Tudor banqueting house fit for a queen uncovered in field
THE remains of a Tudor banqueting house in which Queen Elizabeth I was entertained with a spectacular threeday celebration have been discovered to the excitement of archaeologists.
The team working at Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire also found evidence of the original gardens where Henry VIII strolled with Anne Boleyn in 1535 as he contemplated the dissolution of the monasteries.
Lisa Westcott Wilkins of DigVentures, the archaeologists who have just completed a partial dig at a field within the castle grounds, told The Sunday Telegraph they were astonished to discover the extensive remains of one of England’s last Tudor gardens, hidden underground for hundreds of years.
As well as evidence of a substantial load-bearing wall and quantities of architectural stones, the remains of a vast garden feature, probably involving water, were discovered.
Ms Westcott Wilkins said: “Many important people stayed there. Henry VIII stayed there with Boleyn when he was deciding whether or not to dissolve the monasteries. These gardens were considered of importance because, when you’re out there talking, you couldn’t be spied on.”
The castle, in Winchcombe, near Cheltenham, was later home to Catherine Parr, the last of Henry VIII’s wives, who is buried there. Today, it is the home of Elizabeth, Lady Ashcombe, and her family, who are committed to preserving the castle and the gardens.
Ms Westcott Wilkins said that the architectural stones are similar to those recovered from nearby Winchcombe Abbey, pulled down after the dissolution, and reused all over the property by its former owner, Thomas Seymour, who married Parr after Henry’s death.
In 1592, on the fourth anniversary of victory over the Spanish Armada, Elizabeth went on a grand progress, which included Sudeley. The then owner, Giles, 3rd Lord Chandos, pulled out all the stops to curry favour, staging feasts, jousts and bear-baiting.
Derek Maddock, Sudeley’s archivist, said: “It was a gamble. You commit yourself to this three-day party hoping you’re going to get power and privilege out of it. All he got was bankrupt.”
Stephen Torode, Sudeley’s head gardener, described the finds as “special”, with the area uncovered the size of “20 tennis courts”. The excavations in the field, currently used for grazing horses, will continue next year.
‘You commit yourself to this threeday party hoping you’re going to get power and privilege out of it. All he got was bankrupt’