Welcome to The Era Ruled Over by The Rockstars of Royalty - the Tudors! The Tudor era (1485-1603) was an amazing time both for Britain - and Rochester! - and their Kings and Queens have gone down in history as the undisputed Rockstars of Royalty! The way in which our world works today began in the Tudor era - we can trace the roots of almost ever facet of our lives today straight back to the 16th century - except for Pantaloons (we don't wear Pantaloons today... well.. maybe!) Rochester was expanding rapidly in Tudor England - some key events during the 16th century took place here due to its significant place in the hierarchy of the country. As a result, we have some of the finest Tudor buildings anywhere in the country - and some fascinating stories about them. In those buildings some remarkable things happened, and many local people were at the centre of them. A Tudor King met one of his wives here for the first time, a Tudor Queen thanked a local VIP for allowing her to stay at his home.... with a Latin insult!, one of the most important Bishops of Rochester stood up to a Tudor King about his plans to divorce his wife - and paid the price with his head! But some of those events were so awful to imagine that the people involved might have wished they'd stayed at home! Another Bishop of Rochester holds a terrible place in the history of state executions because he stood up to a Tudor Queen, and a poor cook at a house in Rochester was the subject of, arguably, the most barbaric execution in English history! And you thought Rochester was a nice place??? Well, the buildings they left us are nice...! A refreshment break will be taken approximately half way around the route.