FORTY Hall will be following the foundations laid by the Tower of London and Hampton Court with a programme of special events on the Tudors this weekend.

‘The Tudors: in Person and Under your Feet’ has been organised to mark the 500th anniversary of the ascension of Henry VIII to the throne.

The grounds of the Jacobean mansion were used for hunting by the King.

On Saturday, a range of activities will show how ordinary people of Tudor times lived and worked, including climbing aboard a Tudor Jolly Boat, traditional Tudor cooking, bone comb making, and pole lathe turning. A Tudor moneyer will stamp coins using traditional skills, and a jester will entertain the crowds with his foolery.

And watch out for the Tudor gentleman who walks amongst the crowds.

On Sunday, the previous day's activities will be supplemented by a dig, organised by the Enfield Archaeological Society who are excavating the site of Elsyng Palace in the grounds of Forty Hall. The Palace was used as a base by Henry VIII and visited by Elizabeth I who is said to have learned of her father’s death here, before it was ruined in the 1650s.

The team will be verifying geophysical evidence which seems to show the palace had a curved east side, and also checking the alignment of a 15th century drain excavated in 2005. They hope to find the outer wall of Elsyng Palace, or possibly a rubble filled moat.

The programme is a joint initiative from Forty Hall and the Enfield Museum Service.

For more information call 020 8363 8196