Day 3 – The Cotswolds at their best

Henry VIII is probably the most famous English king. It was not really a gift to be married to him to say the least. Where some women lose their heads figuratively in a marriage, that happened literally to some of his queens. His first marriage started already under a bad moon. Because in fact, he had to marry the woman that was betrothed to his older brother. The Spanish king gave a big dowry to have one of his daughters marry the English king. But when he died early, our Henry was stuck with the throne but also with his fiancee. The main task of a queen is to have the so-called 'heir and spare', a successor and a reserve, preferably from the male sex. When Catharina of Aragon failed to have a surviving male heir, Henry had enough. He wanted to divorce, but the Pope did not agree. No problem for Henry. He founded his own church :  the Anglican church. He took all the possessions of the Catholic Church and divorced Catharina.

Then the young Anna Boleyn became the second queen of Henry. No kitten to tackle without gloves. They welcomed a daughter Elizabeth, the later queen Elizabeth I. At the discretion of the servants, she was accused of adultery and thus of treason and was the first one to loose her head in the Tower of London. Jane Seymour was next. She managed to deliver a male offspring but died two days after the birth of their son, the later King Edward VI, in childbed. At the time when texting, MMS, tinder and dating sites did not exist, one looked out for a suitable woman in name of the king. Of possible candidates a painting was made by a painter and sent to the king. On that basis he made a choice. In this case, it fell on the German Anna van Kleef. When she arrived at the palace Henry was in shock. She did not look at all like on the painting, Henry called her outright ugly. Not that Henry himself would win a beauty prize but as a king you can have your demands of course. The painter had to run to keep his head. Anna also thought ‘Oh I might lose my head here’, so she quickly proposed a divorce. Catharina Howard became the fifth queen and, just like her niece Anna Boleyn, was not a typical woman. They were subject to the same fate. After numerous affairs she was accused of treason and she also had to put her head down in the Tower.

Catharina Parr became the sixth and last wife. She would survive the king. She married Henry on July 12, 1543, for her her third husband.The king was strongly influenced by her. It is thought that her strong character, her dignity and religious beliefs have had a great influence on her stepdaughter Elizabeth I. This is her biggest historical significance. As Queen, Catharina was responsible for the reconciliation between Henry and his daughters from his first two marriages, the later Mary I and Elizabeth I. Although Catholic born, she probably had powerful Protestant views. She received humanists at the court, including the teachers of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Eduard. She discussed religious issues with Henry, who had been responsible for the rift between the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Church, but in his religious views was hardly known as a protestant. Catharina nursed Henry during his last illness. She spent the last months of her life at Sudeley Castle. She died in childbed after her very first pregnancy during her fourth marriage. She was buried in Sudeley Castle, but her remains were lost for a while. It was accidentally recovered. She was reburied in the 15th century church of Sudeley Castle, thus being the only queen buried in a castle in private hands.

We visit today a part of the castle. A large part was completely damaged over the years and there remains only one wall.

We view the beautiful church with Catharina's tomb,

the Queen's garden, so-called because four English queens have walked around here, and some of the public halls of the castle. There are some historical pieces here.

In the picturesque Stanton, the fantasy of Agatha Christie and Midsomer Murder fans begins to play up. We fantasize in the beautiful church that looks like it came right out of the TV series or movies. As we walk between the wooden benches, we see in our imagination the priest hiding with a bloody candlestick behind the altar. We hold our breath and listen if we hear or see an accomplice hiding behind a pillar, the baptistry, the choir, the confessional or the sachristy. In the surrounding cemetery we see the victim, an elderly man, with a gaping head wound lying behind one of the ancient tombstones. He does not breathe anymore. One of the graves is trashed. Was is the intention to have the victim buried here and have we disturbed the perpetrator before he could bring it to an end? Who will know? We are not such good detectives. We'd rather leave that to Miss Marple, which I think can arrive anytime. She must live in one of these honey-sweet cottages with steep roofs and with a colorful front door. Cottages with a perfectly maintained front yard in which the lavender blooms lushly, the bushes are tightly trimmed, the welted flowers are expertly removed and a rose tree edges the front door and windows with small glasses. I think I see her secretly peeking from behind the curtain, just when the church bells hit the hour. Or do I hear the siren of Inspector Barnaby in the distance? Without a doubt, they solve the crime. Let's enjoy the beauty of this village, a real Cotswold village that radiates a serene and idyllic atmosphere. Here I would be able to buy a cottage and enjoy my lemonade in the rose garden under a blue sky in the summer.

Bibury is as idyllic. The cottages of Arlington Row were built in the 17th century for weavers. Their loom stood in the attic. These row of houses are probably the most photographed view of the entire Cotswolds. They have become the symbol of the Cotswolds and often appear in the film.

The Saxon church in the village is also worth a visit. Especially the roses and rosary rows leading to the church make this a bit special. It's supposed to be a Saxon church, but only one Saxon stone can be found, so maybe this is a little bit exaggerated. But it remains a romantic church, in a romantic setting.

These are the Cotswolds at their best.