Last Wednesday I spent much of the afternoon walking around Kendal capturing views of the town. The intention is to produce a series of blog posts amounting to a photo-walk around the town centre, but for the time being here is one shot of Kendal Castle. Centuries ago this was one of the homes of the Parr family from whom sprang Queen Katherine Parr (1512-48), sixth and surviving wife of King Henry VIII.
Kendal Castle from Abbot Hall Park, February 2011
The question as to whether or not Katherine was born in Kendal Castle has been much debated in recent years, some historians believing that the building was by 1512 already in poor condition and therefore unlikely to have been the place to which Sir Thomas Parr (a descendant of Edward III, and Lord of the Manor of Kendal) would bring his wife for the birth of their first child. Either way, Kendal has for centuries been proud of its royal connections, and rightly so. Even if not born here she almost certainly would spend some of her youth at this family home of the Parrs.
