Lockdown boredom busters

• Published date: 01 September 2021
• Publication title: Stratford Press

Whether you are a history buff interested in the life, and many loves, of the English king Henry VIII, or a movie buff who runs around saying “My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die”, you will enjoy roaming around Hever Castle.

The castle was the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, the doomed young woman who was Queen of England for just 1000 days. Even after she first moved to the English court, to serve as a maid of honour to Henry VIII’s first wife, Catherine of Aragon, Hever Castle was still her home.

She was sent back there after a failed engagement (Cardinal Walsey refused to allow the match, thus setting in course a series of events that not only led to her eventual marriage to the king, but also the Cardinal’s own execution).

After the death of Anne’s father, the castle passed to Henry VIII who in turn gifted it to one of his later wives, Anne of Cleves, as part of the settlement following the annulment of their marriage. The castle still has one of Henry VIII’s private locks, taken with him on his visits to other houses for his security, try to spot it in the dining hall as you take a virtual tour of the castle and grounds.

Henry VIII and his many wives aren’t the only connection to royalty this castle has, it has also been used as a filming location for many films and television shows, including the eternally popular 80s movie, The Princess Bride.

You can tour Hever Castle free of charge here: www. matterport.com/gallery/hever-castle

■ Stay warm in your house while you step into the world of Frozen:

If you have anyone aged 10 or under in your bubble, they are probably more interested in the goings on in the kingdom of Arendelle, home to Queen Elsa, Princess Anna and the adorable snowman Olaf of Frozen fame.

It’s been almost eight years since Anna, Elsa, Olaf and Sven the reindeer first sang their way into our lives with the release of the first movie in the franchise. Since then a generation of children have grown up singing Let it Go at the top of their lungs on what seems to be an endless repeat cycle. Since the movie was released it has spawned numerous toys, dolls, a sequel, a short film and numerous other spin-offs. One of the more popular of those has been the live musical version, performed on stages across the globe, and one version of it has been a popular theatre show on Disney Cruiselines.

If you can cope with hearing Do You Want To Build A Snowman again (and again, and again) then put the popcorn on and enjoy...