On Friday, May 9th, I went on a Broomfield Coach Trip to Leeds Castle, Maidstone
(which is exactly how my children used to start their class visit recounts, poor things).
We left in bright sunshine that promised a lovely day to come and the journey down was, I assume, straightforward - I don't know because I fell asleep around the time we approached the QEII bridge and woke about ten minutes before we arrived!
Just a bit (bit?!) of history. The foundations of the castle date from 1119 and it existed further back than that since 857, but very little remains of the original now. It was a modest Normal fortification built on a series of small islands on a lake formed from the river Len.
In 1278, the castle was acquired by Eleanor of Castile, the same Eleanor that I went on about after my visit to St Albans, much loved Queen Consort to Edward I and a driving spirit of the age in her own right. She remodelled the castle and this can be seen in the Gloriette, a D shaped building on its own island and in the courtyard, the only surviving elements of the original medieval castle.
The castle continued to be owned by medieval queens - Eleanor herself and then Anne of Bohemia, Isabella of France, Joan of Navarre, Catherine de Valois and, finally, Catherine of Aragon - and it remained a royal residence until it fell into private hands.
After that, it passed from pillar to post, family to family, and it all gets a bit tedious, until it was finally bought by a young heiress, the Hon. Olive Wilson Filmer, the sale being completed in 1927.
They took on a considerable amount of necessary renovation to make the castle merely habitable, let alone acceptable to their wealthy 'modern' standards but Olive worked hard to create her own personal vision of a marriage between medieval and elegant modern.
The interior of the castle reflects the changes she made but are not jarring and I feel it was a highly successful (albeit costly) work.
The marriage didn't survive though and Olive married for the third and final time to a British MP and Baronet (she was American), Sir Adrian William Maxwell Baillie and she became known as the Hon Olive, Lady Baillie, a title she kept until her death. She became a renowned hostess and held many house parties, etc, attended by many notables of the day.
She left the castle in trust to be open to the public and so it has remained ever since.
OK, now the photos.
There's quite a walk from the coach and car park to the castle itself but it was so pretty, through woodland, by streams, past water birds and with tantalising views of the castle from certain points. Just as you thought you were getting there, off you went in a different direction!
I loved this view.
Al along the paths were plaques commemorating key dates. Very clever.
So many baby birds, so fluffy that, in photos, their bodies look out of focus.
Magnificent trees.
The oldest surviving remnants - the mill and barbican
The library
The dining room - very smart and elegant and not at all fussy as some can be.
This was interesting.
They are focusing on Eleanor of Castile this year and had an AI 'thing' .
You approached, said 'Greetings, Queen Eleanor' (in the way of 'Hi, Siri', to wake the AI up) and then asked a question. After 'thinking about it' the AI answered your question. Some answers came out oddly - such as 'I was thought to . . ., but it was really good. You had, I think, two questions and then you were dismissed.
One of the better uses for AI, I think and one of the staff told me that next year they are doing Catherine of Aragon.
As you went round the house, there were special displays with more information about Eleanor and her life.
I loved this - all around the house there was info embroidered onto cushion covers. Very clever!
Lady Baillie's boudoir
Her bed.
(the bedroom was lovely)
And a marble bathroom that would still be considered luxury today.
This is the courtyard that is one of the few remaining early parts.
I just liked this - an unusual brolly and walking stick stand!
For the Castle tour, there were headsets and recoded information. I was a bit concerned about this as I don't have good experiences of how these things work with hearing aids but they were top notch, fitting above the ear rather than on so that the actual speakers hovered over the ear, preventing any feedback issues and also enabling differently placed aid pickups to pick up the words clearly.
Also, as you walked round, the information started automatically.
Very impressive - ten out of ten. It shows it CAN be done!
After a slow stroll round the castle, I sat outside to read the guide book and then headed off to an area where they had a restaurant, etc and I treated myself to a very nice fish and chips.
It also has a more snacky food place, some shops that were not yet open and . . .
. . . this.
All I can say is poor dogs!
I meandered through the Culpepper Garden and past the Lady Baillie Mediterranean Gardens (both very lovely in their way), past the maze and children's area to the Birds of Prey centre where I saw part of a falconry display.
Why on earth do these display places have such very uncomfortable seating - high benches with no back and, when seated properly on them, your feet don't touch the floor. I'm afraid I gave up as my back was starting to give me some trouble. I found a more comfortable seat and heard, rather than saw, the rest of the display.
I didn't use the children's things, of course, but they looked really good. A beach (sandpit with deck chairs round in which younger children were playing happily), adventure golf, a Knights' Stronghold Playground, an obstacle course, the aforementioned maze and grotto . . . so much for families!
It was time to start heading back so I took it slowly and the old back was fine.
More views and birds on the way back to the coach.
There was just time for a visit to the shop where I got my fridge magnet (I have to get a fridge magnet, don't I?) and to have a sit down before Andy, the coach driver, came back and opened the coach.
I'm assuming a good drive back because, again, I fell asleep and woke just outside Chelmsford! It does make for a very easy journey.
Leeds Castle is lovely. There's loads to do, the staff are so helpful and informative and it's all just so beautifully cared for and attractive. If you can, do give it a go. You won't be disappointed.
I have just had a quick glance through the diary and it seems my next trip is a visit to the poppy factory and then a cruise down the river. Quite a contrast but equally interesting.
After that it is Paddington - something I am really looking forward to.
So nice to have things to look forward to. Thanks for reading. xx
