Real ‘Wolf Hall’ found after TV interest led to grounds search
THE real “Wolf Hall” has been discovered after owners of the surrounding land allowed archaeologists to explore the area because they were inspired by the BBC series.
The home of the Seymour family, where Henry VIII first showed an interest in his third wife, Jane, fell into ruin within 40 years of being built and was demolished, its exact location never known. Now, original features of the 16th-century property have been uncovered by a team of archaeologists and historians who have proven beyond doubt its true location.
The discoveries were made in the grounds of the much later built Wolf Hall Manor that stands today in Burbage, Wilts.
The findings include a network of Tudor brick sewers, several large rooms and ornate tiles that are likely to have been walked on by Henry VIII.
Off the back of Hilary Mantel’s award-winning books and the hugely popular television adaptation, the owners of Wolf Hall allowed archaeologists to explore the site for the first time.
Dominic Binney, who inherited Wolf Hall Manor in 2013, said: “Before the books and the BBC series we got maybe one visitor a year, if that. Now we get lots of people all the time, they have really put Wolf Hall on the map.”