Looking around my study I have quite a few things that I’ve collected or been given over the years since I started researching (or became obsessed with!) the Tudors.
Check out some gift ideas for that Tudor-lover in your life, or just to treat yourself if the mood takes you!
One thing that I have that I particularly love are my Tudor rubber ducks – I have Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, which were a Birthday present from my sister, and William Shakespeare, which was a lovely surprise from a good friend left on my desk at work after I handed in my Masters’ dissertation.
The Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn rubber ducks can be ordered from Hever Castle, and the Shakespeare one can be ordered direct from the manufacturer at Yarto, or there is a slightly different one sold by the RSC. Of course you can explore the rest Hever Castle’s shop online as there are plenty of gorgeous things you can give as gifts, particularly if you love Anne Boleyn.
https://shop.myonlinebooking.co.uk/hevercastle/shop/product.aspx?catid=5&id=13690 (Anne Boleyn)
https://shop.myonlinebooking.co.uk/hevercastle/shop/product.aspx?catid=5&id=12881 (Henry VIII)
https://www.duck-shop.co.uk/rubberduck-p818h33s34-Yarto-Shakespeare-Duck.html (Shakespeare)
https://shop.rsc.org.uk/products/shakespeare-rubber-duck (Shakespeare)
A friend bought me a cross-stitch embroidery pattern for a pin cushion for my Birthday last year, with the falcon emblem of Anne Boleyn on it. I immediately went online and realised that there is a whole selection of these, which is great for people who enjoy sewing, or even if you want to learn yourself it’s not hard to learn the basics, and there are lots of good books and tutorials.
There are cushions of emblems, kings and queens, Hampton Court Palace, the Tower of London, and the Tudor rose, which can all be found at the following link. You can also buy some ready-made cushions if you don’t want to sew them.
My grandparents bought me a stained-glass Tudor rose a couple of years ago on a visit to Framlingham Castle, which is where Mary I gathered her troops in 1553 to take the throne from Lady Jane Grey. It really catches the light where it hangs in my study window and catches my eye, which is beautiful.
If you want one yourself, you can get them from the English Heritage website. There is the more decorative one which you can see in the above image, which I have, and a less decorative one – the choice is up to you!
https://www.english-heritageshop.org.uk/homeware-garden/stained-glass-tudor-rose-and-chaplet
https://www.english-heritageshop.org.uk/homeware-garden/stained-glass-elizabethan-tudor-rose-window
My mum bought me a Tudor rose clock for Christmas one year – she really has a knack of choosing gifts that she knows I’ll love, but I might not think to look for myself. The only thing that bothers me a little is that the number 4 on the clock is ‘IIII’ rather than ‘IV’. I don’t know whether this is something that happened under the Tudors or not, I haven’t really been able to find anything about it, so if anyone could enlighten me that would be great, leave me a comment at the end of the post.
The clock is sold on Zazzle.
https://www.zazzle.co.uk/tudor_rose_large_clock-256658260926699006
Some of my favourite Tudor things, that I’ve bought for myself, and keep adding to, are Tudor Christmas decorations for the Christmas tree. Last Christmas was the first time that I’ve had my own Christmas tree as I moved out into my own place, so I loved having them all over my tree.
I currently have Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth I, the Tudor rose, Hampton Court Palace, the ‘B’ pendant, Queen Victoria and the Imperial crown, so not all Tudor, but they are all beautifully made and of really good quality, and I will keep adding to my collection whenever I visit one of the Historic Royal Palaces – Tower of London, Kensington Palace, Hampton Court Palace, Kew Palace, the Banqueting House and Hillsborough Castle.
Explore the rest of the Historic Royal Palaces shop as there are so many different things relating to different periods, there is bound to be something (or several somethings!) that you want.
And the most obvious gifts of all – you can never go wrong with giving Tudor lovers books about their favourite people, places and events. Just make sure that you don’t buy one that they already have!
Some of my absolute favourites are ‘The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn’ by Eric Ives, ‘A Journey Through Tudor England’ by Suzannah Lipscomb, and ‘Tudor: The Family Story’ by Leanda de Lisle.
Photos are all my own.
Tudor Blogger 