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[[File:Leeds castle.JPG|300px|thumb|right|Leeds Castle, Kent]]
'''Leeds Castle''' is in [[Kent]], [[England]], {{convert|5|mi|km|0}} southeast of [[Maidstone]]. A castle has been on the site since 1119. In the 13th century it came into the hands of King [[Edward I of England|Edward I]], for whom it became a favourite residence; in the 16th century, [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]] used it as a residence for his first wife, [[Catherine of Aragon]]. The castle today dates mostly from the 19th century and is built on islands in a lake formed by the [[River Len]] to the east of the village of [[Leeds, Kent|Leeds]]. It has been open to the public since 1976.

==History==

===Medieval and Tudor===
[[File:Leeds Castle2.jpg|thumb|right|Leeds Castle at sunset]]
Built in 1119 by [[Robert de Crevecoeur]] as a Norman stronghold<!-- to replace the earlier [[Saxon]] manor of Esledes-->, Leeds Castle descended through the de Crevecoeur family until the 1260s.<ref name=pastscape>{{citation |url=http://www.pastscape.org/hob.aspx?hob_id=418125 |title=Leeds Castle |publisher=English Heritage |work=Pastscape |accessdate=14 March 2012}}</ref> What form this first castle took is uncertain because it was rebuilt and transformed in the following centuries. Adrian Pettifer speculates that it may have been a [[motte and bailey]].<ref>{{harvnb|Pettifer|1995|pp=121&ndash;122}}</ref>

In 1278, the castle became the property of King [[Edward I of England|Edward I]]. As a favoured residence of Edward's, it saw considerable investment. The king enhanced its defences, and it was probably Edward who created the lake that surrounds the castle. A [[barbican]] spanning three islands was also built. A [[gloriette]] with apartments for the king and queen was added.<ref>{{harvnb|Emery|2006|p=304}}</ref> In the Late Middle Ages, the growth of the royal household meant fewer residences could accommodate the monarchy when they visited. As a result, expenditure on royal residences in south east England generally decreased except for the [[Tower of London]] and [[Windsor Castle]]. The activity at Leeds Castle during the reign of Edward&nbsp;I was a notable exception to this pattern.<ref>{{harvnb|Emery|2006|p=268}}</ref>

The castle was captured on 31 October 1321 by the forces of [[Edward II of England|Edward II]] from [[Margaret de Clare, Baroness Badlesmere]], wife of the castle's constable, [[Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Baron Badlesmere]], who had left her in charge during his absence. The King had besieged Leeds after she had refused Edward's consort [[Isabella of France]] admittance in her husband's absence; when the latter sought to force an entry, Lady Badlesmere instructed her archers to fire upon Isabella and her party, six of whom were killed.<ref>{{harvnb|Costain|1958|pp=193–195}}</ref> Lady Badlesmere was kept prisoner in the Tower of London until November 1322.<ref>{{harvnb|McKinsack|1959|p=64}} note 3</ref> After Edward&nbsp;II died in 1327 his widow took over Leeds Castle as her primary residence.<ref>{{harvnb|Emery|2006|p=305}}</ref>

[[Richard II of England|Richard II]]'s first wife, [[Anne of Bohemia]], spent the winter of 1381 at the castle on her way to be married to the king. In 1395, Richard received the French chronicler [[Jean Froissart]] there, as described in ''[[Froissart's Chronicles]]''.

[[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]] transformed the castle in 1519 for his first wife, [[Catherine of Aragon]]. A painting commemorating his meeting with [[Francis&nbsp;I of France]] still hangs there.

In 1552 Leeds Castle was granted to [[Anthony St Leger (Lord Deputy of Ireland)|Anthony St Leger]].<ref name=pastscape/>

===17th and 18th centuries===
{{Multiple image|direction=horizontal|align=left|image1=Leeds Maidstone Fairfax Doublet 1648.jpg|image2=Leeds Cuirassier 1640 civil war armour.jpg|width1=163|width2=163|caption1=Doublet worn by Fairfax at the Battle of Maidstone in 1648|caption2=Civil War Cuirassier armour at Leeds circa 1640}}
The castle escaped destruction during the [[English Civil War]] because its owner, Sir [[Cheney Culpeper]], sided with the [[Roundhead|Parliamentarians]]. The castle was used as both an arsenal and a prison during the war. Other members of the Culpeper family had sided with the [[Cavalier|Royalists]], John, 1st Lord Culpeper, having been granted more than {{convert|5000000|acre|km2|abbr=on}} of land in [[Virginia]] in reward for assisting the escape of [[Charles II of England|the Prince of Wales]].<ref name="Guidebook">{{harvnb|McCann|2002}}</ref> This legacy was to prove vital for the castle's fortunes.

[[Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron]] was born at the castle in 1693 and settled in [[Colonial America|North America]] to oversee the Culpeper estates, cementing an ongoing connection between the castle and America. There is a commemorative sundial at the castle telling the time in [[Belvoir, Virginia]] and a corresponding sundial in America.<ref name="Guidebook"/>
Fairfax was the great grandson of [[Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron|Thomas Fairfax]] who led the parliamentarian attack at the nearby [[Battle of Maidstone]] in 1648 and whose [[Doublet (clothing)|doublet]] worn during the battle is on display.

===19th century===
[[File:Leeds Castle (2004a).jpg|thumb|The new castle was completed in 1823 in the Tudor style.]]
Robert Fairfax owned the castle for 46 years until 1793 when it passed to the Wykeham Martins. Sale of the family estates in Virginia released a large sum of money that allowed extensive repair and the remodeling of the castle in a Tudor style, completed in 1823, that resulted in the appearance today.<ref name="Guidebook"/>

===20th century===
The last private owner of the castle was the [[Lady Olive Baillie|Hon. Olive, Lady Baillie]], daughter of [[Almeric Paget, 1st Baron Queenborough]] and his first wife, [[Pauline Payne Whitney]], an American heiress. Lady Baillie bought the castle in 1926. She redecorated the interior, first working with the French architect and designer Armand-Albert Rateau, who oversaw exterior alterations and added interior features such as a 16th-century-style carved-oak staircase), then with the Paris decorator [[Stéphane Boudin]]. During the early part of [[World War II]] the castle was used as a hospital where Lady Baillie and her daughters hosted burned Commonwealth airmen as part of their recovery. Survivors remember the experience with fondness. Upon her death in 1974, Lady Baillie left the castle to the Leeds Castle Foundation, a private charitable trust whose aim is to preserve the castle and grounds for the benefit of the public.<ref>{{EW charity|268354|LEEDS CASTLE FOUNDATION}}</ref> The castle was opened to the public in 1976.

On 17 July 1978, the castle was the site of a meeting between the Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammed Ibrahim Karmel and Israeli Foreign Minister [[Moshe Dayan]] and [[Cyrus Vance]] of the USA in preparation for the [[Camp David Accords]].<ref name="Guidebook"/> The castle also hosted the [[Northern Ireland]] peace talks held in September 2004 led by [[Tony Blair]].

{{wide image|Leeds_Castle,_Kent,_England_1_-_May_09.jpg|699px|A wide panoramic view of Leeds Castle from across the moat on the north west side}}
{{wide image|Leeds Castle, Kent, England 3 - May 09.jpg|699px|Leeds Castle and its [[moat]] from the rear}}

==Tourism==
[[File:leeds castle maze.JPG|thumb|right|The maze at Leeds Castle was made with 2,400 yew trees and was opened in 1988.<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.leeds-castle.com/goto.php?sess=+A5C5E47535956+F1D42131744505D1D1D58+E+C57+9+95B58415C47581B125014+543&id=96 |title=The Maze, Grotto and Turf Maze |publisher=Leeds Castle |accessdate=14 March 2012}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Fisher|Loxton|2007|p=68}}</ref>]]
An aviary was added in 1980 and by 2011 it contained over 100&nbsp;species, but it was decided to close it in October 2012 as it was felt the foundation could make better use of the £200,000 a year it cost to keep the aviary running.<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-15270302 |title=Leeds Castle to shut its aviary to save £200,000 |publisher=BBC News |date=12 October 2011 |accessdate=14 March 2012}}</ref> The castle and its grounds are a major leisure destination with a maze, a grotto, a golf course and what may be the world's only museum of dog collars.

It is a Grade&nbsp;I [[listed building]] (first listed in 1952)<ref>{{citation |url=http://list.english-heritage.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx?uid=1039919 |title=Leeds Castle |publisher=Heritage Gateway |accessdate=14 March 2012}}</ref> and recognised as an internationally important structure.<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Faqs/default.aspx?topic=4#25 |title=Frequently asked questions |work=[[Images of England]] |publisher=[[English Heritage]] |accessdate=14 March 2012}}</ref> In 1998 Leeds Castle was one of 57&nbsp;heritage sites in England to receive more than 200,000&nbsp;visitors.<ref>{{citation |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/433171.stm |title=Castle fires up tourists |publisher=BBC News |date=30 August 1999 |accessdate=14 March 2012}}</ref> According to figures released by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, nearly 560,000&nbsp;people visited the castle in 2010.<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.alva.org.uk/details.cfm?p=423 |title=Visits Made in 2010 to Visitor Attractions in Membership with ALVA |publisher=ALVA – Association of Leading Visitor Attractions |accessdate=29 February 2012}}</ref>

==Film location==
The castle was a location for the 1949 film ''[[Kind Hearts and Coronets]]'' where it stood in for "Chalfont", the ancestral home of the aristocratic d'Ascoyne family.

It was the set for the [[Doctor Who]] episode ''[[The Androids of Tara]]''.

==Castle interior==
<gallery>
Image:leeds castle room.JPG|The Dining Room
Image:leeds castle dining hall.JPG|The Banqueting Hall
File:Leeds Castle Reading Room - May 09.jpg|The Library
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Castles in Great Britain and Ireland]]
*[[Grade I listed buildings in Maidstone]]
*[[List of castles in England]]

==References==
;Notes
{{reflist|2}}

;Bibliography
{{refbegin}}
*{{citation |last=Costain |first=Thomas B. |year=1958 |title=The Three Edwards |publisher=Doubleday and Company}}
*{{citation |last=Emery |first=Anthony |title=Greater Medieval Houses of England and Wales: Volume III Southern England |year=2006 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-58132-5}}
*{{citation |last1=Fisher |first1=Adrian |last2=Loxton |first2=Howard |title=Secrets of the maze: an interactive guide to the world's most amazing mazes |year=2007 |publisher=Barnes & Noble |isbn=978-0-7607-9073-1}}
*{{citation |last=McCann |first=Nick |year=2002 |title=Leeds Castle |isbn=0-85101-374-0}}
*{{citation |last=McKisack |first=May |year=1959 |title=The Fourteenth Century |series=Oxford History of England}}
*{{citation |last=Pettifer |first=Adrian |title=English Castles: A Guide by Counties |publisher=Boydell |location=Woodbridge |year=1995 |isbn=0-85115-782-3 }}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
*{{citation |last=Martin |first=Charles Wykeham |title=The History and Description of Leeds Castle, Kent |year=1869 |publisher=Nichols and Sons}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*[http://www.leeds-castle.com/ Official site]
*[http://www.gatehouse-gazetteer.info/English%20sites/1631.html Bibliography of sources related to Leeds Castle]

{{coord|51|14|53|N|0|37|44|E|region:GB-KEN_type:landmark|display=title}}

{{Treasure Houses of England}}
{{Fairfax family}}
{{Broomfield and Kingswood}}
{{Leeds, Kent}}

[[Category:Castles in Kent]]
[[Category:Country houses in Kent]]
[[Category:Maidstone (borough)]]
[[Category:Historic house museums in Kent]]
[[Category:Gardens in Kent]]
[[Category:Grade I listed buildings in Kent]]
[[Category:Fairfax family residences]]
[[Category:Mazes]]
[[Category:Aviaries]]
[[Category:Water castles]]
[[Category:Former zoos]]

Revision as of 19:42, 23 January 2014

Leeds Castle, Kent

Leeds Castle is in Kent, England, 5 miles (8 km) southeast of Maidstone. A castle has been on the site since 1119. In the 13th century it came into the hands of King Edward I, for whom it became a favourite residence; in the 16th century, Henry VIII used it as a residence for his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. The castle today dates mostly from the 19th century and is built on islands in a lake formed by the River Len to the east of the village of Leeds. It has been open to the public since 1976.

History

Medieval and Tudor

Leeds Castle at sunset

Built in 1119 by Robert de Crevecoeur as a Norman stronghold, Leeds Castle descended through the de Crevecoeur family until the 1260s.[1] What form this first castle took is uncertain because it was rebuilt and transformed in the following centuries. Adrian Pettifer speculates that it may have been a motte and bailey.[2]

In 1278, the castle became the property of King Edward I. As a favoured residence of Edward's, it saw considerable investment. The king enhanced its defences, and it was probably Edward who created the lake that surrounds the castle. A barbican spanning three islands was also built. A gloriette with apartments for the king and queen was added.[3] In the Late Middle Ages, the growth of the royal household meant fewer residences could accommodate the monarchy when they visited. As a result, expenditure on royal residences in south east England generally decreased except for the Tower of London and Windsor Castle. The activity at Leeds Castle during the reign of Edward I was a notable exception to this pattern.[4]

The castle was captured on 31 October 1321 by the forces of Edward II from Margaret de Clare, Baroness Badlesmere, wife of the castle's constable, Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Baron Badlesmere, who had left her in charge during his absence. The King had besieged Leeds after she had refused Edward's consort Isabella of France admittance in her husband's absence; when the latter sought to force an entry, Lady Badlesmere instructed her archers to fire upon Isabella and her party, six of whom were killed.[5] Lady Badlesmere was kept prisoner in the Tower of London until November 1322.[6] After Edward II died in 1327 his widow took over Leeds Castle as her primary residence.[7]

Richard II's first wife, Anne of Bohemia, spent the winter of 1381 at the castle on her way to be married to the king. In 1395, Richard received the French chronicler Jean Froissart there, as described in Froissart's Chronicles.

Henry VIII transformed the castle in 1519 for his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. A painting commemorating his meeting with Francis I of France still hangs there.

In 1552 Leeds Castle was granted to Anthony St Leger.[1]

17th and 18th centuries

Doublet worn by Fairfax at the Battle of Maidstone in 1648
Civil War Cuirassier armour at Leeds circa 1640

The castle escaped destruction during the English Civil War because its owner, Sir Cheney Culpeper, sided with the Parliamentarians. The castle was used as both an arsenal and a prison during the war. Other members of the Culpeper family had sided with the Royalists, John, 1st Lord Culpeper, having been granted more than 5,000,000 acres (20,000 km2) of land in Virginia in reward for assisting the escape of the Prince of Wales.[8] This legacy was to prove vital for the castle's fortunes.

Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron was born at the castle in 1693 and settled in North America to oversee the Culpeper estates, cementing an ongoing connection between the castle and America. There is a commemorative sundial at the castle telling the time in Belvoir, Virginia and a corresponding sundial in America.[8] Fairfax was the great grandson of Thomas Fairfax who led the parliamentarian attack at the nearby Battle of Maidstone in 1648 and whose doublet worn during the battle is on display.

19th century

The new castle was completed in 1823 in the Tudor style.

Robert Fairfax owned the castle for 46 years until 1793 when it passed to the Wykeham Martins. Sale of the family estates in Virginia released a large sum of money that allowed extensive repair and the remodeling of the castle in a Tudor style, completed in 1823, that resulted in the appearance today.[8]

20th century

The last private owner of the castle was the Hon. Olive, Lady Baillie, daughter of Almeric Paget, 1st Baron Queenborough and his first wife, Pauline Payne Whitney, an American heiress. Lady Baillie bought the castle in 1926. She redecorated the interior, first working with the French architect and designer Armand-Albert Rateau, who oversaw exterior alterations and added interior features such as a 16th-century-style carved-oak staircase), then with the Paris decorator Stéphane Boudin. During the early part of World War II the castle was used as a hospital where Lady Baillie and her daughters hosted burned Commonwealth airmen as part of their recovery. Survivors remember the experience with fondness. Upon her death in 1974, Lady Baillie left the castle to the Leeds Castle Foundation, a private charitable trust whose aim is to preserve the castle and grounds for the benefit of the public.[9] The castle was opened to the public in 1976.

On 17 July 1978, the castle was the site of a meeting between the Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammed Ibrahim Karmel and Israeli Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan and Cyrus Vance of the USA in preparation for the Camp David Accords.[8] The castle also hosted the Northern Ireland peace talks held in September 2004 led by Tony Blair.

A wide panoramic view of Leeds Castle from across the moat on the north west side
Leeds Castle and its moat from the rear

Tourism

The maze at Leeds Castle was made with 2,400 yew trees and was opened in 1988.[10][11]

An aviary was added in 1980 and by 2011 it contained over 100 species, but it was decided to close it in October 2012 as it was felt the foundation could make better use of the £200,000 a year it cost to keep the aviary running.[12] The castle and its grounds are a major leisure destination with a maze, a grotto, a golf course and what may be the world's only museum of dog collars.

It is a Grade I listed building (first listed in 1952)[13] and recognised as an internationally important structure.[14] In 1998 Leeds Castle was one of 57 heritage sites in England to receive more than 200,000 visitors.[15] According to figures released by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, nearly 560,000 people visited the castle in 2010.[16]

Film location

The castle was a location for the 1949 film Kind Hearts and Coronets where it stood in for "Chalfont", the ancestral home of the aristocratic d'Ascoyne family.

It was the set for the Doctor Who episode The Androids of Tara.

Castle interior

  • The Dining Room
    The Dining Room
  • The Banqueting Hall
    The Banqueting Hall
  • The Library
    The Library

See also

References

Notes
  1. ^ a b "Leeds Castle", Pastscape, English Heritage, retrieved 14 March 2012
  2. ^ Pettifer 1995, pp. 121–122
  3. ^ Emery 2006, p. 304
  4. ^ Emery 2006, p. 268
  5. ^ Costain 1958, pp. 193–195
  6. ^ McKinsack 1959, p. 64 note 3
  7. ^ Emery 2006, p. 305
  8. ^ a b c d McCann 2002
  9. ^ "LEEDS CASTLE FOUNDATION, registered charity no. 268354". Charity Commission for England and Wales.
  10. ^ The Maze, Grotto and Turf Maze, Leeds Castle, retrieved 14 March 2012
  11. ^ Fisher & Loxton 2007, p. 68
  12. ^ Leeds Castle to shut its aviary to save £200,000, BBC News, 12 October 2011, retrieved 14 March 2012
  13. ^ Leeds Castle, Heritage Gateway, retrieved 14 March 2012
  14. ^ "Frequently asked questions", Images of England, English Heritage, retrieved 14 March 2012
  15. ^ Castle fires up tourists, BBC News, 30 August 1999, retrieved 14 March 2012
  16. ^ Visits Made in 2010 to Visitor Attractions in Membership with ALVA, ALVA – Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, retrieved 29 February 2012
Bibliography
  • Costain, Thomas B. (1958), The Three Edwards, Doubleday and Company
  • Emery, Anthony (2006), Greater Medieval Houses of England and Wales: Volume III Southern England, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521-58132-5
  • Fisher, Adrian; Loxton, Howard (2007), Secrets of the maze: an interactive guide to the world's most amazing mazes, Barnes & Noble, ISBN 978-0-7607-9073-1
  • McCann, Nick (2002), Leeds Castle, ISBN 0-85101-374-0
  • McKisack, May (1959), The Fourteenth Century, Oxford History of England
  • Pettifer, Adrian (1995), English Castles: A Guide by Counties, Woodbridge: Boydell, ISBN 0-85115-782-3

Further reading

  • Martin, Charles Wykeham (1869), The History and Description of Leeds Castle, Kent, Nichols and Sons
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Leeds Castle.

51°14′53″N 0°37′44″E / 51.24806°N 0.62889°E / 51.24806; 0.62889

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