Feckenham Forest History Society

Bernard Pumfrey did not disappoint us this evening. He gave us his usual interesting talk; ‘Aspects of Tudor England’ full of fascinating information on the Tudor Dynasty. To help us put the Tudors in perspective he started his talk with a brief synopsis of the history of the Tudor family, starting with Henry VII. He then reminded us of Henry VIII, his ill fated wives, his children Edward, Mary Tudor and of course Elizabeth I, their loves, lives and political intrigues – never a dull moment.

Bernard then illustrated his talk with a remarkable set of slides, showing many aspects of Tudor architecture. We were reminded of the magnificent palaces built by the Tudors, including Hampton Court, originally built by Cardinal Wolsey but taken over by Henry VIII. Bernard showed us slides of the unique rooms and ceilings in the palace and we saw other slides of famous buildings like that Hardwick Hall, Christchurch Oxford. Then we saw illustrations of a different type of architecture – that of those built with timber and beautifully decorated like Morton Hall, Cheshire and Speke Hall Liverpool. Bernard pointed out the main items of building materials were stone, bricks and wood using these buildings in his slides as examples, also, talking about the wall hangings and furniture, which complemented the buildings. Then down in size again, looking at yeoman’s cottages made of wood wattle and daub.

He finished off his talk with pictures of many of the famous politicians of the time.

The society’s next meeting is at Feckenham Village Hall, June 14 7.30pm, subject Worcestershire churches by Tim Bridges

The society’s magazine, The Feckenham Forester is on sale at all the usual post offices and stores in the area.