Leeds Castle, Kent.
Open to visitors for a really great day out.

Set in 500 acres of beautiful parkland, a visit to Leeds Castle in the garden of England is full of discovery. Open all year round, its special blend of heritage and history, glorious gardens, attractions, programme of events, and licensed restaurant make it the perfect choice for a day out. The stone bridge across which you walk to the castle would originally have been a wooden drawbridge. The gatehouse looks much as it would have in the 13th century; it would have accommodated servants and horses, as well as providing essential fortification against attack. For a short history of Leeds castle please read on. Please note the owners of the castle would like you to know that due to space restrictions, and the fragile interiors, pushchairs cannot be permitted inside the castle. Visitors with babies will find slings available inside the castle front hall. 'Heelies' may not be worn inside the castle or other buildings. Whilst they try to keep the private rooms of the castle open to visitors when they can, not all rooms may be open at all times.

A little History about the castle. The Saxon manor of Esledes was an ideal place for the descendant of one of William the Conqueror's lords, Robert de Crevecoeur, to fortify and build a castle in 1119. Leeds Castle passed into royal hands in 1278 and became part of the Queen of England's dower - the settlement widowed queens received upon the death of their husbands. Over the course of 150 years it was held by six mediaeval queens: Eleanor of Castile; Margaret of France; Isabella of France, Joan of Navarre; Anne of Bohemia and Catherine de Valois.

A Short History about Henry VIII. Henry VIII was born at Greenwich on 28 June 1491, the second son of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. He became heir to the throne on the death of his elder brother, Prince Arthur, in 1502 and succeeded in 1509. Catherine of Aragon was the youngest surviving child of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain and after being widowed after a short marriage to Henry's brother, Arthur, who died of 'sweating sickness,' she was betrothed to the future Henry VIII, who was too young to marry at the time, but by 1505 Henry was old enough to wed, unfortunately Henry VII wasn't as keen on a Spanish alliance and young Henry was forced to repudiate the betrothal. Catherine's future was uncertain for the next four years but when Henry VII died in 1509 one of the new young king's first actions was to marry Catherine. She was finally crowned Queen of England in a joint coronation ceremony with her husband Henry VIII on June 24, 1509. In Tudor times Henry VIII visited frequently, notably with his Queen, Catherine, and their entire court on the way to the tournament of the Field of the Cloth of Gold, which took place in France in 1520. Henry's son, King Edward VI, granted the castle to one of Henry's courtiers for his services. Private ownership. Since then the castle has been in private ownership and it has been used as a garrison, a prison and a convalescent home, as well as being the home of the Culpeper, Fairfax, and Wykeham Martin families.

Leeds Castle today. The Lady Baillie room and The Queens Bedroom. The castle you see today is the result of over 900 years of alterations and changes. It has Norman foundations; a mediaeval gatehouse; the Gloriette, built by Edward I and updated in Henry VIII's times; a Tudor tower; and a 19th century country house - all of which were substantially refurbished in the 20th century by Lady Baillie. The heiress to an American fortune from her mother's family and the daughter of an English Lord, she married three times and it was with her second husband, Arthur Wilson Filmer that she bought the castle in 1926 and followed in the footsteps of six of England's medieval queens and fell under the magic spell of Leeds Castle.

The Henry VIII Banqueting Hall and The Yellow Drawing Room. It was then that Olive, Lady Baillie, embarked on a complete refurbishment and left an indelible mark on the place and using the finest French architects and designers to create an elegant country residence. She filled the castle with art and antiques, collected on her frequent buying trips around Europe, and with glamorous house parties at which she entertained princes, film stars and politicians. Her guests enjoyed the use of the castle's cinema, swimming pool, squash and tennis courts, and marvelled at the extraordinary creatures in the grounds; Lady Baillie's fascinating collection of birds and waterfowl, zebras and llamas as well as the more usual horses and dogs.

Maiden’s Tower. Named after an earlier tower which housed a religious recluse, the Maiden's Tower was built in Tudor times as the castle's bakery and brew house, to make the "small beer" which would have been drunk at every meal, as a safe alternative to water. In Lady Baillie's day it was first the "bachelor quarters" for houseguests, with a cinema and smoking room downstairs, and later the home of her younger daughter and her family until 2003. It is now used for special exhibitions and functions.