Dr Owen Emmerson

A social and cultural historian, author and broadcaster, Owen specialises in sixteenth-century history and the Tudor court. He gained his doctorate from the University of Sussex in 2020, and is Castle Historian and Assistant Curator at Hever Castle in Kent — the childhood home of Anne Boleyn — where he has worked since 2017.

Owen’s work at Hever has given him an exceptionally close understanding of the Boleyn family, the castle they called home and the wider political and cultural world in which they lived. He has co-written five books and exhibition catalogues, including The Boleyns of Hever Castle (with Claire Ridgway), Becoming Anne: Connections, Culture, Court and Catherine and Anne: Queens, Rivals, Mothers. His more recent work includes Holbein’s Hidden Gem: Rediscovering Thomas Cromwell’s Lost Book and Capturing a Queen: The Image of Anne Boleyn, which brings together the largest ever gathering of portraits believed to depict Anne.

Owen is also a regular contributor to television documentaries about the Tudor era, including BBC2’s The Boleyns: A Scandalous Family, Channel 5’s Lady Rochford and BBC1’s Who Do You Think You Are? He also worked as historical consultant on the BBC’s adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light, providing research and visual evidence for its props and set pieces.

For Travel Editions, Owen leads and lectures on tours exploring Anne Boleyn, the Tudor queens and the real places connected with the world of Wolf Hall. Drawing on his detailed research and curatorial experience, he helps travellers look beyond familiar stories to understand the personalities, ambitions and relationships behind them.

His engaging and accessible approach brings Tudor history vividly to life, whether guiding travellers through Hever Castle, examining Anne Boleyn’s rise and fall, or exploring the castles, abbeys and houses that witnessed some of the most dramatic events of the sixteenth century.