Today is our last morning at the Royal Crescent Hotel and of the tour. We however do have a few stops before we had back to London and say goodbye. The weather is rainy, gloomy and sad. We have been lucky so far with good weather so I guess this is not bad. Nicola said that we were finally having the full English experience.

Having packed up before the big gala dinner last night we were ready for our early start this morning. Of course our luggage is quite a bit heavier then when we started but hopefully still under weight limits. We didn’t get to spend much time in Bath so I hate to leave but hopefully I can come back someday. I really do want to do the Jane Austen museum and walk.

Today however we are off to the site of the real Wulfhall. The home/castle is long gone. It did not even survive into the next century. The Seymours got caught up in some plot and either paid with their head or spent years as guests of the Queen in the Tower so the house was soon vacant. The next generation decided to move to a new location and let this one just crumble to the ground. What is at the site is a farm house built in the early 1600s. The current owners graciously allowed us on their farm so we could see things uncovered during an archeology dig a few years ago. The dig was stopped by Covid and not sure if it will ever get going again. They found some tiles from the original house and some other artifacts but the big discovery were all the tunnels that were under the original house location.

It was cold and raining as we stood and listened to the archeologist discuss how they worked a medieval site like this and what they had found. The weather only added to the ambiance. It also shortened the stop so we were quickly on our way to Marlborough for lunch.

I had high hopes for shopping in Marlborough. It is home to a very prestigious boarding school(Kate Middleton went there) so I figured the town would be full of nice boutique shopping but sadly no. There were some stores but just not good shopping. It was more home furnishings. Since it was raining we sat down for lunch before getting back on the bus

Our last stop was the Vyne. A medieval manor home visited by Henry and Anne on the 1535 progression. It also was a family home until 1950 when it was gifted to the National Trust. The grounds were open to everybody and they were quite busy. We were the only ones that got to tour the house. The Tudor great hall was still pretty much as it was back in the day. It has wood paneling which other than tapestry was used to warm up the rooms. The paneling was full of pomegranates and Tudor rose carvings. So there was a Katherine of Aragon connection ( her family standard was pomegranates) but I can’t remember what it is. a smaller room off to the side had some nice dark colored tapestries. The dark background makes them unusual for the age. They were much more careful with these tapestry then at the place with those detailing what they thought America looked like. These the windows were covered over and the room was kept dark.

The main reason for the stop is the chapel with medieval stained glass. It is reported to be the best non religious scenes from this time period. It depicts Henry, Ann and Henry’s sister Margaret all at some type of ceremony. The chapel also had great tile floors. Henry and Ann would have entered the chapel upon arriving at the home to give thanks for a safe journey. So I know that they walked and stood exactly where I did.

Two other things to mention about the house was the print room. It was a Victorian custom to take prints from magazines or other publications and glue them around the walls in a room. This room was covered. They say very few survive today(sadly I did not take a picture in this room). This one did because they moved the front door and the small parlor that was at one time just off the main hall was now kind of secluded so never used. Although it doesn’t go with the rest of the house the Trust left it due to its rarity.

The other was the betrothal painting of a very young girl. You know when you read books on the Tudor times that girls got betrothed and married entirely too young. It is hard to see the portrait and know that this young girl who should be playing with dolls is about to get married.

We had time for one last tea and cake before heading back into the bus for the final time. The bus ride into London was a little slow going but soon we arrived at the hotel. We had a brief cocktail hour while they situated our luggage and one by one everyone headed out.

When I planned my first Alison Weir tour I thought it would be a one time splurge. I know better now and can’t wait to see where she will be going next.

I still have a few days to spend in London for retiring home but sad to see the tour portion come to an end.