Turning back the clock in Leeds... to reveal secret lives of Tudors

Now visitors to Temple Newsam House can find out what went on behind closed doors at a real life Tudor mansion during a special Tudor day event being held there later this month.

The team at the house will wind the clock back more than 500 years, filling the mansion with costumed characters, Tudor music and dance performances from the Leeds Waits on May 29.

Volunteer historians will also be on hand to deliver talks on themes including the Sex Lives of Tudor Royalty and Tudor Gardens while visitors can also enjoy a Tudor banquet display and follow a code cracking trail around the house based on the very codesused by Mary Queen of Scots.

Rachel Conroy, curator at Temple Newsam House, said: “There’s been a huge resurgence in interest in the Tudors in recent years and people have a real fascination with finding out about the lavish lifestyles and flamboyant characters they’ve seen on television.

“The truth is actually just as exciting as fiction and the Tudor period genuinely was an exciting and tempestuous time in Britain, filled with love affairs, violence and political intrigue.

“Temple Newsam House itself was home to some important and powerful people during the reign of Henry VIII and by telling their stories and revisiting the house’s past, we hope we can give visitors and insight into what Tudor life was really like.”