What's it like to live in a royal palace?
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Did Lucy Worsley have the best job in history? As she writes in her latest book, Lucy's time as Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces was an incredibly varied one. Speaking to Charlotte Vosper for this episode of the History Extra podcast, Lucy reflects on her career so far and reveals how it has changed her perspective on some of your favourite monarchs from the past. Hi Lucy, thanks so much for coming onto the podcast. It's lovely to have you here.
It's totally my pleasure. Thank you for having me.
You're very welcome. Now, today we're going to be talking about your remarkably varied career. Your experience working in royal palaces and your role in changing the way that we think about monarchs in the past. But before we dive into all of that, I'd like to start by asking, what was your first major role in the public history and heritage sector?
I was a tour guide. Wow, okay. And actually, there's such a parallel with what I do today, which is talking to people about history. And like any tour guide, I had to get quite good at seeing if people were looking bored, whether they were looking interested. And I definitely didn't step onto the stage as a fully fledged historian by any means. And I do think that my background. Really helped me as a curator, because a lot of people who have traditionally been curators are are really expert in the history side of things. But I was out there, I was dealing with customers, I was providing opportunities for people to learn, I suppose. And that's something I've always really enjoyed doing.
So you're working on the front line, basically.
Yes, yes. I finished my history degree and I wrote to all the historic houses that were in the area. And one of them said, Yeah, come along. And so I just got stuck in and I ended up doing things like organizing their crazy historical reenactments that they had.
Oh
brilliant.
And involvement in reenactment. That is fun. It was. So from there, being a tour guide, how did you progress then to being chief curator of historic royal palaces?
Well then I had to get a proper job. I I worked for the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, which is a small and very distinguished conservation charity. It was set up by William Morris. And there I was in charge of the windmills and watermills section. Wow. Yes, it exists. I was the organizer of something called National Windmills Day. And after that I sort of progressed and I got jobs at English Heritage and Glasgow Museums and I did my PhD. I did it as a a mature student a bit later on, which I think is a kind of a superpower because once you're grown up, you realise you can't mess around if you get the opportunity to learn like that. So I zipped through my PhD and then I moved from Glasgow Museums to Historic Royal Palaces in 2003.
And that is where your new book actually begins, isn't it? As you're walking into your apartment. Now, as Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces, you got to actually live on site at Hampton Court, which is extremely cool. What was it like to be there and be able to wander around out of hours after dark? Well, at first,
When I was 29 and very, very fresh into my big scary new job, it was terrifying.
What was Lucy Worsley's first major role in the heritage sector?
It was really intimidating. Because a palace is literally designed to freak you out and impress and overwhelm you with the power of the monarchy. So palaces are big and they're complicated and they're hard to find your way around. But over time, I got more and more. I guess I wanted to be the one who was answering the questions rather than asking them. And it took me a long time to get to that position. But by the end of 20 years, I could, you know, find my way through the labyrinth with confidence. And there is such a special thing about walking in the footsteps of those who've gone before you. It's a psychological effect, but it's a really powerful one. And the The writer Isaac Asimov put it very well, I think.
He said that when you go to a place where the great events of history happened, like Hampton Court Palace, only time and not space separates you from the people of the past.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:06–3:13
2
What was Lucy Worsley's first major role in the heritage sector?
3:13–8:22
3
How did Lucy transition from tour guide to Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces?
8:22–12:47
4
What was it like to live on‑site at Hampton Court Palace?
12:47–28:40
5
Which hidden spots or behind‑the‑scenes features does Lucy love at Hampton Court?
28:40–32:37