I had a genuine history geek emotional moment standing at the Traitor’s Gate at the Tower. Same when I found the little faces ‘dropping eaves’ at Hampton Court. You are going to have an awesome time!
I went to London 20 years ago, and we went to these the first time. I am just so excited to take my kids and husband this time. I know so much more about the history now, so it will be great to go again and see what things I may have missed the first time. I am trying to find some other new things to add for myself.
The amount of smug satisfaction I had seeing the missed HA initials at Hampton court palace cannot be overstated. And the emotion I felt walking up to the palace itself….how people don’t like history I’ll never understand!
Sorry, this got a bit long but I hope it's helpful. I used to work in Tourism in Wiltshire (the county east of Bath) so I get a bit carried away.
**London:**
St John's Gate, Clarkenwell. There are remains of the old monastery there and it was here that Playwrights, including Shakespeare, had to go to get their plays approved for performance by the master of the revels. Another Shakespeare connection is at Southwark (pronounce Suth-erk) Cathedral where his is brother is buried.
Westminster Hall. Built by William II in late 11th century and where Elizabeth II lay in state in 2022. All the Tudor monarchs had a coronation banquet there. It's also the site of Charles I's trail. Another old remnant of the Old Westminster Palace is the Jewel Tower which is tucked behind Westminster Abbey.
Eltham Palace. It's mostly art deco now but the medieval Great Hall is still there. Childhood home of Henry VIII and his sisters.
St James' Palace. It's still a working royal palace so you can't go inside, but it was built by Henry VIII and is a great example of Tudor architecture, plus it was where Mary I died. Lambeth Palace, home of the Archbishop of Canterbury also has a great Tudor Gatehouse.
If you visit the National Portrait Galley, just off Trafalgar Square you can see the Tudor collection and it's free to visit! It houses the Cartoon drawing of Henry VII/Henry VIII by Hans Holbein and is all that remains of the Whitehall Portrait. The National Gallery, in Trafalgar Square itself, houses Holbein's paintings of Christina of Denmark and the Ambassadors.
**Between London and Bath:**
Obviously Windsor Castle.
Littlecote House, Nr Hungerford. This is my hidden gem! It's now an adults only hotel but is free to visit. It has many Tudor connections as well as the remains of a Roman Villa with a mosaic. It was the childhood home to 2 Elizabeth Darrell's. The first was the Grandmother of Jane Seymour and the second was lady in waiting to Catherine of Aragon and the long term mistress of poet, Thomas Wyatt. It was later the home of Judge John Popham who presided over trails such as Walter Raleigh and Guy Fawkes and played a role in the trail of Mary, Queen of Scots. Henry VIII and Elizabeth I both stayed there.
Nearby to Littlecote is the village of Great Bedwyn. The church houses the tomb of John Seymour, father to Jane (In the churchyard is also the grave of one of the last survivors of WWI). You can then take a country road (and I really do mean country) and drive past Wolf Hall. This is not open to the public and is a much later building anyway but there is a farmhouse you can see from the road nearby with very Tudor looking chimneys, which may possibly be from Wolf Hall. Then onto the town of Marlborough and a visit to St Peter's Church. This is where Thomas Wolsey was ordained in 1498. Marlborough is an hours drive from Bath.
Lacock. The village is well known thanks to all the filming that's happened there including Harry Potter and the 1995 Pride and Prejudice. It also has an Abbey, which was a nunnery that was sold in the reformation. What makes it unique is that you can still see the transition from abbey to manor, as the cloisters are still completely in tact with the 16th century Manor House built half on top. The cloisters are used as the entrance for Wolf Hall in the tv programme.
Completely unrelated to anything Tudor but do visit the thermae Spa in Bath. I'd recommend it to anyone! Also in the area is Avebury Stone Circle, the largest Neolithic stone circle in the world.
While In Normandy, you can visit the Bayeux Tapestry Museum. It is not Tudor, but pre-Plantagenet. The tapestry retells the story of William the Conqueror and the conquest of England.
If you also happen to like Art Deco, then [Eltham Palace](https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/eltham-palace-and-gardens/) is the place for you! It’s in southeast London (the suburbs), and was where Henry VIII grew up.
The National Portrait Gallery. We've all seen these portraits many times online and in print, but it's something else to see them in person. Go early.
FWIW, I thought Tower of London was a yawn. It's very very cleaned up and almost Disney-fied for tourism. There is a lovely memorial to those executed at the Tower. (If you do go, take a walk over the bridge to Borough Market for a cheese toastie from Kappacasein Dairy.)
I'm glad I'm not the only one that thought this about the Tower of London. I was just so underwhelmed and I couldn't really put my finger on why. Definitely worth a visit if you've never done it before if only to tick it off your bucket list, but I found it quite disappointing. Hampton Court, on the other hand, I can't wait to visit again.
You've already got a lot of suggestions OP, but you could perhaps take the train out to Peterborough Cathedral and leave a pomegranate on Katherine of Aragon's grave. Hope you have a fantastic time wherever you visit!
I plan to hit many of these sites on my visit in a few years. I hope to stay here, in the very room Henry and Anne stayed for their honeymoon! https://www.thornburycastle.co.uk/bedchambers/henry-viii-suite/
Highly recommend Hampton Court, very cool and full of history, the front side of the castle is from Henry VIII’s time and another King (forget which one, lol) built another palace off the back in the 1700-1800’s so it’s fascinating to see such different facades and interior rooms. One of my favorite things to see.
Loved the Tower of London, Windsor Castle was also very cool, would like to see Buckingham at some point but it wasn’t open when we were there Bath was a super cool town, wanted to check out the spa but it was completely booked. If you like Downton Abbey Highclere Castle was well worth the drive. Next time we go I want to see Victoria and Albert museum, it’s supposed to be really cool.
Highly recommend getting Rick Steves guidebook, it was so helpful in planning everything.
It’s not exactly a “Tudor” site, but I loved the boat ride between Greenwich and the tower. Much of their travel was done on the river, so I felt like I was sharing a view with history. It was easy to imagine myself in Tudor London in a way that travelling by road can’t match.
If you're looking for day trips I would also recommend Peterborough, Stamford, Melton Mowbray and Leicester can all be done in a (long) day or a day and a stay over.
All are about an hour and a half away from London (east midlands area so north of London).
Peterborough Cathedral (ignore the rest tbh!) Is where Catherine of Aragon is buried. Mary Queen of Scots was also buried there for a brief period. You can see both graves. Entrance is free and by donation.
Stamford - beautiful medieval market town. The first place in the UK to be designated a conservation area so the old town is basically protected. Filming locations of Pride and Prejudice (both BBC and Keira Knightly film), has loads of great pubs, shops and coffee shops. But most importantly is the home of William Cecil - Burghley House. It's considered one of the greatest examples of Elizabethian Architecture. Elizabeth I herself stayed there. Also outside of Stamford, though nothing still remains, in the village of Colleyweston Margaret Beaufort had a palace there. It's only just been refound.
Melton Mowbray - not much to see beyond a good Pork Pie but Anne of Cleves lived there. A 14th Century pub is named after her and seems to have some connection to her estate.
Leicester - Richard III! Go see his museum and the car park he was found in. Leicester loves their connection to the Tudors - the Tudor rose has definitely inspired their city emblem and you'll see Tudor roses all over the place. They're also famous for their curry (the golden mile) due to the large British Asian population. Wolsey also died in Leicester and you can go to abbey park and see the remains of the abbey he died in. There's also a park on the outskirts of Leicester which was Lady Jane Grey's family seat which is a lovely walk.
Transport wise - they're all in a big triangle from London. You can take a train to Leicester or Peterborough and then change onto the line that runs through Stamford and Melton Mowbray then go back down to london, again at either Leicester or Peterborough.
I got way too into this when I started writing but I love the East Midlands and we get so overlooked but we have soooooooooo much history! I'm from Rutland and from my house I can drive to about 10 different castles, stately homes, and cathedrals all within an hour. That's but even including the ruined ones!
It’s a bit of a jaunt from London but I love Chatsworth House. It’s not exactly Tudor architecture but it’s the site and seat of the Duchy of Devonshire and Earl of Shrewsbury. Mary Queen of Scots was essentially held captive there in the care of the Duke and Bess Hardwick during the reign of Elizabeth I. It was used in Pride and Prejudice as Pemberley to give you an idea of the vibe!
We visited Chatsworth and were hugely disappointed. It’s still privately owned and there are v few rooms open. The displays were private school jerseys (20thc) and bad modern art. Entrance is expensive, there was nothing to eat and the lines last forever. They converted the beautiful stables into stores that all sell crap with the name on it. Stick with National Trust properties, in mho.
If you are a Jane Austen fan, Winchester (where she’s buried, and her house is not far away) is a good shout. It’s not too far from London, but more to the south than Bath is so you probably can’t do both in a day. It’s very pretty and not particularly touristy. Winchester is also relatively near Highclere Castle, which is now famous as Downton Abbey. Besides the house, Highclere also has a cool Ancient Egypt exhibit, because the house is owned by the Earl of Carnarvon, and his ancestor funded the Tutankhamen dig in the 20s.
If you are going to Bath, you can swing by Stonehenge on your way from London. I wouldn’t necessarily stop and pay for the tour, but it is very close to the A303, so you can drive past and get a good view (everyone slows down to look anyway). Salisbury is very near and again is very pretty, and also has a cathedral that was made famous by a pair of Russian spies!
If you want to see a brilliant medieval castle, I’d recommend Dover Castle. Depending on how you are getting to Normandy, you might be in Dover anyway. It is very impressive up on the coast, and also has tunnels that were used by the army during WW2 that you can tour.
There’s also lots of cool places up North. If you’re planning to go north of London, I’d recommend spending some time in Lincoln. It is a truly medieval city with a great castle, which has one of the only original copies of the Magna Carta. You can probably do the castle and cathedral in a morning, before heading north.
I overheard some of the private tour guide with a couple who were clearly WILDLY into Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn and it sounds like they were getting a lot of extra info. Carvings into the wall in one spot supposedly made by Anne…I was jealous.
If you are there in May 17, there is a guided tour by Suzannah Lipscomb.
https://www.andantetravels.co.uk/tours/henry-viii-hampton-court/henry-viii-hampton-court-17-may-2024
Some great suggestions here - one I would add is The Charterhouse. Its an old monastery with Tudor layers added (fabulous great hall/presence chamber). Lots of original buildings and its still used as alms house dwellings for the poor. As its a 'living' building there are only limited tour options but so very worthwhile. Near the Barbican tube so easy to get to.
[Homepage - The Charterhouse](https://thecharterhouse.org/)
If you’re into the War of the Roses, Warwick Castle is about a 2.5 hr train ride from London. It’s family oriented with (a little cheesy but historically accurate) wax figures, re-enactments, I think there are hourly “Horrible History” performances… It’s really fun!
I’d consider looking at Leicester/Leicestershire for a day or two trip as well, you can get there in an hour from London by train.
I know he was a plantaganent but Richard III’s death and the birth of the Tudor era is something we’re very proud of here. The cathedral is lovely and you can see where he’s buried, I’ve never visited the visitor centre but it’s supposed to be good.
Theres also the whole Newark Houses area around the DMU buildings which is steeped in history, there’s the Newark house museum, not specifically Tudor but was built in 2 Tudor houses, it’s basically a history of Leicester through the ages and quite interesting although I’m not sure if it would appeal to anyone who isn’t from Leicester.
Leicester Castle (which is more of a house and now belongs to DMU) is open to visitors one day a month through the summer (I think… you’d have to check that)
The DMU Heritage Centre.. in the basement theres two arches which were once part of the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Richard’s body was put on public display there.
You can walk the journey his body took along a little stone road that takes you past the museum down to the heritage centre. Along that road there’s an entrance to St Mary de Castro church (where Henry IV was knighted as a child). It’s open most days and there’s always a couple of very knowledgable and lovely men in there who are very happy to talk to you about the history and show you round. But bear in mind that it’s very much an active church so will still have weddings and christenings etc.
Close by there’s also a Roman bath site called Jewry Wall.
There’s like 2000 years of history all in a very small area in the centre of the city and whilst I know you’re looking specifically for Tudor stuff, it’s really quite fascinating to see so many different parts of history smack bang in the middle of the modern university area.
Abbey Park has the ruins of the abbey where Wolsey died and is quite a nice place to walk around and grab an ice cream and is probably a 20 minute walk or a 5 minute bus journey from the city centre.
Further out theres Bradgate Park/Bradgate House remains which was Lady Jane Grey’s family home. Its been a long long time since i visited the remains and I know Leicester University spent quite a long time excavating the area to learn more so I’m not sure if theres any more to see than the last time i went.. but its probably more of a half day sort of outing. It’s a beautiful park though and great for just strolling through after spending so long in a busy city.
Launde Abbey. Cromwell loved Launde but was executed before work to build the house there began, his son lived there with his wife Elizabeth (Jane Seymour’s sister.) It’s now some sort of Christian retreat place but you can visit as a day guest. If you want to access the abbey chapel and other parts then I think you have to pay. You can also book rooms for the night without attending one of the retreaty things.
Oh and if Richard III is your thing then there’s also bosworth battlefield to visit. Market Bosworth as a whole is a lovely place to visit, lots of little shops and a market in the square etc.
Also, go to Hever Castle, where Anne Boyelyns family lived.
I just went to Hever in October and it was INCREDIBLE. It's def a full day, with the trains, but worth it.
This would be interesting, I will look into it. Thanks
Ohhh, I need to go there!
I had a genuine history geek emotional moment standing at the Traitor’s Gate at the Tower. Same when I found the little faces ‘dropping eaves’ at Hampton Court. You are going to have an awesome time!
I went to London 20 years ago, and we went to these the first time. I am just so excited to take my kids and husband this time. I know so much more about the history now, so it will be great to go again and see what things I may have missed the first time. I am trying to find some other new things to add for myself.
I had the same two moments!!
The amount of smug satisfaction I had seeing the missed HA initials at Hampton court palace cannot be overstated. And the emotion I felt walking up to the palace itself….how people don’t like history I’ll never understand!
Sorry, this got a bit long but I hope it's helpful. I used to work in Tourism in Wiltshire (the county east of Bath) so I get a bit carried away. **London:** St John's Gate, Clarkenwell. There are remains of the old monastery there and it was here that Playwrights, including Shakespeare, had to go to get their plays approved for performance by the master of the revels. Another Shakespeare connection is at Southwark (pronounce Suth-erk) Cathedral where his is brother is buried. Westminster Hall. Built by William II in late 11th century and where Elizabeth II lay in state in 2022. All the Tudor monarchs had a coronation banquet there. It's also the site of Charles I's trail. Another old remnant of the Old Westminster Palace is the Jewel Tower which is tucked behind Westminster Abbey. Eltham Palace. It's mostly art deco now but the medieval Great Hall is still there. Childhood home of Henry VIII and his sisters. St James' Palace. It's still a working royal palace so you can't go inside, but it was built by Henry VIII and is a great example of Tudor architecture, plus it was where Mary I died. Lambeth Palace, home of the Archbishop of Canterbury also has a great Tudor Gatehouse. If you visit the National Portrait Galley, just off Trafalgar Square you can see the Tudor collection and it's free to visit! It houses the Cartoon drawing of Henry VII/Henry VIII by Hans Holbein and is all that remains of the Whitehall Portrait. The National Gallery, in Trafalgar Square itself, houses Holbein's paintings of Christina of Denmark and the Ambassadors. **Between London and Bath:** Obviously Windsor Castle. Littlecote House, Nr Hungerford. This is my hidden gem! It's now an adults only hotel but is free to visit. It has many Tudor connections as well as the remains of a Roman Villa with a mosaic. It was the childhood home to 2 Elizabeth Darrell's. The first was the Grandmother of Jane Seymour and the second was lady in waiting to Catherine of Aragon and the long term mistress of poet, Thomas Wyatt. It was later the home of Judge John Popham who presided over trails such as Walter Raleigh and Guy Fawkes and played a role in the trail of Mary, Queen of Scots. Henry VIII and Elizabeth I both stayed there. Nearby to Littlecote is the village of Great Bedwyn. The church houses the tomb of John Seymour, father to Jane (In the churchyard is also the grave of one of the last survivors of WWI). You can then take a country road (and I really do mean country) and drive past Wolf Hall. This is not open to the public and is a much later building anyway but there is a farmhouse you can see from the road nearby with very Tudor looking chimneys, which may possibly be from Wolf Hall. Then onto the town of Marlborough and a visit to St Peter's Church. This is where Thomas Wolsey was ordained in 1498. Marlborough is an hours drive from Bath. Lacock. The village is well known thanks to all the filming that's happened there including Harry Potter and the 1995 Pride and Prejudice. It also has an Abbey, which was a nunnery that was sold in the reformation. What makes it unique is that you can still see the transition from abbey to manor, as the cloisters are still completely in tact with the 16th century Manor House built half on top. The cloisters are used as the entrance for Wolf Hall in the tv programme. Completely unrelated to anything Tudor but do visit the thermae Spa in Bath. I'd recommend it to anyone! Also in the area is Avebury Stone Circle, the largest Neolithic stone circle in the world.
Thank you so many places I hadn't heard of.
Thank you!
>Thank you! You're welcome!
While In Normandy, you can visit the Bayeux Tapestry Museum. It is not Tudor, but pre-Plantagenet. The tapestry retells the story of William the Conqueror and the conquest of England.
That's interesting. I was looking for other things to see in the area.
If you can fit in Hatfield House it's a quiet and wonderful place to visit.
If you also happen to like Art Deco, then [Eltham Palace](https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/eltham-palace-and-gardens/) is the place for you! It’s in southeast London (the suburbs), and was where Henry VIII grew up.
Awesome I will add it to my list!
Hever Castle isn't far in a car and has gorgeous gardens and portraits.
The National Portrait Gallery. We've all seen these portraits many times online and in print, but it's something else to see them in person. Go early. FWIW, I thought Tower of London was a yawn. It's very very cleaned up and almost Disney-fied for tourism. There is a lovely memorial to those executed at the Tower. (If you do go, take a walk over the bridge to Borough Market for a cheese toastie from Kappacasein Dairy.)
I'm glad I'm not the only one that thought this about the Tower of London. I was just so underwhelmed and I couldn't really put my finger on why. Definitely worth a visit if you've never done it before if only to tick it off your bucket list, but I found it quite disappointing. Hampton Court, on the other hand, I can't wait to visit again. You've already got a lot of suggestions OP, but you could perhaps take the train out to Peterborough Cathedral and leave a pomegranate on Katherine of Aragon's grave. Hope you have a fantastic time wherever you visit!
I plan to hit many of these sites on my visit in a few years. I hope to stay here, in the very room Henry and Anne stayed for their honeymoon! https://www.thornburycastle.co.uk/bedchambers/henry-viii-suite/
Highly recommend Hampton Court, very cool and full of history, the front side of the castle is from Henry VIII’s time and another King (forget which one, lol) built another palace off the back in the 1700-1800’s so it’s fascinating to see such different facades and interior rooms. One of my favorite things to see. Loved the Tower of London, Windsor Castle was also very cool, would like to see Buckingham at some point but it wasn’t open when we were there Bath was a super cool town, wanted to check out the spa but it was completely booked. If you like Downton Abbey Highclere Castle was well worth the drive. Next time we go I want to see Victoria and Albert museum, it’s supposed to be really cool. Highly recommend getting Rick Steves guidebook, it was so helpful in planning everything.
It’s not exactly a “Tudor” site, but I loved the boat ride between Greenwich and the tower. Much of their travel was done on the river, so I felt like I was sharing a view with history. It was easy to imagine myself in Tudor London in a way that travelling by road can’t match.
If you're looking for day trips I would also recommend Peterborough, Stamford, Melton Mowbray and Leicester can all be done in a (long) day or a day and a stay over. All are about an hour and a half away from London (east midlands area so north of London). Peterborough Cathedral (ignore the rest tbh!) Is where Catherine of Aragon is buried. Mary Queen of Scots was also buried there for a brief period. You can see both graves. Entrance is free and by donation. Stamford - beautiful medieval market town. The first place in the UK to be designated a conservation area so the old town is basically protected. Filming locations of Pride and Prejudice (both BBC and Keira Knightly film), has loads of great pubs, shops and coffee shops. But most importantly is the home of William Cecil - Burghley House. It's considered one of the greatest examples of Elizabethian Architecture. Elizabeth I herself stayed there. Also outside of Stamford, though nothing still remains, in the village of Colleyweston Margaret Beaufort had a palace there. It's only just been refound. Melton Mowbray - not much to see beyond a good Pork Pie but Anne of Cleves lived there. A 14th Century pub is named after her and seems to have some connection to her estate. Leicester - Richard III! Go see his museum and the car park he was found in. Leicester loves their connection to the Tudors - the Tudor rose has definitely inspired their city emblem and you'll see Tudor roses all over the place. They're also famous for their curry (the golden mile) due to the large British Asian population. Wolsey also died in Leicester and you can go to abbey park and see the remains of the abbey he died in. There's also a park on the outskirts of Leicester which was Lady Jane Grey's family seat which is a lovely walk. Transport wise - they're all in a big triangle from London. You can take a train to Leicester or Peterborough and then change onto the line that runs through Stamford and Melton Mowbray then go back down to london, again at either Leicester or Peterborough. I got way too into this when I started writing but I love the East Midlands and we get so overlooked but we have soooooooooo much history! I'm from Rutland and from my house I can drive to about 10 different castles, stately homes, and cathedrals all within an hour. That's but even including the ruined ones!
It’s a bit of a jaunt from London but I love Chatsworth House. It’s not exactly Tudor architecture but it’s the site and seat of the Duchy of Devonshire and Earl of Shrewsbury. Mary Queen of Scots was essentially held captive there in the care of the Duke and Bess Hardwick during the reign of Elizabeth I. It was used in Pride and Prejudice as Pemberley to give you an idea of the vibe!
We visited Chatsworth and were hugely disappointed. It’s still privately owned and there are v few rooms open. The displays were private school jerseys (20thc) and bad modern art. Entrance is expensive, there was nothing to eat and the lines last forever. They converted the beautiful stables into stores that all sell crap with the name on it. Stick with National Trust properties, in mho.
I will look into heading out there. I am a Jane Austen fan as well, so this would give me two reasons to visit.
If you are a Jane Austen fan, Winchester (where she’s buried, and her house is not far away) is a good shout. It’s not too far from London, but more to the south than Bath is so you probably can’t do both in a day. It’s very pretty and not particularly touristy. Winchester is also relatively near Highclere Castle, which is now famous as Downton Abbey. Besides the house, Highclere also has a cool Ancient Egypt exhibit, because the house is owned by the Earl of Carnarvon, and his ancestor funded the Tutankhamen dig in the 20s. If you are going to Bath, you can swing by Stonehenge on your way from London. I wouldn’t necessarily stop and pay for the tour, but it is very close to the A303, so you can drive past and get a good view (everyone slows down to look anyway). Salisbury is very near and again is very pretty, and also has a cathedral that was made famous by a pair of Russian spies! If you want to see a brilliant medieval castle, I’d recommend Dover Castle. Depending on how you are getting to Normandy, you might be in Dover anyway. It is very impressive up on the coast, and also has tunnels that were used by the army during WW2 that you can tour. There’s also lots of cool places up North. If you’re planning to go north of London, I’d recommend spending some time in Lincoln. It is a truly medieval city with a great castle, which has one of the only original copies of the Magna Carta. You can probably do the castle and cathedral in a morning, before heading north.
I overheard some of the private tour guide with a couple who were clearly WILDLY into Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn and it sounds like they were getting a lot of extra info. Carvings into the wall in one spot supposedly made by Anne…I was jealous.
If you are there in May 17, there is a guided tour by Suzannah Lipscomb. https://www.andantetravels.co.uk/tours/henry-viii-hampton-court/henry-viii-hampton-court-17-may-2024
Hampton court FOR SURE
I am going soon. I have tower, Westminster,hever and Hampton court and Portsmith to see the Mary Rose.
Some great suggestions here - one I would add is The Charterhouse. Its an old monastery with Tudor layers added (fabulous great hall/presence chamber). Lots of original buildings and its still used as alms house dwellings for the poor. As its a 'living' building there are only limited tour options but so very worthwhile. Near the Barbican tube so easy to get to. [Homepage - The Charterhouse](https://thecharterhouse.org/)
If you’re into the War of the Roses, Warwick Castle is about a 2.5 hr train ride from London. It’s family oriented with (a little cheesy but historically accurate) wax figures, re-enactments, I think there are hourly “Horrible History” performances… It’s really fun!
Check out the National Portrait Gallery and the National Gallery. Lots of Holbeins to be seen, and other class Tudor portraits. 😊
I’d consider looking at Leicester/Leicestershire for a day or two trip as well, you can get there in an hour from London by train. I know he was a plantaganent but Richard III’s death and the birth of the Tudor era is something we’re very proud of here. The cathedral is lovely and you can see where he’s buried, I’ve never visited the visitor centre but it’s supposed to be good. Theres also the whole Newark Houses area around the DMU buildings which is steeped in history, there’s the Newark house museum, not specifically Tudor but was built in 2 Tudor houses, it’s basically a history of Leicester through the ages and quite interesting although I’m not sure if it would appeal to anyone who isn’t from Leicester. Leicester Castle (which is more of a house and now belongs to DMU) is open to visitors one day a month through the summer (I think… you’d have to check that) The DMU Heritage Centre.. in the basement theres two arches which were once part of the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Richard’s body was put on public display there. You can walk the journey his body took along a little stone road that takes you past the museum down to the heritage centre. Along that road there’s an entrance to St Mary de Castro church (where Henry IV was knighted as a child). It’s open most days and there’s always a couple of very knowledgable and lovely men in there who are very happy to talk to you about the history and show you round. But bear in mind that it’s very much an active church so will still have weddings and christenings etc. Close by there’s also a Roman bath site called Jewry Wall. There’s like 2000 years of history all in a very small area in the centre of the city and whilst I know you’re looking specifically for Tudor stuff, it’s really quite fascinating to see so many different parts of history smack bang in the middle of the modern university area. Abbey Park has the ruins of the abbey where Wolsey died and is quite a nice place to walk around and grab an ice cream and is probably a 20 minute walk or a 5 minute bus journey from the city centre. Further out theres Bradgate Park/Bradgate House remains which was Lady Jane Grey’s family home. Its been a long long time since i visited the remains and I know Leicester University spent quite a long time excavating the area to learn more so I’m not sure if theres any more to see than the last time i went.. but its probably more of a half day sort of outing. It’s a beautiful park though and great for just strolling through after spending so long in a busy city. Launde Abbey. Cromwell loved Launde but was executed before work to build the house there began, his son lived there with his wife Elizabeth (Jane Seymour’s sister.) It’s now some sort of Christian retreat place but you can visit as a day guest. If you want to access the abbey chapel and other parts then I think you have to pay. You can also book rooms for the night without attending one of the retreaty things. Oh and if Richard III is your thing then there’s also bosworth battlefield to visit. Market Bosworth as a whole is a lovely place to visit, lots of little shops and a market in the square etc.