Leeds Castle is not in Leeds, which may come as a surprise to some people, but is near Maidstone in Kent. It is known as Leeds castle because way back in Saxon times it was The Manor house of Esledes which became a fortified castle in about 1119. The name Esledes became shortened in speech to Ledes which in turn became Leeds. This castle has had a long and interesting history from this time forward.
How to get there: By road: Junction 8 of the M20 between London and the Channel ports.
Combined coach and castle entrance tickets with National express www.nationalexpress.com
By rail: Trains daily from London Victoria to Bearsted Station. Then a coach shuttle service operates by Spot Hire from Bearsted Station. £5 return trip adults and £3 for children. See www.spothire.co.uk
A Potted History:
In Tudor times Henry VIII often visited, the most memorable time being with his wife Catherine of Aragon as a convenient place to stop on the way to the Field of the Cloth of Gold Tournament which took place in France in 1520.
The castle has been in private ownership since King Edward VI gave it to one of Henry VIII's courtiers for services. It has seen many changes of ownership and has been used as a garrison, a prison and a convalescent home. The last private owner, an American heiress, Lady Baillie restored the castle (some feel not too accurately and with rather more Hollywood than true English castle) and then founded the Leeds Castle Foundation in 1974. The description in the guide book of Lady Baillie's restoration is, 'the interiors carry the indelible mark of Lady Baillie, who used the finest French architects and designers to create an elegant 20th century country retreat.'
The Key to the Castle: Tickets are: Adults £15 Senior Citizens/Students/ visitors with disabilities £12.50 Children (4 - 15 yrs) £9.50 Wow I hear you exclaim that is a lot. Certainly that is what we thought when they said £30 for two adults
but this price allows you entrance for a year. Now that probably won't be used by us coming from Derbyshire but if you lived nearby you could go every day except 3rd July, 8/9th Nov and Christmas and it would be a real bargain. If you are disabled then a carer can go with you for free and most of the castle and gardens are easily accessible to all visitors. The grounds open from 10am and the castle at 10.30 and it closes at 5pm in winter and 7pm in summer.
Once you have you key: You enter the grounds, our parking was free (part of the £30 we paid to get in) and the first thing you see is a notice offering a 'train ride' to the castle. This is actually a 4 wheel drive vehicle pulling a train-like carriage which would be useful for those unable to walk reasonable distances. We didn't bother and opted for the path walkway through the gardens and water bird area.
Hiflyer Balloon: On the left as you enter the grounds is a huge tethered helium balloon. They call it the Leeds Castle Hiflyer balloon. You apparently get a bird's eye view of the castle from 400 feet above. It takes 15 minutes and is dependable upon weather conditions. It certainly didn't look very active while we were there so maybe it doesn't work in winter months. We visited in late December 2008. There is an extra cost - not included in your'key' I'm afraid. You can pay £14 adult, £11.50 concessions and £8 for children for the flight or get a combined Hiflyer and Leeds Castle ticket for £26 adult, £23 concessions and £16 for children.
Go Ape: Another exciting part that was not open in December was 'Go Ape' which is a hire wire forest adventure which opened in March 2008. There are rope bridges, high wire slides and zip wires. There is a special website for this section www.goape.co.uk but we didn't go to this part of the castle grounds at all. I'm not sure of prices for this activity and assume as it has a special website that this is extra.
The Gardens: As we wandered along the path towards the castle we were able to enjoy the beautiful gardens. Even though it was winter they were still a pleasure to walk through and as we were there quite early on a mid December week day we were virtually alone enjoying the sound of the waterfalls and it was easy to imagine how it all looked on a summer's day with flowers on the rose bushes and rhododendrons in the woodland areas. Throughout the garden area we could see floodlights and other lights in various trees but as we didn't stay till after dark we had to imagine how they looked as well. As you wander through you are often greeted by a peacock casually pecking at the ground or sleeping peacefully beside the path.
The path took us through the water bird area or 'duckery' where there were ducks, geese, swans (even black swans from Australia) moor hens and so many variants of each type it was a bird watchers paradise. Lady Baillie was quite keen on birds and had species brought from all around the world which have settled happily and bred here this is one way the Leeds Castle Foundation contributes to important global conservation projects.
As you pass through from the water fowl area you get your first glimpse of the castle and it is quite magical. The tagline on their promotion is 'Britain's loveliest castle' and it does take some beating. The setting is so picturesque as it is set on its two islands on the River Len surrounding by acres of beautifully kept gardens in the middle of the Kent countryside. It really does look like a fairy tale castle of stories of old.
The Castle itself: As you get closer you approach the older walls which are incomplete and the draw bridge entrance which houses a shop and very discreetly the toilets are behind out of view ( and very chilly in winter too!). They guide you round the castle so that you enter from the lake side and through the cellars. You would have to watch children here as the path is right alongside the water at this point and it looks pretty deep.
As I mentioned we visited in December 2008 and the castle was dressed for C Christmas and very fine it looked too. Every room was dressed in a different way but all contributed to the theme of 'The Nutcracker Suite'. I have not been to the castle before so I don't know what it looks like at other times but decorated in this way for Christmas it was quite enchanting.
I can't remember exactly how each room was decorated and the order they came but the first room I recall was a large bedroom full of mice and a couple of large nutcrackers. The mice were rat sized and were everywhere even on the bed - they looked a bit like the stuffed ones they sell at IKEA for children to play
Pictures of Leeds Castle
This is the first sight you get of the castleas you walk along the pathway through the gardens.
with. The dining room was pink and white with the table laid like the kingdom of sweets. Every room had a Christmas tree decorated in different colours. Lady Baillie's bedroom was shades of peacock blue and was the least Christmassy and probably the most like it usually is seen by visitors. There was a dressmaker's dummy with clothes worn by her ladyship, very showy and rather 1920's in my opinion. The next bedroom had floating pink tutus hung around from the ceiling which was a little weird.
Everywhere we went there were decorations, even going up the stairs sets of ballet shoes hung from the banisters. I wish I had had a little girl to take round with me who was keen on ballet as she would have loved it.
The tour took you through the entire castle and each room had a little notice or you could use a laminated page of information to find out any further things you might want to know. This sheet was handed in as you left the castle through the front door. One of the guides was in the front hall to check whether you had any further questions and ask if you had enjoyed the castle before opening the door for you to exit.
The Dog Collar Museum: Yes you did read it correctly, and we had to go and see what was in here. As we left the castle we followed the path up and round to the restaurant and courtyard area. We came across the Dog Collar Museum, which has to be the strangest collection I have come across in a small museum. It is a unique collection of over 100 collars spanning 5 centuries. It was presented to the Leeds Castle Foundation by Mrs Gertrude hunt in memory of her husband John Hunt. Some of these collars looked more like medieval instruments of torture than collars. It was very bizarre, but nonetheless interesting in its own way.
The restaurant: Just opposite the Dog Collar Museum was the cafe or restaurant which looked warm and welcoming so we decided to go and have a cup of something hot and wet. It was very empty, only a few people of similar age to us enjoying a quite cup of coffee or simple lunch. We only had a coffee so I can't really comment on the food but the ladies serving were very pleasant and friendly and it was nice to sit and look at the castle from the other side. End of our visit We decided we had seen enough and most of the other attractions were not open anyway so this was the end of our visit however there are many other things available to do in summer months and also things specifically aimed at children.
The Castle Today: I was impressed that the castle is not just there as a tourist attraction it is used for many events which you can see if you go to the website. For example in 2008 there was a Easter Kite Festival from 21st - 24th March, Leeds Castle Horse Show from 26th-27th April, a jousting Tournament from 27th May - 1st June and there were many other such events. As well as those type of events Leeds Castle grounds were used for concerts and Shakespeare plays then in the winter months there are Firework Displays and of course the Christmas activities.
At special times there are dining events, weddings can take place there and they have conferences and banquets there. I think that it is nice to know that a building is still useful as well as decorative, it keeps it alive more.
There is also a pay and play golf course set in the grounds so if you live locally that would be a very special place to play golf but I am not sure of the cost or what the course is like.
There are falconry displays at specific times but I'm not mad on birds of prey in captivity so I'm afraid this was something we passed on visiting. The same with the Aviary, so not sure what was on offer there.
There are of course gift shops offering such quite pricey gifts and souvenirs as well as luxury food items and wines made from the Castle vineyards. Nice to look around but not cheap and tacky, in fact quite expensive.
For Children: There is an adventure playground for children designed as a model of the castle. There is also a proper big maze for adults and children with decent sized hedges that you really do need to spend some time in. If you make it to the centre then you come out through a grotto with mythical beasts. Younger children can enjoy a toddler play area and a low maze of turf.
The brassrubbing trail As we followed the path towards the castle there were a number of posts with brasses stuck on them. These were part of a trail for children to follow and collect the rubbings either on their own paper or they could buy a booklet for £1 from the shop. There is also an activity book with information, pictures to colour and quizzes which is £3.50
Summary: We had a very pleasant visit although £30 was quite steep for a day. If you went with children in the summer months when the days are light longer you would be able to get a lot more out of the visit. If you are lucky enough to live nearby then you should certainly get value for your money. I am sure there are more interesting things that I am not aware of or that I missed. The prices were accurate for December 2008 as was the information about transport but it is probably safer to check. There is also a website for the castle that has other pictures and full information if you are thinking of visiting.
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