AN HISTORIC four-poster bed will be the centrepiece of an exhibition at a North-East castle which opens for the visitor season on Sunday (March 30).

The 528-year-old paradise state bed is thought to have belonged to Henry VII, and his wife, Elizabeth of York.

Created for their marriage in 1486 it is believed some of the royal couple’s seven children, including Henry VIII, were conceived in the oak bed, which is decorated with carvings symbolising fertility.

The bed will be exhibited at Auckland Castle, in Bishop Auckland, alongside other historically priceless late 15th and early 16th century royal artefacts - many on display in the North East for the first time.

The Power and The Glory: How Religious Art Made Tudor England is the castle’s most prestigious showcase event since it became a charitable trust in 2012.

The exhibition, which will run until September 30, examines how the Tudors successfully used religious art as propaganda to stake their claim to the English throne after the Wars of the Roses.

Head curator, Dr Chris Ferguson said: “It is very exciting to be opening Auckland Castle’s new visitor season with such a high profile and enthralling exhibition.

“The Tudors were a very captivating dynasty and we are still fascinated with them all these centuries later.”

Auckland Castle opens to the public on Sunday, March 30, 10.30am to 4pm every day except Tuesday.

Admission is £8 for adults and under 16s go free. Anyone who takes part in the castle’s ongoing consultation process will get half price entry.