Helena Ruffle reminisces on a week spent behind the scenes of Hosting Henry VIII at West Horsley Place in July 2024.
Helping set up WHP for this event was my first realisation of the scale of this festival and was the beginning of my journey to understanding how much effort and detail goes into an event like this. I arrived at the house midday Friday and, to put it plainly, was gobsmacked at how beautiful the house and the whole country setting is. After a tour of the house, I spent the rest of the day helping set up for the weekend’s events. HRP’s Henry on Tour project had worked closely with the staff at West Horsley to organise different shows, activities and talks relevant to celebrating Henry VIII’s visit there in 1533. It was amazing to watch the eighteenth-century dining room transform into a Tudor banqueting hall! My initial tasks included putting up display shields for the shield painting area, setting up cardboard cutouts and zip tying trail posters to bamboo sticks. The tasks themselves were self-explanatory but if I ever got confused the staff members were so lovely that I had no worry asking for help.
Saturday and Sunday were the big event days when Henry VIII was visiting and the jousters were performing. Both mornings I was at check-in. I was greeting our guests as they arrived and made sure they were on their best behaviour around our King! Living history actors were also placed at the entrance and their interactions with the public, particularly the children, was lovely to see. I would chat to the Tudor ladies at intervals and learnt a bit about the Tudor dress and – though I’m not telling - where they tucked their mobile phones. They informed me, along with many guests who inquired, that they kept cool in all their frocks due to linen linings and general acclimatisation.
On both days, after seeing people into the venue, I took an hour or so to walk round the festival. I made sure to take part in some of the free activities, such as archery and pendant making, and placed myself front and centre for the jousting tournament as I was taking photographs for WHP. One of the most impressive elements to the events and shows was the eye for historical accuracy. For example, the jousters hired were the only historically accurate Tudor jousters in the UK. The falconry shows were equally historically accurate alongside most activities for the week. The archery, a favourite activity of mine, was run by two volunteers in Tudor dress. Most impressively, the bows were all handmade by one of the volunteers to be historically accurate. The food, the dancing, the jewellery making, the entertainment and the conversations of the living history actors were clearly all carefully researched and considered deeply which helped make the event as authentic as possible.
I found myself learning lots at every station. I used to love these interactive historical days when I was younger, so it is safe to say I was having a blast. Early afternoon, on both days, I went back to the entrance and undertook my primary task of the week, collecting feedback. I played into the festival setting and pretended to be a servant of Henry’s, collecting information for the King. As a self-proclaimed thespian I absolutely loved this role and thoroughly enjoyed my interactions with the public. Whilst getting the public to fill in feedback forms I was also handing out Tudor rose stickers and would ask kids and adults alike if they knew what it was. This led to a few educational moments. It felt good to inform the public (including some Americans) on the history of the Tudor rose and its significance in Henry VII and VIII’s reigns.
The main festival ended on Monday, but Henry stayed at WHP until Thursday, dining with smaller groups of people who booked slots for an individual experience. On the Monday I was in the games room, which, believe it or not, I also enjoyed greatly. The room was filled with genuine Tudor games, such as Nine Men’s Morris and Fox and Geese, which I played with kids and adults alike. I used to play Nine Men’s Morris when I was younger as it was a game available at my local museum, but I did not realise it was a Tudor game. It was lovely to play a game I enjoyed as a child and know its origins. I also spent about an hour teaching two young kids how to play chess, which was challenging, unique and rewarding.
Next door to the games room there was a video playing about the food which was served to Henry VIII when he visited WHP in 1533. I watched the video at intervals whenever the games room was quiet. Personally, I do not usually pay much attention to food history, but this was strangely compelling. On Tuesday I was at the check-in desk. In this role I primarily scanned tickets alongside processing a few sales. I spent Wednesday and Thursday inputting the feedback from the weekend’s festival into an online form which would organise the feedback into categories. I enjoyed reading the public’s feedback and getting confirmation that everyone’s efforts were appreciated as most people had had an amazing and educational day out.
I had free access to all the extra events. This was a perk I took full advantage of. On the Tuesday, I went to a talk by Eleri Lynn (now Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces) on fashion in the Tudor court and its significance. I sat at the back of the hall making notes on all the facts I found interesting. For example, I learnt that the term ‘linen basket’ comes from the Tudor period as that was the only piece of the garment washed. Everything else was too fragile and expensive. Also, on the Tuesday, I stayed on site till the evening to watch a performance from Ensemble Pro Victoria. They were an a cappella group who performed songs which would have featured in Henry’s court and on his progresses. I was not familiar with this type of music, but this was an amazing and unique experience which (if it’s not too cheesy to say) moved me. Finally, on the Wednesday, I watched a performance by The Three-Inch Fools. The group was comprised of four young actors who retold the events of Henry VIII’s life in a succinct and humorous way. Everyone was in stiches.
During my time there, I also took part in one of the ‘living history’ sessions where you got to dine with Henry VIII and his host, Gertrude Courtenay. This experience let members of the public ask Henry questions whilst eating genuine Tudor food from a 1533 menu cooked by Jane’s Historic Kitchen. I also stitched a Tudor rose with the help of a tutor from the Royal School of Needlework, which I took home as a souvenir. To be honest, I returned home with many souvenirs…
All in all, I had an amazing time working on Hosting Henry VIII at West Horsley. Each day I was excited to go in with the chance to learn and experience more about Henry’s reign and the significant role played by the Courtenays. On top of the practical skills I learnt, it gave me first-hand experience in seeing how these historic re-enactments are run. I now understand the sort of organisation and expense that goes into these events. It was a week well spent and I would recommend this opportunity to anyone in a heartbeat.
My Weekend “Hosting Henry”
Charlotte Newall provides a post-script with her reflections on the reprise of this popular event in September 2025.
From the 12th-14th September I had the privilege of being able to support the permanent staff at West Horsley Place with their now annual event - 'Hosting Henry VIII'.
In 1533, the manor’s iconic Stone Hall served as the backdrop of a lavish banquet, hosted by the Marquess of Exeter – Henry Courtenay – with its guest of honour none other than Tudor King Henry VIII. Just 5 years later, would see Courtenay beheaded for his supposed involvement with a Catholic plot against the King. At West Horsley Place, 'Hosting Henry', sees the drama of this 1533 royal spectacle played out in living history, with an exceptional performance from the acting troupe Past Pleasures, and many other incredibly passionate re-enactors. Visitors to the weekend were treated to live jousting displays, falconry, Tudor dance and even period accurate food made by the brilliant Jane’s Historic Kitchen. From set-dressing the beautiful Stone Hall (originally part of the building’s Medieval foundation) to mimic its 1533 Tudor glory, to organising the living history, food, displays - even down to the immersive aroma of the lavender strewn on the house’s stone floor – the lengths taken by the staff to transport the now largely neo-classical house, back to its full Tudor glory is wonderful to have witnessed, and it was a great pleasure to have been just a small part of it.
For me, by far the most meaningful take away from this weekend was seeing so much eager interaction from younger visitors. From getting stuck-in to mini jousting and archery, to attending jester school and interrogating the vast variety of Tudor characters around the estate, the excitement and passion for history from the children attending was evident, and heartwarming. Watching them engage so deeply reminded me of the value of events like this – not just as entertainment, but as a spark for genuine interest in history. 'Hosting Henry' showed how the past, when brought vividly to life, can inspire future generations to explore and question the stories that have shaped our national history.