Historic Royal Palaces Podcast

This week is the third part of our mini-series on spaces we love. We'll be joining Assistant Curator Alfred Hawkins who has chosen to take us into the Chapel of St Peter Ad Vincula at the Tower of London. As the burial place of Anne Boleyn, the Chapel Royal holds a special place to many history fans, but there is so much more to this community place of worship. Alfred reveals that the myths of history can be just as important as the truth. To find out more on the Chapel of St Peter Ad Vincula go to: www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/whats-on/chapel-royal-of-st-peter-ad-vincula Watch our mini documentary on the Downfall of Anne Boleyn: Anne Boleyn | The Downfall and Execution of a Tudor Queen

This week we're continuing our mini-series on treasured spaces with a trip through a place full of historic clothing, the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection. We'll follow Curator Matthew Storey into this hidden store, to find out how we can learn from the stories that are carried in the historic clothing we look after, and how they really do hold relevance for today. If you would like to find out more or visit the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection, go to: www.hrp.org.uk/about-us/conservation-and-collections/royal-ceremonial-dress-collection

Welcome back to series two of A Space I Love. In this six-part mini-series, we're back exploring a selection of treasured spaces in our palaces with the people who know them best, our curators. In this first episode we'll follow Alden Gregory behind-the-scenes into the King's House at the Tower of London, a place that is intimately connected with the Gunpowder Plot, and the interrogation of Guy Fawkes. Please be aware that this episode contains themes of torture, death and execution, which some listeners may find upsetting. For more on the Gunpowder plot you can listen to our previous episodes on the plot from November 2022, or visit: https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/history-and-stories/guy-fawkes-and-the-gunpowder-plot

Coming next week on Thursday 29th June. In this six-part mini-series, our curators are back sharing their favourite spaces with you. We'll be exploring a selection of treasured spaces in our palaces, from behind-the-scenes stores, to rooms of immense importance to British history. 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 a place can connect us to the past, and make us reflect on the present.

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 craftsmanship 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 exhibition 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/