All in a stew …

Henry VIII, is best remembered for chopping his off wives’ heads, but he introduced a more gruesome death for poisoners. The Bishop of Rochester’s cook, taking vengeance against an ungrateful master, added a toxic herb to a dish and two guests died. Henry ordered that the cook should be boiled alive in his own pot and this remained the standard punishment for poisoners for five years.

Feast fit for a King

Henry VIII is famous for his 54 inch waist. In one month (November 1531) Henry and his friends ate 24 cows, 100 sheep, 51 deer, 91 pigs, 700 chickens, 444 pigeons, 168 swans and more than 400 larks.

I wonder what he had for pudding!

First service

L is for London - Tennis PlayerHenry VIII was a keen tennis player. He invented the ‘service’ – his servants used to throw the ball up in the air for him because he was too fat to do it himself.  While his second wife Ann Boleyn was being beheaded at Tower Green, Henry played tennis at Hampton Court. The tennis court is still in use today.


L is for London - KingsThere have been 55 Kings of England. The first was King Egbert, who reigned from 827-830AD. The only time when there was no King or Queen in Britain was when the country was a republic between 1649 and 1660. (In 1649, King Charles I was executed and Britain became a Republic for 11 years. The monarchy was restored in 1660.)