Illustrations and text panels explore the political reasons behind Henry’s visit here, and the magnificent pomp and ceremony that surrounded it.
Doctor Lucy Kaufman, an early history scholar at Keble College, Oxford, worked withThe Vyne to researched the story:
'This Progress happens at the moment of the initial Reformation. Henry leaves London just after he's had Sir Thomas More executed for refusing to say that the king is the head of the church.
'This 1535 Progress was an opportunity for Henry to cement what we’d now call a ‘Protestant’ loyalty amongst his most powerful and wealthy subjects. This included William Sandys – owner of The Vyne and Henry’s Lord Chamberlain. It was also a chance for Henry to be seen with his controversial queen, Anne Boleyn, and to assert his new role - as Supreme Head of the Church.’
Elsewhere in the mansion you’ll find beautiful furnishings, props and audio which tell another intriguing story. They reflect the life and belongings of William Wiggett Chute and his family.
This unusual Victorian gentleman succeeded to The Vyne in 1842 but with little money to support it. The estate was in great disrepair, but Wiggett Chute and his family were determined to save it.