This Is London Summer 2019

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Kensington Palace.
200TH ANNIVERSARY OF QUEEN
VICTORIA’S BIRTH
On 24 May, 1819, Princess Victoria
was born at Kensington Palace, an infant
who as Queen would one day rule over
the largest empire the world had ever
known. To mark the bicentenary of this
historic event, Historic Royal Palaces
has mounted a major new exhibition at
Kensington Palace for 2019, alongside a
re-presentation of the rooms the young
Victoria called home.
As the birthplace of the Victorian era,
Kensington Palace played a central role
in the shaping of this important
monarch. It was at the palace that
Victoria spent her formative years under
the gaze of her ever-present mother the
Duchess of Kent, and it was in her
apartment at Kensington that she went to
bed a princess and woke up a queen.
Now, using new research, Historic Royal
Palaces – the independent charity which
cares for Kensington Palace, and the
proud holder of Independent Research
Organisation status – is reimagining the
suite of rooms Victoria and her mother
occupied in an evocative and familyfriendly
exploration of royal childhood.
Through a display of remarkable
objects relating to her early years –
including a poignant scrapbook of
mementos created by her German
governess, Baroness Lehzen, which
goes on public display for the first
time – this newly presented route, titled
Victoria: A Royal Childhood, will reveal
the story of the girl destined to be
queen. From the rapid conversion of a
dining room into a birthing room, visitors
will follow the Princess’s journey to the
crown, experiencing how an idyllic
childhood became governed by the strict
rules of the ‘Kensington System’, and how
Victoria escaped isolation and family
feuding into a fantasy world of story
writing, doll making and drawing inspired
by her love of opera and ballet. Her
education, family life, closest friendships
and bitter struggles will all be explored,
charting how an indulged young princess
blossomed into the independent and
iconic monarch we remember today.
Offering a chance to uncover history
right where it happened, these historic
spaces will also be brought to life with
playful interpretation and interactive
displays which will help visitors imagine
the rooms that Victoria would have lived,
learnt and played in.
ESCAPE FROM THE TOWER OF
LONDON THIS SUMMER
Visitors will be able to unshackle the
stories behind some of the most daring
attempts to escape the Tower of London
this summer, with a series of immersive
activities for all the family to enjoy.
Step back in time to the days of
Queen Elizabeth I and her successor
King James I, at the height of the Tower’s
dark reputation as an infamous prison.
Rebels, plotters, heretics and spies have
filled its cells and dungeons. The lucky
ones were tortured, while the less
fortunate lost their heads. But, with the
right blend of cunning, ingenuity and
disregard for danger, escape was
sometimes possible...
You can meet notorious prisoners
from the Tower of London’s past and,
in the shadow of the imposing White
Tower, listen to their gruesome tales of
imprisonment, torture and execution.
There will be an opportunity to witness
one of history’s truly great escapes.
Relive the drama of John Gerard’s
exhilarating 1597 escape attempt as he
abseils down the Tower’s historic walls.
John Gerard famously hatched an
escape plan sending secret notes in
invisible ink to his rescuers using
orange juice. This 30-minute live
performance runs three times a day and
brings to life the story of imprisonment
at the Tower like never before. For more
information and to buy tickets visit
www.hrp.org.uk/toweroflondon
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