A Morning at Sudeley Castle

 Despite often being in the tranquil, slow-paced countryside, there were no "chill" days on this vacation--there was too much to see (also I must keep moving, like a shark, or I will die). I really think I could have spent a month on this trip and still not seen everything I wanted to, because just driving along the road you see so many signs to castles, abbeys, farm shops, cideries, manors...it's hard not to fritter the day away with stops.

 

I have self control though (and a husband who will generally not take detours), so this day of vacation was focused on Sudeley Castle and then whatever else we could squeeze in (which turned out to be a small village in the Cotswolds called Painswick and then a quick zip into Gloucester, which I'll do in a separate post because this one is picture heavy). Sudeley was a manor house as early as the 11th century, and then it later belonged to Richard III, and Queen Elizabeth I held a party there to celebrate the sinking of the Spanish Armada, and King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn visited there, and King Henry's sixth and final wife, Katherine Parr, is buried there. It fell into ruin and her resting place was lost for two centuries, until the Romantic movement starting drawing swoony visitors to ruins; her remains were found under a monument in the chapel. 

    

Sudeley was eventually partially restored by some rich and visionary Victorians, and today it still serves as a private residence (which is why you can't take pictures inside--they live there! And it was bizarre to see all the antiques right next to TVs and remotes and current family pictures...I guess it's a tradeoff for raising the funds to maintain the property). The layers of history here--I know I say it so often, but it makes me emotional to experience it, and it's hard to believe that it even all happened; that the things we learn in school and watch movies about and develop hyperfixations on were real people living dramatic, often tragic lives that shaped the world to this day. 

Some people say they get tired of castles, but I have yet to find that to be true for myself--I love any castle, all castles, and every castle that I see--especially when they're linked to Tudor history and have lovely gardens and fun sculptures. One great thing about the British and Welsh castles we saw was how engaging they try to make things for kids--so Elowen had fun "hunting" the six queens through the gardens for a prize and also seeing the large animal sculptures sprinkled throughout the grounds. Elowen enjoyed the gardens much more than the castle rooms, and I couldn't figure out what her poses were--then I realized she was curtsying! Because she was at a castle with queens! Adorable.

    

 

 

Can't stop, won't stop

I could have spent a lot more time reading the exhibits, but Elowen wasn't in a great mood so we moved pretty quickly through them--I especially enjoyed seeing bedclothes that were believed to have belonged to Marie Antoinette and also the Haunted Staircase, where a ghostly maid allegedly walks. (Though I made the mistake of telling Elowen it was haunted, and then she screamed all the day down.) 

 

You can also see Katherine Parr's tooth, which is macabre and mildly upsetting--someone stole it from her grave at one point, along with locks of her hair. Another highlight was seeing a lace canopy believed to have been made by Anne Boleyn for her daughter, Elizabeth I (who became the queen for whom Burghley House was built!). 

     

The aforementioned lace canopy and a waistcoat believed to have been owned by Charles I.  

Sudeley also has an awesome little kids play area where Elowen proceeded to capture the castle and enjoy the swings. 

The below are pictures of the chapel and Katharine Parr's tomb within--it was solemn and beautiful inside and serves as a place of pilgrimage to many. Sudeley is the only private land in which a Queen of England is buried.

 

    

And below are just other pictures from the castle and grounds--since I couldn't take a picture inside the castle, I stole this one from another website (who I assume won't go after me, as this blog has four readers). Anyway, there's a waxwork of Katharine Parr in what were her chambers, looking out toward the chapel at her own grave, and it's deeply touching. 

 

 

King Henry VIII and his wives...what a POS. 

  

Shoes from the 17th century and a dressing robe and garments from the museum's collection...they have a vast collection of textiles. 

  

 

    

   

 

 I so wanted to see a real hedgehog, but I settled for this sculpture (I did see a dead hedgehog on the side of the road as well as a taxidermied hedgehog, but you should be specific with your dream when putting it out into the universe--I meant a real, alive hedgehog trundling along between the tree trunks.)

 

And I leave you with Katharine Parr's tooth.