Dr Christina Faraday

A blurry photo of someone in a large fossil diplodocus costume, their legs in the front legs

Saw possibly the greatest Halloween costume ever the evening…

BBC Radio 3 - Sunday Feature, Sir Henry Unton's Music Christina Faraday looks at possibly the first image of amateur music playing in England.

Link: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

Screenshot of the Sunday Feature webpage on the BBC website, listing the episode information.

A detail of the Unton Memorial Portrait showing his house. Unton is hosting a dinner party with musicians in a broken consort, with wind and string instruments, and in an upstairs room plays the viola da gamba in a small group, music books on the table.

My episode of @bbcradio3bot.bsky.social Sunday Feature goes out this Sunday at 7:45pm (or catch up later on BBC Sounds). All about the musical aspects of my favourite Tudor picture, The Henry Unton Memorial Portrait at the National Portrait Gallery in London.

Very diligent haha

Isn’t he!

Oh and the city of Sarum/Salisbury top left

They belong to livery companies, the bottom right is his merchant’s mark and date of death…

Same!!

There are some excellent stories in there (besides mine obviously)…

yes!! 🥳

Two copies of The Haunted Library on a table with richly patterned table cloths in red and white. The book cover is green and black, with a figure holding a candle looking up at a domed library.

The Haunted Library book open at the contents page: The Devil's Manuscript S. LEVETT-YEATS The Tractate Middoth M. R. JAMES The Whisperers ALGERNON BLACKWOOD Fingers of a Hand H. D. EVERETT Mr. Tallent's Ghost MARY WEBB The Book MARGARET IRWIN The Library HESTER HOLLAND Midnight Express ALFRED NOYES Herodes Redivivus A. N. L. MUNBY W. S. L. P. HARTLEY What Shadows We Pursue RUSSELL KIRK The Work of Evil WILLIAM CROFT DICKINSON Revenant as Typewriter PENELOPE LIVELY The Advent Visitor C. J. FARADAY

Perfect Hallowe'en-e'en post - my author copies of The Haunted Library, @blpublishing.bsky.social's latest Tales of the Weird volume, out on 13th November. My story 'The Advent Visitor' appears alongside some true classics of the genre...

I’m not sure if I would quite class these stories as proof, but I like to think that William Windover is as much a busybody in death as he was in life. God preserve us from the eternal administrators! /fin

The project was a disaster. Problems and delays at every turn. And the curator knew what was to blame... if only he'd asked William!

A few years later, some more building work was set to take place. Only this time, our diligent curator forgot to leave the plans out for William to check over. And guess what?

It turns out that some years previously, some building work was being done on the Guildhall. Concerned that this might upset William, the curator decided to leave the plans out overnight for the ghost’s perusal. Happily, everything went smoothly. But...

Windover's portrait hangs in Salisbury Guildhall, and when I wrote to ask for permission to use the picture in my first book, the curator said quite casually 'You know William's ghost haunts the building here?'

Windover's portrait hangs in Salisbury Guildhall, and when I wrote to ask for permission to use the picture in my first book, the curator said quite casually 'You know William's ghost haunts the building here?'

An early 17th century portrait of a man wearing black with a ruff and a big black hat. Flanked by four coats of arms for different Livery Companies and his merchant's mark, with the mottos 'I bred him', 'I fed him', 'I made him free', 'yet known by me'. In the foreground a very elaborate desk tidy with pens and ink wells. He holds a letter and a pen.

It's Halloween-een so let me tell you a real life ghost story from my research. It concerns this guy, William Windover, successful merchant from Salisbury in England, and owner of one of the most impressive desk tidies in all of art history.

Ha!! What a success story!!! There’s loads still to do in terms of researching Tudor art…….

Thanks for listening! Intrigued by your previous experience but I promise that The Story of Tudor Art would be a good bet for your stocking ;)

Great interview in this week's episode with @bendorgrosvenor.bsky.social and @cjfaraday.bsky.social discussing her new book 'The Story of Tudor Art'. I'd add it to my Christmas list but wary that the last time Bendor recommended a book for Christmas, it turned into quite the adventure...

CFP | ASSOCIATION FOR ART HISTORY 2026 ANNUAL CONFERENCE - For Art History We are delighted to announce Call for Papers for our next year’s conference which will be held in collaboration with the History of Art department at the University of Cambridge.  The Association for ...

DEADLINE APPROACHING: Submit your entries for the @forarthistory.org.uk conference by Sunday 2nd November. forarthistory.org.uk/events/cfp-a... & please check out my call for papers, 'Art Writing: Beyond the Crisis?' about experimental art writing: forarthistory.org.uk/art-writing-...

I don’t know but possibly! I can put you in touch?

A friend of a friend of mine has developed something called Transcribery for this sort of situation and he’s looking for people to try it out - I can put you in touch if you like?

History of Art Research Seminar Series 2025 Tudor Liveliness? Discovering Vividness in Post-Reformation England

I’m talking about my previous book Tudor Liveliness at the Oxford History of Art Seminar tonight at 5pm. Do come along if you’re in the area! www.hoa.ox.ac.uk/event/histor...

Does anybody want to buy the Mona Lisa? DMs open

No, you aren’t imagining it: the Tube is getting louder I SAID, THE TUBE *IS* GETTING LOUDER.

The main cause of the noise is something that will, sooner or later, hit every part of the network: “rail corrugation”.

You aren’t imagining it: London's Tube is getting louder.

That was so interesting!

Thank you for coming along Maria!

Christina Faraday in front of a light blue Cheltenham Literature Festival sign, with golden fallen leaves in the background.

Christina Faraday, Tracy Borman and Julia Wheeler on stage, seated on sofas and a chair, with a photo and the event sign behind them, three books on a table: Christina Faraday’s The Story of Tudor Art and Tracy Borman’s Holbein: The Ambassadors and Stolen Crown

Christina Faraday by a book table in the Waterstones tent. The book table is covered in The Story of Tudor Art books with a bright red cover, Christina’s t-shirt also has the book cover on it.

Had a blast at Cheltenham Literature Festival talking to @tracyborman.bsky.social and Julia Wheeler about The Story of Tudor Art!