Be transported to the intriguing world of our most notorious royal dynasty. Four renowned historians will join us to discuss this fascinating era. Your visit will include a chance to explore the manor house and gardens at lunch time.

Talks By

Joanne Paul- Thomas More
Born during the Wars of the Roses, shaped by the Renaissance, and ultimately destroyed by Henry VIII, Thomas More remains one of the most compelling figures in English history—seen either as a saintly scholar and visionary author of Utopia, or a stubborn zealot as portrayed in Wolf Hall. In Thomas More: A Life and Death in Tudor England, Joanne Paul draws on new archival discoveries and over a decade of research to present a richly detailed portrait of a complex, flawed man—an intellectual and political giant whose life of family, faith, and power helped shape modern Europe.
Tracy Borman- The House of Boleyn
In her new novel The House of Boleyn, best-selling author, historian and broadcaster Tracy Borman immerses us in the world of the Boleyn’s beautiful Kent home, Hever Castle. It was here that they plotted and schemed, grieved and rejoiced – and where Henry VIII relentlessly pursued Anne Boleyn. In this richly illustrated talk, Tracy uncovers the real history that inspired her novel and takes the audience behind closed doors to explore the Boleyns as they’ve never been seen before.
Nicola Clark- The Waiting Game
Praised for its lively and accessible style, The Waiting Game explores the hidden world of Tudor ladies-in-waiting—confidantes, attendants, and subtle power-brokers who moved within the Queen’s most private spaces. Revealing their daily lives, from recruitment and dress to sleeping arrangements and diet, it brings to light remarkable women such as María de Salinas, Jane Parker, and Anne Basset, whose influence shaped court politics through espionage, alliances, and survival across shifting reigns. As Henry VIII’s marriages transformed the court and country, these women navigated complex loyalties in ways never before required, and their vital, long-overlooked story is told here for the first time.
Melita Thomas- Elizabeth Clinton, Countess of Lincoln

Historians

Nicola Clark

Dr Nicola Clark is a historian of late medieval and early modern women and politics. Her book The Waiting Game: The Untold Story of the Women who Served the Tudor Queens was published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson in 2024 to rave reviews. She is a regular speaker on the festival and podcast circuits and has featured on television and radio. She is Senior Lecturer in Early Modern History at the University of Chichester.

Tracy Borman

Tracy Borman OBE is Chief Historian at the Historic Royal Palaces. A regular broadcaster and public speaker, Tracy regularly appears on the Channel 5 Inside the Tower of London series and stars in several Channel 5 documentaries including Princes in the Tower, and Elizabeth I and Anne Boleyn: The Prisoner Queens. Her 2025 non-fiction book, The Stolen Crown, was an instant Sunday Times bestseller and saw her undertake a national tour across the country, appearing at bookshops, historic venues and literary festivals. As a historian and novelist, Tracy writes fiction and non-fiction. Her upcoming novel, The House of Boleyn combines real history with richly imagined drama.

Joanne Paul

Dr Joanne Paul is an award-winning historian, broadcaster and writer with a passion for sharing her research on Renaissance and Tudor history. She is Honorary Associate Professor at the University of Sussex and a 2017 AHRC/BBC Radio 3 New Generation Thinker. Her first trade book, The House of Dudley, was hailed as a 2022 Book of the Year by The Times, The Sunday Times, The Daily Telegraph and History Today. Her biography of Thomas More, praised as "Wonderful, riveting, subtle” by the Wall Street Journal, is the result of more than a decade’s research into the man and his work.

Melita Thomas

Melita Thomas has a Master’s in Historical Research from the Institute of Historical Research. Her dissertation focused on the mediaeval queens of England and their relationship with the City of London. She is a doctoral candidate at University College London (UCL), working on the social and political networks of Mary I. Melita is the author of history books, 1000 Tudor People, The King’s Pearl, and The House of Grey, and is the editor and principal content provider for the online resource, Tudor Times.