Published in the UK by Ebury (Random House), 2012. Published in the US as A Journey through Tudor England, Pegasus, 2013.
Drawing on the nation’s insatiable appetite for the Tudors, A Visitor’s Companion to Tudor England is an appealing gazetteer and bedside book featuring the surviving places, objects and stories of Tudor England.
A Visitor’s Companion provides both a practical handbook to the 50 wonderful Tudor houses, palaces, castles and sites across England, and a colourful, fascinating introduction to the key characters, stories and events of the Tudor age.
Each site – from the Tower of London and Hever Castle, to Hampton Court Palace and Buckland Abbey – tells a fascinating story either about one of the Tudor monarchs, the key characters of the period – such as Anne Boleyn, Sir Thomas More, Sir Francis Drake, Bess of Hardwick or William Shakespeare – or the stories and events of the period, including the Spanish Armada, the Dissolution of the Monasteries and ‘Bloody’ Mary’s Protestant martyrs.
‘A genuinely useful and discriminating guide for all Tudor fans. Full of fascinating true stories… it helps us see the world as the Tudors must have seen it.’
Dame Hilary Mantel
What’s new about this book?
A Visitor’s Companion to Tudor England is unique: no other book couples entertaining historical writing intended for a general adult readership – whilst drawing on the most up-to-date academic research – with a pan-England gazetteer guide to remaining Tudor sites. It’s an ideal hardback gift for Tudor enthusiasts, and an essential companion for travellers to England, armchair or otherwise.
Buy A Visitor’s Companion to Tudor England
It is available from all good booksellers – support your high street!
‘This is a rich, meticulously plotted field guide to the surviving architectural treasures of Tudor England… Lipscomb is an eloquent tour-guide, and each of her 50 destinations allows her deftly to unfold a different chapter of Tudor history. The course she leads is hung on all sides with nuggets of information and pithy anecdotes… as a pocket-guide to the dynasty of brutes, this is as good as it gets’.
Dan Jones, The Spectator. Read his full review here.
‘a thorough… clever history of how the Tudors ushered England into the medieval age [sic], illustrating the broad influence they exerted both then and now’
Kirkus Reviews
‘A first-class and fascinating guide to the most important of what survives of Tudor England, it also doubles as a deceptively thorough history of the period… a fine introduction to the complexities of life in sixteenth-century England… She has a superb eye for telling architectural detail and a subtle, evocative sensitivity to place… Lipscomb is a clear and insightful writer and there is much for everyone to enjoy. It is hard to think of a book that offers such a rich, pleasurable and illuminating guide to Tudor England.’
Mathew Lyons, London Historians Blog. Read his full review here.
‘Written in Suzannah’s engaging, easy to read style, this book is perfect for Tudor history lovers whatever their knowledge. It’s not an academic history book, it’s a guide book to England’s beautiful Tudor buildings and a journey back in time, but with the stamp of Suzannah’s expertise and Tudor knowledge. A book to add to your suitcase on a trip to the UK or to simply enjoy with a glass of wine after a hard day in the 21st century.’
Claire Ridgway of The Anne Boleyn Files on Goodreads. Read her full review here.
‘Brilliant… it can be used as a guide to explore the buildings of Tudor England… or it can be a starting point if you want to read a little introduction…[to] Tudor England. And Lipscomb does this in a clear, concise and interesting way that makes the book a wonderful page turner. Lipscomb’s writing style is very easy to read, and it flows nicely…the words seem to dance off the page… a great starting point and stepping stone into the history of these wonderful places.’
Sam on Loyalty Binds Me Blog. Read her full review here.
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