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For royalists, tourists and history-lovers alike, the palaces which
still stand in Britain today are grand symbols of our
past royal courts, kings and queens. In this new three-part
series by BBC Four, historian Dan Cruickshank will take viewers
through the walls of some of the most prominent palaces in Britain
in order to unpick and understand the significance of these
dominating buildings.
Cruickshank claims in the opening scenes that “No buildings in
history have more dramatic stories to tell”, and he surely is
correct with this announcement. Being an architecture enthusiast,
he readily applies this eagerness and interest in palace
construction through this series. From Hampton Court to the
Tower of London, Cruickshank will illustrate how such palaces
helped our past monarchs seize and strengthen their crowns in the
first episode.
He will also remind viewers of those palaces which have not
survived over the centuries, be it from damage, fire or being left
to crumble. The significance of the likes of Whitehall Palace and
Nonsuch Palace, both of which were built under Henry VIII, are
discussed through the use of contemporary accounts and images from
the time.
In the first episode, named Towards an Architecture of
Majesty, Cruickshank takes a key interest in the forms of
tools to defend these palaces from outside threats. He takes great
notice of the ‘murder hole’, found next to the medieval portcullis
mechanism in the Tower of London, which was used to drop and
pour materials onto attackers from above. There is also mention of
the angel-shaped ‘hammer beams’ which were used on the roof of
Westminster Hall.
Towards an Architecture of Majesty will be
broadcasted on BBC Four at 9pm on Wednesday 18th June. It will then
be available to view online soon after. This episode was directed
and produced by Graham Cooper.
Featured image credit: BBC/Emilie Sandy
Photo credit: BBC/Christian Stacey]]>
I especially like discussions of Hampton Court that emphasise the early architectural direction of Cardinal Wolsey.