When Henry VIII transformed Leeds Castle into a Tudor palace, little did he know it would become an attraction with half a million annual visitors and a café serving afternoon teas of smoked salmon and prosecco sandwiches.
But that’s how it is.
Tourists flock to see the love nest that Henry renovated in 1519 for his first wife Catherine of Aragon, below on the site of a Norman fortress.
Prior to her rule, the fortress had been known primarily as the home (voluntarily or not) of a succession of queens.
The first, Eleanor of Castile in 1278, set up a medieval writing room to copy manuscripts.
Laura Sharman visits Leeds Castle, the love nest that Henry VIII renovated in 1519 for his first wife, Catherine of Aragon
Leeds Castle has become an attraction with half a million visitors annually
Before Henry’s rule, the fortress was primarily known as the home (whether willingly or not) of a succession of queens.
Meanwhile, Queen Joan of Navarre was imprisoned there for witchcraft in 1419.
Its last owner in the 1920s, Lady Baillie, was famous for hosting lavish parties for politicians, socialites and Hollywood stars, calling it “the perfect place to spend a weekend.”
Almost a century later, the same can be said.
Entering the dining room to the sound of swing music, it is easy to imagine Charlie Chaplin, one of Lady Baillie’s guests, standing next to a tower of champagne glasses, like the one in the window today and intended to capture the essence of that intoxicating period. .
The castle, set in the rolling Kent countryside (the M20 passes not far away), is flanked by two pleasant villages featured in the Domesday Book.
The nearest is tiny Broomfield, home to two magnificent Tudor houses, while the highlight of charming Hollingbourne (just to the north) is All Saints’ Church, which dates back to the 14th century.
It contains a magnificent 17th century embroidery depicting fruit trees and cherubs.
For lunch, look no further than the Black Horse Inn in the village of Thurnham, just north of Hollingbourne.
Laura is staying in a lakeside lodge within the grounds of Leeds Castle.
Enjoying the view from an open-air bath at her lodge, pictured here, Laura wonders “what Henry VIII would do with all this.”
Queen Joan of Navarre was imprisoned in Leeds Castle for witchcraft in 1419. Above is the castle labyrinth.
Laura recommends stopping for lunch at the Black Horse Inn, pictured, in the nearby village of Thurnham.
This charming 18th-century pub, which also has rooms, serves excellent roast lamb on Sundays.
The countryside is crisscrossed by excellent walking routes, one of which follows the Pilgrims’ Way across the North Downs.
We chose a 90-minute circuit that passes rustic houses and a vineyard.
Back at our lakeside lodge within the grounds of Leeds Castle, we enjoyed the views of the lake from our open-air bath and continued to wonder what Henry VIII would make of all this.