading: To find out more about Sophia Duleep Singh go to https://www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace/history-and-stories/sophia-duleep-singh For Anita Anand’s biography on Sophia and other books https://anitaanand.net/book-stuff/  

This week we’re back with the final episode from our mini-series on spaces we love in our palaces and what a way to end! Chief Curator Tracy Borman has chosen to take us into a room that isn’t open to visitors, but that witnessed two momentous moments in Tudor history; the birth of Henry VIII’s long-awaited heir, and the death of his beloved wife Jane Seymour. Tracy explains how this room is a place of escape for her to connect with the history she loves so much.   To find out more about the life of Jane Seymour go to:  https://www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace/history-and-stories/jane-seymour  

This week is the penultimate episode in our six-part mini-series and today we are in for a treat! Curatorial placement student Cara Gathern takes us into one of the most exciting but hidden spaces at Hampton Court Palace, Henry VIII’s bedroom. It may not look like a royal Tudor bedroom today, but Cara will reveal how this space has transported her to the past, and particularly to the medicinal practices of the health-obsessed Tudor king.  To find out more about this subject go to: https://www.hrp.org.uk/blog/henry-viii-medicines To find out more about opportunities and further education at Historic Royal Palaces go to:  https://www.hrp.org.uk/about-us/research/ma-in-heritage-management   https://www.hrp.org.uk/about-us/work-for-us/apprenticeships  

In the fourth part of this series, we’re taking a walk with curator Claudia Acott-Williams into her favourite space at Kensington Palace, the room where Queen Victoria was born. Claudia will explain how this room was intentionally chosen as the birthplace of the future Queen of England.  To find out more about the childhood of Queen Victoria go to:  https://www.hrp.org.uk/kensington-palace/whats-on/victoria-a-royal-childhood  

This week is the third part of our mini-series on spaces we love. We’ll be joining curator Charles Farris who has chosen to take us on a gentle stroll into a small but rather special Tudor space, hidden away in the depths of Hampton Court Palace. Charles will help us imagine how this space may have witnessed some of the biggest moments in Henry VIII’s reign.  To find out more about the Wolsey Closet go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PV5Wxx8bO8Y   

This week we’re continuing our mini-series on treasured spaces with a modest cottage hidden away in Kew Gardens. We’ll take a walk with Curator Lee Prosser through this intimate and charming space, to learn how it was used as a retreat away from public life for Queen Charlotte, George III and the royal family.    Find more information on Queen Charlotte’s Cottage here hrp.org.uk/kew-palace/whats-on/queen-charlottes-cottage 

In this new six-part mini-series, we’ll be exploring a selection of treasured spaces in our palaces with the people who know them best, our curators.   Some spaces will be grand and some modest, some aren’t even open to the public. But each space has been personally chosen by our resident experts to reveal how immersing ourselves in the past can connect us to the present.   In this first episode we’ll follow Chief Curator Lucy Worsley, into the pomp of Kensington Palace, to a staircase that has a lot more to reveal about the Georgian court than you would think.  To find out more about the King’s stairs go to hrp.org.uk/kensington-palace/whats-on/the-kings-staircase   

In this new six-part mini-series, we’ll be exploring a selection of treasured spaces in our palaces with the people who know them best, our curators.   Some spaces will be grand and some modest, some aren’t even open to the public. But each space has been personally chosen by our resident experts to reveal how immersing ourselves in the past can connect us to the present.     The first epsidoe will be released on Thursday November 17th. Episodes will be released every two weeks. 

The well-known nursery rhyme cautions us to ‘Remember, Remember, the fifth of November, gunpowder, treason, and plot’, but what does the Gunpowder Plot really mean to us today?  In this second episode of our two-part series on the Gunpowder Plot, Curators Charles Farris, Brett Dolman and Alden Gregory explore how the plot was foiled, and whether the 5th of November still holds relevance to us now.   To discover more about Guys Fawkes and the Tower of London, go to:  https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/history-and-stories/guy-fawkes-and-the-gunpowder-plot  

It’s no small feat to tackle the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. It was an attempt by radical Catholic conspirators to assassinate King James I, and to destroy parliament in one devastating explosion, with Guy Fawkes lighting the fuse. But this two-part series is about more than just Guy Fawkes.   In this first episode we’ll aim to cover the crucial context of the plot. Join Curators Charles Farris, Brett Dolman and Alden Gregory as they discuss the backdrop to one of the most pivotal plots in history.   To discover more about Guys Fawkes and the Tower of London, go to:  https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/history-and-stories/guy-fawkes-and-the-gunpowder-plot