In little England, there are surprisingly many castles. Many of them are poorly preserved, and some are completely destroyed. One of the well-preserved medieval buildings is Leeds Castle. About his story and how to get to him, read the article.
The early history of Leeds Castle
Its location is the lake islands by the Len River. It's just four miles from Maidstone, Kent. Today it is perhaps the most beautiful medieval castle in the world, rich in its history and events taking place around it.
The castle is named after its first owner, who was the lord Lead. At first (857) a small wooden fortress was built. In its place much later (1119) a stone castle was erected. Since 1278, the castle has been in the possession of Edward the first, who remodels it and gives it to his wife, Eleanor of Castile. Until the beginning of the fourteenth century (1318), the widowed queens of England owned the castle. He was the residence of Margaret of France, stepmother Edward II.
Queen's residence
The owner of the castle in 1321 was Lord Badlesmer. When he was not at home, Queen Isabella came to stay with her, who was denied hospitality. Her guards were killed and she returned home. King Edward II, the husband of Isabella, responded to the insult. He arrested the Budlesmear relatives and sent them to the fortress, and Leeds captured.
Queen Isabella received the castle as a gift from her husband. Since then, no one has captured him. For many centuries, the castle was the residence of the English queens. Leeds belonged to the crown for a long time, from 1278 to 1552. In the Middle Ages, it was a favorite resting place of the English kings and queens who often visited it.
The history of the castle in our time
Lady Bailey Leeds Castle, a photo of which is presented for viewing, was inherited from a wealthy uncle in 1926. The lady spent almost all her fortune on its reconstruction and interior design. She hired the best craftsmen to work. With their help, the internal appearance of the castle was transformed.
A great contribution to its restoration was made by the French architect Arman Rato, and later by Stefan Budin. Thanks to the heiress, paintings, tapestries, furniture, Chinese porcelain, and ceramics were collected. Reconstructed many rooms for various purposes.
Seminar room
Leeds Castle has many premises. One of them is Lady Bailey's former room. She used her as a boudoir. In 1960, the room was transferred to her own son to equip her bedroom. When the lady died (it was 1974), the room was converted into a hall in which seminars began to be held.
The first meetings in this hall were held in 1978, where the foreign ministers of countries such as the United States of America, Egypt and Israel concluded a series of agreements called Camp David. The seminar hall was sought after by Sinn Fein when, during the fourth year of the third millennium, peace negotiations were held there to address issues related to Northern Ireland.
Library
Its design is the creation of the hands of the great master Boudin. An example for interior decoration is the library of the Boton house, which was restored in the 17th century. The main decoration is a portrait depicting a lady and her daughters.
At that time, Bailey was forty-seven years old, Pauline was twenty-seven, and Susan was twenty-four. The eldest daughter died in 1984, the youngest - in 2001. The library has about three thousand volumes of books.
Lady Bailey's bedroom
To develop the design of the room, a decorator from France was invited. It was 1936. The famous master Stefan Budin in the future carried out orders for the White House, in particular for the wife of President Kennedy.
Bedroom Aragonese Catherine
In Leeds Castle, the interior of this room was also designed by Stefan Budin in 1960. The first wife of King Henry the Eighth stayed in it in 1520, and the bedroom was named after her. Above the bed is a portrait of Lady Bailey’s mother, and above the fireplace is Lola Montes, who was known as the main adventurer of the 19th century.
The main staircase in the castle
It is so called because behind the doors (there are four), there are almost all bedrooms, of which there are twenty-three in the castle. Above the stairs are portraits depicting Bailey's mother and father. His father's name was Almerik Paget, he was the titled Lord of Queenborough. And his grandfather is the Marquis of Anglesey.
Mother - Pauline Winti - was originally from New York. Her uncle was a very wealthy man and left all his fortune to Lady Bailey's niece. When she entered into inheritance rights, the castle was in terrible condition.
As you know, almost all the money left by her uncle, she spent on the restoration of the castle, which she used as a suburban residence, until 1974, in which she died. Before her death, she managed to create a charity fund named after Leeds Castle. After her death, the foundation inherited ownership of it.
Banquet Hall of King Henry the Eighth
Leeds Castle in England has a room named after the famous king. Henry was the owner of the castle. It was during this period that a bay window was installed, distinguished by luxury and beauty. The beams in the room are a real work of woodcarving art. Particularly noteworthy is the floor, for which the material is ebony. To decorate the interior of the hall in the 16th century, a tapestry was brought from Flemish, and lining material for the fireplace from France.
Royal chambers
In this room, restorers tried to keep the interior the way it was when the castle was owned by the widow of King Henry the fifth, Catherine Valois (1420). The Queen's bed was magnificent and rarely used for its intended purpose.
Its impressive size and delicate silk drapes impressed the guests whom the queen received. Bedspreads and drapes were marked with the initials "H" and "C", denoting the names of the king and queen. A diamond-shaped coat of arms hung above the fireplace, meaning that the queen was a widow.
Gallery
This building was restored in 1927 by an architect from France Arman Rato. Leeds Castle is proud of its gallery. The carved oak beams of the wonderful work of Parisian masters impress. The busts of King Henry the Eighth and his children are made of marble. The fireplace mantel and carved emblems of the king and queen delight visitors. A table, and that one has its own legend. At first it belonged to an Italian monastery, later, in the 17th century, it occupied a worthy place in the gallery.
Chapel
In this case, this is the room in which daily service was held for the repose of the souls of Edward's first wife. Her name was Eleanor of Castile. The chapel, where the memorial service was sent, was called the "church chapel." During the reign of Henry the Eighth, it was closed. This time falls on 1544. Its restoration and re-lighting took place already in the twentieth century, in the seventies.
The panels depicting the Nativity of Christ are made of linden wood. They date back to 1500. The furniture is covered in Flemish tapestries of 1495. Organ music was played on the corresponding instrument of 1795 release.
Road to the castle
How to get from London to Leeds Castle by car? A wonderful medieval building is located from London in a southeast direction just 64 kilometers away. This is the neighborhood of Maidstone. You need to go along the routes B2163, M20.
How to get to Leeds Castle by train? Special routes have been developed for direct train connections between Victoria Station in London and the nearest station on the Birsted Railway, from where regular bus routes run to the castle itself. The journey takes one hour. You can go on a journey from another station - Waterloo. Trains stop very close to the castle, only twenty minutes away.