"Wonderful in manifold glories are the great castle visions of Europe; Windsor from the Thames, Warwick or Ludlow from their riversides, Conway or Caernarvon from the sea, Amboise from the Loire, Aigues Mortes from the lagoons, Carcassonne, Coucy, Falaise and Chateau Gaillard--beautiful as they are and crowned with praise, are not comparable in beauty as with Leeds, beheld among the waters on an autumnal evening when the bracken is golden and there is a faint blue mist among the trees--the loveliest castle, as thus beheld, in the whole world." - Lord Conway
LEEDS CASTLE, built 1119, it became a royal castle in 1278, as part of the Queen's dower lived in by six medieval queens: Elinor of Castille, Margaret of France, Isabella of France, Anne of Bohemia, Joan of Navarre, and Catherine de Valois. Holders of Leeds Castle and the Manor of Leeds included Edwards I - VI, Richard II, Henry IV-VIII. In Tudor times Henry VIII visited with his Queen Catherine of Aragon. In 1552, Edward VI's Protectors granted Leeds to Sir Anthony St. Leger. It was sold to Sir Richard Smythe in 1618, to Sir Thomas Culpeper in 1632, then to the Fairfax family until 1793; it then passed to the Reverend Dr. Denny Martin and remained in the Martin family until 1924.
The foundation of Leeds is Norman, with a medieval gatehouse. The Gloriette (Spanish for Pavilion) was built by Edward Ist and updated in Henry VIII's time. A Tudor tower and a 19th century country house were later added, expensively built by Wykeham Martin, creating what is called the New Castle.
In 1924 the estate was purchased by the Hon. Mrs. Wilson Filmer, (later the Hon. Olive, Lady Baillie,) heiress to an American fortune on her mother's side and daughter of an English Lord. She wanted a beautiful home in which to live and entertain, and she possessed the wealth to once again transform Leeds. In the 1930s Leeds Castle became one of the great houses of England and a centre of lavish hospitality for leading politicians, ambassadors, foreign royalty and film stars. Guests included Errol Flynn, Douglas Fairbanks and David Niven. Upon her death, in 1974, Lady Baillie left Leeds to the Leeds Castle Foundation, to be opened and shared with the public.
The view, above, is of the Maiden's Tower, in which Lady Baillie's daughter lived until her death in 2001. It will eventually be finished and added to the public viewings. Below is the view of the Gatehouse, across a bridge which once would have been wooden and raised for defence.
The Gatehouse & knocker.
Shep, at the entrance to the Gatehouse.
View of the New Castle. However, the public enters for viewing through the Norman cellars, at back, next to the Gloriette, below. I love the juxtaposition of the ancient castle walls and the modern jet aircraft streaming overhead!
Next is Sam in the Norman Cellar, where the modern Leeds stores its wines--albeit not in these barrels but in modern, climate-controlled wine cellars. Here I am in the Lower Bridge Corridor, lined with weaponry and armour. The corridor leads to the Gloriette.
In the Gloriette's Queen's Bedroom are the coat of arms of Catherine de Valois, and her daybed. Her bed for sleeping, not shown, is much, much larger.
Shown below is the Fountain Court.
Below, the 73-foot long Henry VIII Banqueting Hall with its dovetailed ebony floor, and the earliest known Enghien tapestry dating from 1513-1535. I am permitted photos here, but they do not reflect the richness of the colours. Beneath is a photo of a portrait of Henry VIII over a French 16th century Caen stone Fireplace, brought here from France. The clock in the spiral staircase & Gloriette Landing is by William Downie, Edinburgh c1770.
Next, we begin to find the rooms most lived in by Lady Baillie and her family, plus the rooms now used for conventions and modern-day meetings and receptions. The Seminar Room is used for meetings, including significant events, such as the 1978 Egypt-Israeli Peace Talks, which were the precursors to the first Camp David Accords. Below is the Yellow Drawing Room, and next, the portrait of Lady Baillie and her daughters, as painted in the Thorpe Hall Room, part of which is shown, below.
Once in the New Castle, we find the Lumley Horseman, who presides over the Inner Hall. It is the earliest known equestrian statue in the history of English sculpture, created between 1533 and 1609.
Below is the 20th century re-design of the Dining Room, completed in French and English styles by Stephane Boudon in 1938. Lady Baillie's collection of 18th century Chinese porcelain is partly displayed on the wall.
Constructed in 1822, and fully refurbished by Lady Baillie, the New Castle contains a Boardroom and twenty-one luxurious bedrooms (not open to the public today). In his 1938 re-designs, Stephane Boudon based this Library on a model by Daniel Marot (1663-1752). It contains Lady Baillie's own collection of books and from her father's, Lord Queenborough.
The final room before exiting the front is, of course, the foyer.
Once outside again, we have a look at the Barbican and old mill. If needed, the Barbican could be flooded quickly for defensive purposes in earlier times. It has been in ruins since 1650.
After lunch at the Terrace Room off Fairfax Hall, a fully restored 17th century barn offering full views of the Castle on its island. We also visited the odd Dog Collar Museum, and Lady Baillie's Aviary, full of exotic birds.
Some family photos taken in the Lady Baillie Mediterranean Garden, running along the Great Water.
As can be expected from me, two beautiful roses in the Culpeper Garden.
The Great Water is full of waterfowl and sheep graze on the fields opposite. Lady Baillie adored birds--the Castle is full of beautiful paintings and sculptures of birds and bird symbolism.
The iconic symbol for Leeds Castle is the Black Swan, imported by Lady Baillie from Australia. There are, of course, white swan, too, and all types of ducks.
Near the Castle entrance/exit, are the Duckery, the Cedar Pond, and the Wood Garden.
I would have loved to taken the hot-air balloon ride over the castle and grounds, but it was too windy this day. Maybe someday . . .
I finish our afternoon at Leeds agreeing with Lord Conway that Leeds is a beautiful Castle and Park. It has been well worth the visit, and while we have not seen everything--we skipped the Maze, the greenhouses, and the Grotto--perhaps it is wise to leave an excuse to return again. We still have to drive around London and back past Oxford to our home in Caversfield, near Bicester. On the way, we pass--on the M25--Stoke D'Abernon, where young Jack Marriott was living when he emigrated to Nova Scotia. I will need to come here again, as I work on my book. You can learn about Jack by reading my Interude on this blog site.
PS: On the way here, we passed through Hastings--lots of signs taking advantage of 1066 And All That--and we also crossed the Romney Marsh, where once again I was pleased to see evidence of windmills for power generation. Here are the seaside strand and the Hastings Pier.
The Romney Marsh and Walland Marsh is that part of the Coast that until Roman times was entirely covered by the sea at high tide. The Romans drained the Romney section and the Walland Marsh was reclaimed in the Middle Ages. Together they form a large area of fertile land, particularly suitable for the bulky Romney Marsh sheep and for windmills!
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