In chronological terms this booklet takes at its starting point the accession of Henry VII in 1485 and it concludes with the death of Queen Elizabeth I in 1603. This key chapter in the story of England is charted with special reference to the Museum's outstanding collections of decorative arts and antiquities -- the material expression of these historical developments. The text is supplemented with fifty-seven illustrations (fifty-four of them in colour) in a format that is as accessible as it is informative.