23/01/26 - On the Trail of Prince Arthur

England's Sliding Doors Moment

Episode 3 of the West Midlands History Podcast and my quarry is Prince Arthur - Tudor prince and brother of Henry VIII. 

Prince Arthur, eldest son of Henry VII, was deliberately raised from infancy to rule, educated in the humanist ideals of the new Tudor monarchy and trained in governance, piety, and diplomacy as the living guarantee of dynastic stability after the Wars of the Roses. In 1493 he was sent to the Welsh Marches as nominal head of the Council of Wales and the Marches, residing chiefly at Ludlow Castle, where his household was intended to accustom him to kingship through regional rule; nearby Tickenhill Palace at Bewdley formed part of this orbit of royal authority and courtly life in the west. Arthur’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon in 1501 was meant to seal England’s place in European politics, but within months he fell ill at Ludlow and died in April 1502, aged just fifteen. He was buried in Worcester Cathedral, his tomb a quiet reminder of a reign that never was. 

Had Arthur lived to become king, England would almost certainly have avoided the later marital crises of his brother Henry VIII, with profound consequences for the English Reformation, the break with Rome, and the entire religious and political course of the nation. We'd all be Catholic and still have the monasteries and abbeys.

In terms of turning this into walk(s), there are three locations. Ludlow, where he died, Worcester Cathedral, where he is interred and the extraordinary "lost" Tudor Palace of Tickenhill in Bewdley.

Tickenhill Palace

I have lived within 3 miles of this place for over 50 years and yet I was hardly aware of its existence. A royal Tudor Palace in a small Georgian town. Incredibly, the much altered building still exists, perched in a new housing estate on a hill to the South West of the town. Now in private ownership. 

Everything you need to know about it is contained within this excellent website. The podcast mentions it as the place where he was proxy married to Catherine of Aragon and also a staging point for his body on the journey from Ludlow to Worcester.

Artists Impression from 1738

I arrive at the house from Blackstone Picnic area, picking my way up through the wonderful lost world of Snuffmill Dingle. Alas, the main house is protected by a high hedge - where it is possible to peek through but not to photograph. I do get to see the adjacent coach house. 

Tickenhill Exists

As it looks now with its Georgian facade

Ludlow

The longest bus journey from Kidderminster. £3 gets you over an hour of changing scenery - if you can see through the steam and dirty windows. But when you arrive, it's a fine town to explore. Not least the pubs.

Ludlow Castle is where Prince Arthur died.

Outside the Castle - with a canon from Sevastopol

St Laurence - a church, which seems too insignificant a word to describe its splendour - dominates the skyline. Arthur's heart (read all internal organs) was buried here and there is a memorial in front of the altar.

Prince Arthur

Heart

There's plenty of other things to investigate - not least the misericords.  These are a series of mini stories through carvings. You need to help to appreciate some of the stories and in keeping with the theme of the blog, here is dishonest alewife.

Serve short, weak measures of ale, get carted off to hell by demons.

Worcester Cathedral

When I visited on the Trail of Elgar, you cannot help but notice the chantry. Arthur's body is housed beneath the floor, rather than in the raised tomb.

Rather than my poor photo, here is a video which also tells the story of his life.