Event Details
- Location: Peterborough Cathedral
- Address: Minster Precincts, Peterborough, PE1 1XS
- Start date: 25th January 2023
- End date: 29th January 2023
- Times: Varies
- Entry fee: Some events ticketed - book online
The Katharine of Aragon Festival commemorates 29th January 1536, when Henry VIII’s first wife was buried at Peterborough Cathedral after her death in exile at Kimbolton Castle. She lies in the Cathedral to this day.
The weekend events include a host of costumed reenactors at family drop-in days, with Henry VIII and Queen Katharine with their courtiers in the Cathedral for At Court with the Tudors, and skilled everyday Tudor folk such as cooks and armourers at the Museum for At Home with the Tudors. The Festival also includes a moving wreath laying service at which Katharine’s last letter to her husband is read, and dignitaries lay tributes on her tomb.
The Cathedral at Night Friday 27 January 6.30pm-8.30pm
Imagine yourself back in Tudor times when you drop in to spend time in the Cathedral after-hours! As you explore the beautiful building in atmospheric lighting, look out for members of King Henry VIII’s Court, played by the costumed reenactors of Regal Rose Historical Portrayal. They not only set the scene but can also answer questions about the person they represent and about their carefully researched period costumes.
The Cathedral at Night event closes at 8.30pm. Do stay and round off your evening as Queen Katharine often would, by hearing Compline.