Lucy Worsley

Lucy Worsley
Born	18 December 1973 Reading, Berkshire, England
Occupation(s)	Historian, Television Presenter

Dr Lucy Worsley is a British historian and curator.

Worsley was born in Reading but when she was a week old went to live in Canada. Her father is a geologist an expert in glaciers, permafrost and Emeritus Professor at Reading University; her mother a respected consultant in educational policy and practice.

Before going to university Worsley attended St Bartholomew's School, Newbury. She graduated from New College, Oxford in 1995 with a first-class honours BA degree in Ancient and Modern History and in 2001 was awarded a D.Phil from the University of Sussex for a thesis on The Architectural Patronage of William Cavendish, first Duke of Newcastle, 1593-1676. In 2005 she was elected a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Historical Research, University of London; she was also appointed visiting professor at Kingston University. She is known for having a rhotacism (a speech impediment which makes her pronounce her r's as w's).

Worsley is Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces, the independent charity looking after the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Kensington Palace State Apartments, the Banqueting House in Whitehall and Kew Palace in Kew Gardens. She is currently overseeing the £12 million refurbishment of the Historic Royal Palaces, state apartments and gardens.

In 2011 she presented the four-part television series If Walls Could Talk exploring the history of British homes, from peasant's cottages to palaces; and the three-part series Elegance and Decadence: The Age of the Regency.

In 2012 she co-presented the three-part television series Antiques Uncovered, with antiques and collectibles expert expert Mark Hill and (broadcast at the same time) Harlots, Housewives and Heroines, a three part series on the lives of women after the Civil War and the Restoration of Charles II .

Television career

• Harlots, Housewives and Heroines: A 17th Century History for Girls - 3-part series for BBC Four May 2012
• Inside the world of Henry VIII - (History Channel) 2012.
• Antiques Uncovered - BBC Two, May 2012.
• Elegance and Decadence: The Age of the Regency - 3-part series for BBC Four, Aug–Sep 2011.
• If Walls Could Talk: The History of the Home - BBC One, April 2011.
• When God Spoke English - BBC Four, 21 February 2011.
• The Curse of the Hope Diamond - Channel 4, 24 May 2010.
• King Alfred the Great? A 30-minute programme for - BBC South, 17 May 2010.
• Inside the Body of Henry VIII - History Channel, 2009.

Personal life

She lives by the Thames in South London with her husband, the architect Mark Hines, whom she married in November 2011.

In her teens Worsley represented Berkshire at cross-country and is still a keen runner now.

Publications

• If Walls Could Talk, An Intimate History of the Home (2011).
• The Secret History of Kensington Palace (2011).
• Henry VIII: 500 Facts (2009) with Brett Dolman, Suzannah Lipscombe and Lee Prosser.
• Cavalier: A Tale of Chivalry, Passion and Great Houses (2008).
• The Royal Palaces of London (2008) with David Souden, Brett Dolman and Foreword by HRH The Prince of Wales.
• Hampton Court Palace: The Official Illustrated History (2005) with David Souden.
• Kirby Hall, Northamptonshire (English Heritage Guidebooks) (2001).
• Bolsover Castle (2001) with Louise Wilson.
• Hardwick Old Hall (1998).

External links

• Official website
• Royal Historic Palaces Official Website
• Lucy Worsley BBC Blog Page
• 'Lots of historians are sniffy about re-enactors' The Guardian 27 March 2011.