Looking for something to do over the Easter weekend? Something which is still open to the public despite the foot and mouth restrictions? Suitable for the whole family, combining history, the outdoors, education, fun and also somewhat reminiscent of a fairy tale? If so, then Leeds Castle is certainly the place to come. Once again, this is an attraction which the Ciao team didn’t feel deserved its own category (I was advised to post it under Maidstone) – I beg to differ, and hopefully this op will explain why.
Situated in the Kent countryside, a few miles from Maidstone, and only just over an hour from London, it’s very easy to get to. You could even leave the car at home for the day, as it’s possible to buy a combined ticket which includes either coach or rail travel. The regular admission price for an adult is £10, students £8.50 and children £6.50. You can also buy a family ticket for £29. This might seem a little on the expensive side, but for a fantastic day out, I think it’s well worth the money spent.
There has been an actual castle at Leeds since 1119, built by one of the descendants of the Norman knights who had come over to England in 1066. It was built on a little island, (so you walk over a drawbridge to enter), and is connected to a fortified mill. This mill appears in the famous Domesday Book, showing that the site was of importance even before the castle itself was built. However, since 1119, the castle has undergone many changes.
After the civil wars between Stephen and Matilda in the 12th century, the castle was taken over by Henry III, starting a long history of royal ownership.
Extensive alterations were then made by the three Edwards, giving the castle a much more traditional, almost fairy-tale appearance, adding a barbican, gatehouse, turrets, and the wine cellar, which you walk through to get into the castle. There are no guided tours, you are left to look around at your own leisure, although there are guides in each room to answer your questions. I find some of them a little patronising, and they get a bit shirty if you actually know more than them about the period in question! I would strongly recommend that you buy a guide book – if the castle is crowded, and it can be in the summer months particularly, then it is sometimes difficult to get to the information points in each room.
The most famous owner of Leeds Castle, and my main reason for visiting, was Henry VIII. As a Renaissance monarch, he spent huge amounts in extending and improving the existing structure. A castle was a visible sign of the monarch’s power, so it had to be impressive, whilst at the same time providing defence. Cardinal Wolsey also came to stay here, since in Tudor times, the ‘sweating sickness’ which broke out periodically, usually in the summer months, forced the upper classes out of London and into the country. You can walk through several Tudor style rooms here, including Henry VIII’s banqueting hall – probably my favourite room in the castle. It’s a very strange experience if you look out of the window, because you see the water surrounding the castle, and in a way, you feel as if you are on a boat, particularly if it’s windy, and the water looks a bit choppy! What irritates me a little however is that the room is not furnished in keeping with Tudor style, rather, as in all of the rooms, a collection of the castle’s furniture and ornaments is on display, from a mixture of periods.
Other rooms are on a more modern theme, with very lavish furnishings, including Flemish tapestries for example. There is certainly plenty to look at in each room – adults could spend hours in here. After the death of Henry VIII, the castle passed back out of royal hands, firstly into the St Leger family, and eventually into the Baillie family. To be honest, the more modern history of the castle doesn’t interest me, although I am sure there are many people out there who would find it fascinating. Other rooms of interest include a bedroom prepared for the wife of Henry V, a chapel, and even a small dog collar museum in the gatehouse on the way out!
Once you’ve satisfied the historian within you, then you can go and have a wander round the extensive grounds – if you’ve got children they may be getting a bit restless by this time! Of course, on the way up to the castle (which, by the way, is a considerable walk, and not much fun if you’re in the middle of a thunderstorm as I once was), you will have already walked through the duckery – this is really lovely, and has a varied collection of, surprisingly, ducks! If you’ve got children it might be an idea to bring some bread along with you so that they can feed them – I know I always used to enjoy this when I was small (still do now actually!) There are plenty of rivers, lakes, streams in the grounds, surrounded by the vibrant greens of the many trees, and the bright colours of the flowers. This is definitely a place to visit when the sun is shining – it really does look fabulous and I have got some great photographs – shame Ciao doesn’t let you add a photo to an op!
The most enjoyable feature in the grounds however is the maze. Make sure you allow plenty of time for this – it may not look very large, but it is incredibly difficult to find the centre. If you get really stuck, there is a Castle employee who stands up on the raised section in the centre, and will guide you there, but it’s a lot more fun to try to find the centre for yourself. Apparently, if you look down on the maze, it resembles the shape of a queen’s crown – personally I can’t see this! The real treat is in store once you’ve arrived at the centre, as the way out is through a grotto. This is spectacular, it is underground, and makes wonderful use of natural materials – shells, rocks etc to recreate scenes from the castle’s history and from Greek myths. I was left breathless the first time I came in here – it was totally unexpected. I can guarantee that children and adults alike will love this!
Another notable feature in the grounds is the aviary. An aviary was first established here in the 1950s, as the owner, Lady Baillie, had some Australian finches. Since then it has developed and grown, and now there are over a hundred different species, including toucans, parakeets, kookaburras and hornbills. The information about the birds is well laid out, and they seem to be in a well looked after environment. Sometimes talks are held, and you can watch some of them being fed.
Finally, there is also a small collection of shops, cafés and a licensed restaurant. Prices are not particularly high (in fact, quite reasonable for a tourist attraction such as this), and the food is of a good quality. I have eaten in the Fairfax Hall, a C17th barn, which is self service. There is an extension to this, where you can get table service, but prices are more expensive. You could also take a picnic, but you would probably have to eat it in the car park, as I don’t think that picnics are allowed in the grounds.
Well, I could have gone into a lot more detail about this fantastic castle and grounds, but I know people only have a limited boredom threshold, so I’ll stop here! If you are seriously intending a trip down south then it really should be on your itinerary. If you want further information, then Leeds Castle has its own website, at www.leeds-castle.co.uk which will also give you additional information about special events being held here – open air concerts and fireworks for example.
Overall then, this place is well worth a visit and I can guarantee that you will find something here to enjoy, even if history isn’t your thing. My only regret is that I lived so near to Leeds Castle and didn’t make my first visit until I was 19! Still, it’s always the places on your own doorstep that you overlook. I am now hoping to get tickets to one of the open air concerts in the summer!
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Definately a superb place, which you seem to know an awful lot about- far more than me and I live down the road from it! Cheers, Timmy.
danradders 15.04.2001 12:29
A good op on a place where I remember running around as a little kid looking for Easter Eggs! A very nice described by an excellent op. DAN P.S. I live in Ashford - you must have lived not too far away, I'm sure you did an op on Canterbury...
SusanLesley 13.04.2001 10:14
When we visit a friend in London I often see this advertised on the underground trains and I wondered what it was like - now I know and I shall be visiting! I, too, am expecting a revenge rating! Susan.
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Advantages: Good selection of shops and food outlets, nice houses, friendly people. Disadvantages: Grammar schools, snobs and chavs. Not great for tourists, except Leeds Castle.
timmyotoole 05.08.2001 (13.08.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Maidstone in General
Apr 10th, 2001
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