The year is 1526 and the evening is bright and warm. You glance up at the majestic home, its mullioned windows surrounded with ivy. The still moat reflects this image, except for little ripples from the fish swimming near the surface. Looking to your right, you see the hedge maze that delights Anne Bullen during her long, stress-free days and further on, the expansive Italian gardens, croquet lawns and walled seating areas where she whiles away her time. To the left, the maiden sits, entertained by the lute-player, the court jester sitting waiting, should the lady wish to have a change of entertainment.
But hark! The sound of a horn signals the arrival of the King! He speeds over the rolling fields, his companions following. The party arrives, a wild boar strung over a branch, which is carried between two servants. You must make haste. The King and his court are expecting a banquet tonight and it is nearly ready for serving. As head cook, you must make sure that all are content.
The royal procession enters the house, the portcullis lowering slowly after them.
This is Hever Castle.
Today, Hever is quite different. There is a large car park nearby, providing ample car parking space, which is a short walk from the castle.
Although the castle was originally built as a serious fortification (in 1270), it should be thought of more as a stately home, which was what it has been used as since Anne Bullen’s days (Anne’s name was later changed by King Henry to Boleyn, because he though it was more posh and reflected her social status!). From 1903-1906, William Astor built the one-hundred room Tudor village, which is built in the same style as the castle itself. The village is not open to the public, but can be hired for special events. It still has the original cellars, miles of pipes and cables, boilers, a central heating system, a fire-fighting system, sewage disposal works, an electricity generator and a private water supply!
There is the main castle itself to visit, the maze to navigate, the gardens to stroll around, the garden centre to browse in, a café and an adventure playground. The castle itself looks fairly small from the outside and you will no doubt ask yourself how you will be able to spend a day at this place. Inside however, this home is surprisingly large. The first room is made almost entirely of oak, a theme that is continued throughout other parts of the castle. As you go round the contemporarily furnished rooms, little boards give you information on the room and how it would have been used. Some rooms also contain exhibitions. One corridor contains wax figures of some political figures of the time. You can also see an exhibition on Tudor punishment methods (shudder) in the portcullis room. Little, if any furniture is from the castle of Anne Bullen’s time, although all of the furniture is similar to what you would have found at Hever in the sixteenth century.
To be honest though, the castle is only a small part of what can be seen at Hever. During the summer, there are often displays of cannon-firing and mock archers’ battles, as well as craft stalls. Also during the summer, there are usually dancers in medieval costume and people playing bagpipes and other instruments from the Tudor period, performing at least once each day. The maze is always popular, although during the winter it is usually too muddy to be used. The gardens really are something to be seen. They are of particular interest to the horticulturalists out there, because they contain many interesting plant species, many of them very colourful. The gardens are generally a very relaxing place to be and are ideal for resting your feet after touring the castle, or having a picnic. But you don’t have to stop at the formal gardens! There is a huge lake and you can walk all the way up one side of it and see some more traditional English varieties of tree and flower.
There is a small garden centre beside the castle, which is probably not worth having a look at, because its stock is similar to the kind you would find in any other garden centre. Next to the garden centre is the café. It sells all the usual afternoon tea foods, such as cakes, pastries, tea, coffee and fizzy drinks and ice lollies. The café does serve lunches, although I did not have one, so cannot comment on their quality. The adventure playground is quite large and is always very popular with children.
I have now been to Hever twice and the last time I went (2002), the admission prices were £7.80 for adults and £4.20 for children. It is possible, however, that these prices have changed.
This is one of the most picturesque castles in Britain (although not quite as good as Bodiam!) and really does have something for everyone. You will need to put aside a whole day to see everything and may (like me) return, not because the castle changes much, but simply to enjoy the generally relaxing atmosphere of the place.
Pictures of Hever Castle (Kent)
My Pic of Hever - June 2004
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Jun 19th, 2003
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