HEVER CASTLE

Kent

Hever Castle is as much of a joy to visit as its reputation say it is.  The gardens are amongst the most stunning in Kent (a county of beautiful gardens) and the Castle itself is a perfect little example of semi-domestic Castle building.

Hever is, of course, also hugely historically important - it was here that King Henry VIII courted Anne Boleyn, a move which would eventually lead to a split with Rome and the setting up of the Church of England.

Around 1200 Sir William de Hever built the Gatehouse-cum-keep at Hever.  In 1340 a second William de Hever was granted licence to crenellate and it was probably he who added the outer walls around the little central courtyard.  In 1384 a second licence was granted to Sir John de Cobham of Cooling Castle, it was he who added the gun loops and strengthened the Castle considerably.

Hever was sold in 1462 to Sir Geoffrey Bullen, a Norfolk man, his great-granddaughter Anne would end up being a key figure in English history.  Anne was by nature a flirtatious woman, she had had an affair with Sir Thomas Wyatt of Allington Castle when she first met King Henry. When she married Henry a split with Rome was forced, leading to the creation of the Church of England (not to mention the last great phase of true Castle building as Henry fortified the south coast from Kent to Cornwall).  The marriage didn't last long, and Anne lost her head in 1536. Her ghost comes back to haunt Hever every Christmas.

After this Hever's life would never be as exciting again.  A succession of owners had less and less interest in the Castle until it was bought by William Waldorf Astor in 1903.  He rescued the Castle, added the astonishing gardens and built, on the back of the Castle, the "Tudor" village - a collection of excellently rendered houses.

Hever Castle is open throughout the year and is well worth a visit.

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2018