Costumes include Henry VIII, Catherine Howard, Mary Queen of Scots and an Orange Silk Court Gown

Last Friday we presented two Period Fashion Shows at Muncaster Castle near Ravenglass in Cumbria.

What a beautiful setting for my costumes – The medieval Castle is bordered by beautiful gardens, with the backdrop of the spectacular views of the Lakeland Fells. Unusual plants, trees and flowers from all over the world grow in the landscaped areas and the wild woods. Planted over 200 years ago, the gardens have been described as the Gateway to Paradise.

The Great Hall with its dramatic rich red and wood panelled walls dating from the medieval age.  This room is the heart of the Castle and was the dramatic setting for the shows.  The family’s seven centuries of accumulations fill the castle and the walls of the Great Hall are lined with beautiful portraits.The Castle was a superb venue in every respect

I received excellent feedback – comments from visitors I spoke to after the show included

– “The dramatic finale with Mary Queen of Scots wearing her execution clothes brought a lump to my throat”

–  “I really enjoyed both the history of the Tudors as well as an insight into the design of the fabulous costumes”.

– ” What an excellent King Henry VIII – he really looked the part!”

Everyone said they thoroughly enjoyed the fashion shows.

Henry VIII, Jane Seymour, Mary Queen of Scots and Anne Boleyn

After the final performance the models took part in a photo shoot in the magnificent grounds of Muncaster Castle.  I have included a selection of pictures taken both in the Great Hall and the beautiful grounds – I really hope you enjoy viewing them.

I would also like to thank all the staff of Muncaster especially Andy, Peter and Bronwyn for their help in making the shows such a success. They provided great facilities for the shows as well as excellent hospitality for the whole team – thank you!

My thanks to my friend  Dave Foster for his photographs

Tom Skelton

I am really pleased to announce that we will be presenting two Tudor Fashions Shows at Muncaster Castle in Cumbria on Friday 23rd August . We will be presenting them as part of the ‘Summer of Fun’ at 1pm and 3pm.   http://www.muncaster.co.uk/special-events/summer-fun

We visited Muncaster Castle  for the first time earlier this week  – it is a beautiful castle in lovely grounds an excellent setting for my period fashions.

The historic haunted castle, still a lived in family home is the jewel in the crown of this majestic setting on the Western Lake District – this idyllic setting is simply awe inspiring.

We saw the Castle in all its glory and heard from the Pennington family who have resided in the Castle since 1208, about Muncaster’s colourful history and residents.

There is a fool (Tom Fooley) aka Tom Skelton, court jester at Muncaster in the 16th Century we heard about his links to Shakespeare and the ghost stories about him causing trouble today!

Muncaster Castle

I visited the most haunted room in the castle recently subject for a paranormal investigation screened on TV! for more information see   http://www.muncaster.co.uk/haunted-castle

Hear about the glass bowl, known as ‘The Luck of Muncaster’, has been preserved by the Pennington family since the 15th Century.

The story starts in 1464 and involves King Henry VI. He was the only son of Henry of Agincourt and Catherine of France and had been crowned King of England at the age of eight.

Muncaster Great Hall

By the time he had reached his early forties he had lost his throne to Edward IV. He’d also been taken prisoner during the Battle of Hexham. He managed to escape, and fled to the hills of the Lake District where he lived rough for about a year.

Sir John Pennington, whose home Muncaster Castle was, gave Henry food and shelter for as long as he requested it. In gratitude, Henry gave Sir John a glass drinking bowl and said it was given to the family with a prayer that they might prosper for as long as the glass remained unbroken. The glass remains unbroken to this day and the family has prospered.

Our fashion show is to be staged in the Magnificent Great Hall.

My exciting show includes a number of superb costumes I have designed worn by four models. They are accompanied by beautiful period music, a brief history of each historical figure and a talk about the design and construction of each costume. Our show includes magnificent costumes for King Henry VIII, Queen Elizabeth I, Anne Boleyn, Katherine Howard and Jane Seymour. The show concludes with Mary Queen of Scots taking off her velvet robes to reveal her elegant execution gown.

The Magnificent Great Hall will be a fantastic period setting for my costumes – I can’t wait!!

Last night we presented a fabulous Tudor Fashion Show of Kings and Queens in Costume at the aptly named Queens Hall in Edinburgh.

What a fabulous venue – a wonderful location for a show – lighting, stage, sound and backstage facilities all superb – it was a pleasure to present a show in this hall.

300 members of the SWRI (Scottish Womens Rural Institute) attended the Show – what a lovely group of ladies and what an excellent sense of humour.

Henry VIII’s codpiece was the inevitably the centrepiece of the event – this infamous King arrived on stage to rapturous applause and general merriment which continued throughout the Show.

I think my husband (as King Henry) really enjoyed the attention of so many ladies  – very in keeping with the King he portrayed – I was quite jealous!

The event was followed by a very interesting question/answer session and a photo shoot which everyone enjoyed.

I would like to thank Isobel and Raymond for all their help with the evenings entertainment.

My son James who modelled the costume for King James VI is leaving to study an MA in London in two weeks so it was his last show. I am so pleased it was such a success – I wish him good luck and would like to thank him for all his help over the last few years.

Everyone including us had a superb time – we would love present an event for the SWRI again.

We are looking forward to presenting a 16th Century inspired Historical Fashion Show with a Scottish flavour for the SWRI (Scotttish Women’s Rural Institute).

It will take place in the magnificent Queens Hall in Edinburgh at 7.30 pm on 5th September 2012 as part of the SWRI 27th National Conference.

The Queen’s Hall is a 900-capacity music venue, situated on Clerk Street in Edinburgh, Scotland. Originally built in 1823 as Hope Park Chapel, it was converted to its current role in 1979 and was formally opened by Queen Elizabeth I on 6 July 1979.

It now plays host to all types of live music, and presents approximately 200 performances every year. It is the year-round Edinburgh performance home of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and also plays an important role for the Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival.

My exciting show includes a number of superb costumes I have designed worn by four models. They are accompanied by beautiful period music, a brief history of each historical figure and a talk about the design and construction of each costume. Our show includes a James VI Court Costume, a beautiful Peacock Silk Court Gown for Mary Queen of Scots and concludes with Mary taking off her velvet robes to reveal her elegant execution gown.

We will start the event at 7.30 pm and there will be an interval for a raffle and refreshments.

Afterwards I will present a very interesting and informative question and answer session.

We look forward to presenting the show in such a wonderful venue and to meeting you all!

I have just received some wonderful pictures of my recent fashion shows at Belsay Hall.

They have been taken by very talented local photographers  – William Stevenson and Eric Fisher (A7EHF Photography) – I am sure you’ll agree that they have created some stunning portraits of my costumes.

Eric and Bill certainly capture all the fine fabrics and intricate detail.

I really appreciate all your excellent work – thank  you.

These fabulous photographs were taken by Selby based photographer Matthew Kitchen –  http://www.matthewkitchenphotography.co.uk/

The show was presented in the amazing Tournament Gallery at the Royal Armouries in Leeds  – Henry VIII’s armour is clearly visible behind the models – it was a superb venue.

I have included photographs of my beautiful new Catherine Howard Silk Gown. It is designed in deep pink and gold – I have hand embroidered the stomacher with gold threads, beads and jewels.

Hope you enjoy viewing the gallery.

King Henry VIII, Queen Elizabeth I , Queen Anne Boleyn, Queen Katherine Howard as well as Mary Queen of Scots and King James I were presented to the public in the  Tournament Gallery. This exciting event was accompanied by fabulous Tudor music to create an exciting and dynamic  period atmosphere.

‘Tudor Times’ at the Royal Armouries includes knights in armour, stunning stunt horse-riding plus Family Fun Days throughout the whole of the Easter holidays.

The Tournament Gallery is a fabulous large hall which contains wonderful artefacts including the iconic centrepiece  – Henry VIII’s almost unbelievable Horned Helmet. This strange headpiece was a gift from the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I.

The visor on the helmet is in the form of a grotesque human face, with ram’s horns”. Its etched facial decorations bring it to life; stubble on the chin, crow’s feet around the eyes and rounded brass spectacles.  The spectacles look more Victorian than Tudor – Henry may have worn this peculiar horned helmet at court pageants, rather than in combat.

During combat you can wonder if King Henry’s opponents held back in case they injured the King, but apparently he was an excellent warrior, whether on horseback tilting or fighting on foot.

A screen in the hall shows the Field of Cloth of Gold. This is the name given to a place in Balinghem, between Guînes and Ardres, in France, near Calais. It was the site of a meeting that took place from 7 June to 24 June 1520, between King Henry VIII of England and King Francis I of France. The meeting was arranged to increase the bond of friendship between the two kings following the Anglo-French treaty of 1514. It was called the Field of the Cloth of Gold because the King’s and their retinue’s tents were made of gold cloth.  The tournament took months of planning and ended happily with the signing of a peace treaty between the two powers. Henry knew how to put on a good show!

The gallery has several small suits of armour.  These were made for children – youngsters often started combat practice as early as 8 years old you may be surprised to know.

Another eye-catching headpiece is the Moustache Masked Helmet which has a facemask for show. It has a wide curling moustache below a large hooked nose cover. The facemask is removable, revealing an inner barred visor inside so it can be used in combat.

Our show was a popular event with over 200 people attending. The audience included quite a lot of children. They were very interested in the show as most of them are studying the Tudors at school. A young girl called Emily said “I enjoyed the show very much and wish all the girls in my class had gone and seen the wonderful costumes”.

I was also very pleased that some of my family who live in Yorkshire came to see the costumes – they loved the show and it was great to meet up with them.

I am so pleased everyone really enjoyed the occasion. It was wonderful to stage a Tudor Fashion Show in a room containing actual items Henry would have worn – it was a truly magical event.

I would like to thank all the staff at the Armouries for their help and support in making the show such a success particularly Kate Humble who is the Visitor Experience Manager. – Thank you Kate.

I have included photographs of the event below courtesy of Leeds Photographer  – Michael Kitchen – thank you Michael!

[See image gallery at www.tudortalkandcatwalk.com]

I would like to remind you that we are presenting a ‘Tudor Fashion Show’ with music at the Royal Armouries in Leeds next Friday 6th April 2012 at 12 noon.

The Royal Armouries is Britain’s national museum of arms and armour.

At the Leeds Museum there are over 8,500 objects on display in five galleries: War; Tournament; Oriental; Self Defence and Hunting.

Visit the newly refurbished Tournament Gallery and experience the might of Henry VIII – king and sportsman.

Our Fashion Show is part of the ‘Tudor Times’ events at  Easter which include jousting and an extensive reenactors market.

My new silver silk ‘ Queen Jane Seymour’ gown is currently on display until 6th April  in the entrance hall of the Royal Armouries if you would like to view it.

Our exciting event includes appearances by King Henry VIII in full regalia, Queen Anne Boleyn. Queen Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots in her execution gown and a new silk gown for ‘Queen Katherine Howard’.

I have included a picture of my Elizabeth I costume worn in the Tournament Gallery beside a portrait of King Henry VIII.  It is worn by Adele one of the managers at the Armouries, she was kind enough to model it for photo shoot to advertise the show, thank  you Adele.

The event is free and everyone is welcome.

If you require more information please click the links below

http://www.royalarmouries.org/events/events-at-leeds/calendar/2012-04-06/tudor-fashion-show 

http://www.royalarmouries.org/events/events-at-leeds/tudor-times

Last night we presented our ‘Tudor Fashion Show’ for North Tyneside Council at Wallsend Library .

The event included a selection of my 16^th Century inspired costumes with appearances by Mary Queen of Scots, James I, Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard and others.

Wallsend Library is a beautiful spacious building with excellent facilities – I am pleased to say the the show was a sell out  –  there were no tickets left.

The event included a short interval with an opportunity to indulge in a cool glass of white wine.

The show included a presentation of my new’ Catherine Howard Masquerade Costume’. This gown has been designed in deep pink rose silk embellished with gold plated jewels/embroidery and beads. It is worn with a chemise and a beautiful ‘French Hood’ – a new necklace has also been created to match the gown.

The evening concluded with a very interesting question and answer session – a part of the show everyone really enjoys.

We discussed a diverse selection of topics including history, jewellery construction, costume design and fabrics. It was great to chat to so many lovely people who are interested both in Tudor costume and history.

Frequently asked questions included:-

• How did ladies from the Tudor Court manage to go to the toilet wearing such elaborate gowns?
• Where do you store your costumes and how do you transport them?
• Where do you buy your fabrics?
• Do you design and construct the jewellery worn with the costumes?
• How did the Tudor courtiers keep their clothes clean?

I have to admit that a particular remark pleased me immensely. A gentleman at the show said ‘I have to be honest – my wife made me come  to the show’ he added ‘however I really enjoyed it and am very pleased I came!’

Here are some of the comments about the Show we have just received from Wallsend Library.

–Very interesting and enjoyable.

-Everything was fantastic, couldn’t do better.

-An excellent show. I really enjoyed it and would love to see more similar events.

-Marvellous.  Could not do anything to improve it.  Well worth seeing. She must be truly dedicated – and hubby, of course!

-Brilliant.  Interesting talks, wonderful beautiful costumes. A very pleasurable evening. Thank you.

-It was very good. I was amazed by the detail on the clothes, and the models acted their roles beautifully – particular mention of Elizabeth.

-Excellent presentation, very interesting, fabulous costumes.

-Very interesting and informative with excellent models. Most enjoyable.

-A really excellent, entertaining and informative evening. The costumes were amazing. They brought the Tudor period to life. Thanks.

-It was brilliant. I loved it. Very informative and visually stunning.

-Excellent. Really enjoyed the evening. The detail was amazing. The models played their part so well.

-Fabulous. One of the best I have attended.

-Lovely costumes. I like the way the room is set out.

-Very interesting and informative, music added to the atmosphere. Because the models walked slowly and showed off items of clothing, we were able to get a good view of them. Whilst still retaining    the models’ modesty, it would be interesting to describe the clothes as they were being removed or put on.  Excellent needlework. Thank you for a wonderful display.

-A brilliant show – very professionally done!  Exquisite costumes. We had a great night.

I would just like to thank all the staff at the library for all their help in making the event such a success and particularly Joanna who booked the show.

I am pleased everyone enjoyed it so much – we would love to present an event at Wallsend library again.

Last night we presented a ‘Tudor Fashion Show’ to celebrate the refurbishment and opening of the fabulous new ‘ state of the art’ Stockton Central Library.

The facilities in the new building are excellent – they include split level floors and up to date conference/events facilities.

I presented an introduction followed by models in historical costumes.  We also included period music, a talk about the garments design/construction and a brief history of person wearing the costume.

King Henry VIII dressed in full regalia arrived at the end of the first half of the Show greeted by rapturous applause. He truly deserved his title  – ‘The Best Dressed Prince in Christendom’.

During the interval soft drinks and wine were served with nibbles.

The second half of the show concluded with ‘Mary Queen of Scots’ walking to her execution attended by one of her ladies. A visitor in the audience admitted to me after the Show that she had actually cried as the performance had moved her so much.

After the Show King Henry VIII, Mary Queen of Scots, King James VI and Queen Anne Boleyn appeared so everyone could take photographs.  The audience included a number of school children who wanted to have their pictures taken with ‘King Henry VIII’ as they are currently studying ‘The Tudors’ at School.

The audience also included two visually impaired ladies – we were happy to let them ‘feel’ the costumes after the Show.

I would like to thank Claire and all her staff at the library for making us so welcome and for making the event such a success.

I would also like to thank my team – it was a superb event  – we all really enjoyed the evening!

For more  information/photographs of this event please view link  for Stockton Libraries on Facebook below

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150550007043438&set=a.10150550006503438.472603.128038453437&type=1&theater

Pictures by courtesy of Photographer Bill Stevenson