12-7-05 Down to Leeds Castle
We had a nice drive down to Leeds Castle today. I wasn’t something I thought was going to be all that interesting, I mean, how interesting can a castle be? Boy was I wrong. First built as a Norman stronghold in the 11th Century, Leeds Castle has been described as “The Loveliest Castle in the World.”
Traditionally the dower house for widowed queens of England, Henry VIII and his party stopped here on the way to the great tournament of the Field of the Cloth of Gold in May 1522. It has been used as a garrison, a prison and a war-time convalescent home as well as the family home of the Fairfax, Culpeper and Wykeham-Martin families. The Castle of today is the result of 900 years of alterations and changes.
In 1926 the Castle was bought by a young Anglo-American heiress-Lady Baillie. She turned Leeds into a country house with all the luxuries of the 20th Century, welcoming the rich and famous throughout her life. The wonderful interiors were created by her, while the antiques and art are largely those she collected. The Castle was left to the Leeds Castle Foundation on her death in 1974 for the benefit of the public forever.
I think you’d agree from the pictures, this was a pretty good idea. It’s just beautiful.
Tomorrow we’re returning our rental car, and focusing the rest of our trip within London. After doing a little laundry down the road, we went to some friends’ house in Crawley for Sheppard’s pie dinner. The gig in Worthing was cancelled, but we may venture up to Bethnal Green to see The Vibrants tomorrow night.
Hope you are all well.
Traditionally the dower house for widowed queens of England, Henry VIII and his party stopped here on the way to the great tournament of the Field of the Cloth of Gold in May 1522. It has been used as a garrison, a prison and a war-time convalescent home as well as the family home of the Fairfax, Culpeper and Wykeham-Martin families. The Castle of today is the result of 900 years of alterations and changes.
In 1926 the Castle was bought by a young Anglo-American heiress-Lady Baillie. She turned Leeds into a country house with all the luxuries of the 20th Century, welcoming the rich and famous throughout her life. The wonderful interiors were created by her, while the antiques and art are largely those she collected. The Castle was left to the Leeds Castle Foundation on her death in 1974 for the benefit of the public forever.
I think you’d agree from the pictures, this was a pretty good idea. It’s just beautiful.
Tomorrow we’re returning our rental car, and focusing the rest of our trip within London. After doing a little laundry down the road, we went to some friends’ house in Crawley for Sheppard’s pie dinner. The gig in Worthing was cancelled, but we may venture up to Bethnal Green to see The Vibrants tomorrow night.
Hope you are all well.
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