While investigating the medieval London Road, I “bumped into” Catherine of Aragon a few times, and almost by accident discovered her itinerary in 1501, from her landing at Plymouth’s Sutton Harbour on 2 October, to arriving at Kensington Palace on 9 November (the rest is history). That’s a slow old journey! Her convoy included scores … More Catherine of Aragon on the London Road
Henry’s destination at Easthampstead has to have been the Royal Hunting Lodge. … More The Olde London Road, Part X
Basingstoke was a small market town in 1497, now buried somewhere underneath this lot. … More The Olde London Road, Part IX
A very short hop this one, with a stop to see Henry’s old pal Sir Reginald Bray. … More The Olde London Road, Part VIII
The approximate route taken by Henry between Salisbury and Andover is traced over a montage of the maps by Christopher Saxton, dated 1576. … More The Olde London Road, Part VII
Henry followed a long ride to Salisbury with a few days’ stay. The map above is dated 1576. … More The Olde London Road, Part VI
Henry passed through the birthplace of his counsellor John Morton and close to his mother Margaret Beaufort’s childhood home. … More The Olde London Road, Part V
It was a lonely stretch of road, then as now … More The Olde London Road, Part IV
The next section of road on Henry’s journey has been criss-crossed by royalty over the centuries. … More The Olde London Road, Part III
After a night in Honiton, Henry progressed to Newenham Abbey, near Axminster, a somewhat shorter distance than the day before, only 9 miles … More The Olde London Road, Part II
Tom Dawn 