One of England’s most spectacular castles is honouring an iconic figure from British history right now – and it may just be the hottest ticket on the market right now for culture vultures.
Hever Castle’s latest captivating exhibition examines the life of its most famous resident – Henry VIII’s second wife, Anne Boleyn.
The exhibition comes 500 years after Anne’s fateful courtship with the Tudor Monarch, which saw one of the most significant theological swerves in British history with the establishment of the Church of England as Henry VIII sought a divorce from his first wife, Catherine of Aragon.
Almost half a millennium since Anne Boleyn met her maker at the Tower of London following accusations of high treason – ranging from adultery with five men, including her brother, and conspiring to kill the King – Hever Castle’s showcase is the most extensive examination of her life to date.
Despite the time that’s passed, an obsession with Anne’s image remains, with history buffs through the centuries debating whether it was her appearance or her wit, style and intelligence that caught the attention of one of England’s most notorious sovereigns.
The exhibition is made possible by years of exciting research by Dr Owen Emmerson, a historian at Hever Castle, and the results of significant scientific analysis carried out on Hever Castle’s famous Hever Rose panel portrait of Anne, revealing for the first time when and how the painting was created.
Castle Historian and fellow Assistant Curator at Hever Castle, Kate McCaffrey, said, “It feels especially fitting to mark the quincentennial anniversary of Henry VIII’s courtship of Anne Boleyn with an exhibition here at Hever, a place so central to Anne’s story. We will explore why there is such a desire to capture Anne’s physical appearance and ask our visitors whether it even really matters what Anne might have looked like. She was far more famed for her charisma, wit, and intelligence.”
Best of all, Capturing a Queen: The Image of Anne Boleyn is just over an hour from London. Simply catch a train from London Bridge to Hever Castle and embark on a twenty-minute walk to the castle grounds.
The release of a new book, also titled Capturing A Queen: The Image of Anne Boleyn, runs alongside the exhibition, drawing on original research by Dr Owen Emmerson and new scientific analysis of Hever Castle’s most famous portrait.
Capturing a Queen: The Image of Anne Boleyn runs at Hever Castle & Gardens until 2 January 2027. For more information and to book tickets, see hevercastle.co.uk.
