Tudor Beasts Installed

The Mythical Beasts have been installed in the Tudor Garden. Each beast is about 60cm tall and mounted on a tall green and white striped pole.

English garden designers of the Tudor period were heavily influenced by Italian Renaissance ideas about symmetry and proportion, so they organised their gardens in formal, regular layouts. Gardens were often used as a setting for masques or fantasy plays that featured fantasy characters like satyrs, unicorns, Pan and ancient deities.

 Some of the most characteristic features of Tudor gardens were carved heraldic beasts and animals mounted on the top of tall poles, representing the strong underlying themes of fantasy and heraldry. These figures of heraldic beasts or ‘Bestes’ were also found on house gables, rooflines, gateposts, banners and even on top of tents.

Each of the beasts in the Tudor Garden at Hamilton Gardens holds a flag with the Tudor Rose and the coat of arms of one of eight famous Tudors. They are pictured below just before they were installed in the garden: 

	The Satyr holds the crest of Francis Bacon.
	The Centaur holds the crest of Thomas More.
	The Sea Serpent holds the crest of Sir Walter Raleigh.
	Bottom (from Midsummer Night’s Dream) holds Shakespeare’s crest.
	The Phoenix holds the crest of Sir Francis Drake.
	The Unicorn holds the crest of Mary Queen of Scots.
	The Griffin holds the crest of Henry the Eighth.
	The Dragon holds the crest of Elizabeth the First.