Footage

• Examples of great Tudor houses, illustrating the shift from castles to fortified dwellings. They include:

  Longleat House, Wiltshire
  Hardwicke Hall, Derbyshire
  Montacute House, Somerset

Commentary

• Changes in house design brought about by peace and stability
• The part played by the new merchant class

Footage

• Aerial views of some of the ruined abbeys of Britain, including:
  Bolton Abbey, Yorkshire
  Tintern Abbey, Monmouthshire
  Rievaulx Abbey, Yorkshire

Commentary

• Causes of the Dissolution of the Monasteries
• The fate of the monastic orders and their property

Footage

• Defensive castles built to repel invaders including examples from:
  the South Coast
  the Scottish borders
• Tudor ports and aerial photographs of the area threatened by the Spanish Armada

Commentary

• Tudor castles
• The border defences
• The causes and consequences of the Spanish Armada

Footage

• Scenes from Shakespeare's life including:

The Globe Theatre

Shakespeare's birthplace

• Tudor towns and villages
• Tudor houses, including:
  Speke Hall, Merseyside
  Little Moreton Hall, Cheshire
  Burghley Hall, Lincolnshire

Commentary

• Shakespeare's life and achievements
• Living conditions in Tudor times
• Fashions in great houses and their gardens