I visited this house a few years ago which was only a few miles from my high school in Hertfordshire and realized its historical significance. This was the house where Mary I, Elizabeth I and Edward VI were raised. London in Henry VIII's time was riddled with disease such as typhoid, cholera and smallpox, hardly a place fit for little royals where childhood mortality was common. King Henry VIII choose Hatfield house for its proximity to London but far away enough from its scourge. Located in the North Downs, you could see the Thames and from London, you could see Hatfield House. Henry could signal his intention to visit his children and the royal household at Hatfield would make preparations to cater for his arrival with his royal entourage. The journey on horse from London to Hatfield would take a day by the way of Saint Johns Wood. Now you could get to Hatfield from Central London in probably an hour. On a clear day you should be able to see the London Eye from Hatfield if you know what you are looking for.
This house was a crucial incubator of the protestant faith. King Henry had the best scholars of the time to instruct his children so that they can continue their reign as protestants. Without Elizabeth I being a strong protestant, England might have kept the Catholic faith as the country's religion. Her eldest sister Queen Mary reinstated Catholicism as the faith of the land when she reigned after the death of Edward VI and the brief reign of Jane Earl Grey. It was reverted to the Church of England when Elizabeth I became Queen.
So, if you are ever within spitting distance of this place you should try and see it. read more