Hever Castle, the childhood home of Anne Boleyn.
I have an unwritten list of places I want to visit, mostly places in southern England that are easy to reach in a day. Near the top of the list was Hever Castle, the childhood home of Anne Boleyn. Since seeing the exhibit of Henry VIII at the British Library, I was even more determined to get to the home of the woman for whom he broke with the Catholic church.
Unfortunately, I chose to go on a Saturday in July, when a jousting tournament was being held on the grounds. Approximately half the population of southern England was also at Hever Castle. This meant long queues, first to get in and again to get into the castle itself. But the gardens and grounds weren't crowded at all, though we didn't brave either of the two mazes at Hever.
The Rose Garden contains over 4000 roses.
Hever Castle has had dozens of owners over the years, including, ironically, a Catholic family who had to hide their priest as well as their faith, years after Anne Boleyn's husband established Protestantism in England. The castle also was given to Anne of Cleves, Henry's fourth wife, as a consolation prize when he divorced her.
But the owner who left his mark most distinctly was the American William Waldorf Astor, who bought Hever in 1903 and set about rebuilding the gardens, the castle, and creating living quarters in addition to the relatively small living space inside the castle walls. Not content with the surrounding beauty of the Kent countryside, Astor had a 35-acre lake dug, where today you can rent a row boat and paddle around.
The man-made lake, dug by 800 men at the whim of William Astor.
Looking for a way to display his collection of Italian sculpture, Astor employed Joseph Cheal to create the Italian garden. Today, at the peak of its maturity, it's simply stunning. Stone statues seem right at home amidst the floral displays, competing with each other for artistic merit. A wisteria walkway leads visitors toward the lake, where the Trevi fountain invites photographers to snap a shot:
Just because the Trevi Fountain's in Rome doesn't mean you can't have one in your garden.
There were a couple of special guests the day we were there, King Henry and his pregnant wife Anne. We were among the loyal subjects cheering them on as they left the castle and headed for the jousting:
His Majesty Henry VIII and Queen Anne
If you visit Hever, you may choose to purchase a ticket to the grounds and gardens only, or for an extra few pounds, add admission to the castle. The castle contains many portraits of Tudors, including all of Henry VIII's wives, his father, and a rare portrait of his older brother, Arthur, who died before he inherited the throne. In addition to several portraits of Anne, there's a portrait of her sister, Mary, who was Henry's lover before he turned to Anne. Most of the portraits, like the furnishings in the castle, were purchased by the Astor family and did not belong to the Boleyn (or Bullen) family.
Lining up to enter the Tudor residence inside the castle walls.
There's a Tudor structure inside the castle walls, which date from 1270. Visitors can go from room to room, including the bedroom thought to belong to Anne and her sister. Sadly, the bed was most likely pieced together in Victorian times and was not originally Anne's bed.
Today, Boston ivy climbs up the walls of the original castle, turning bright red in the fall:
Hever Castle, surrounded by a moat and a crowd of visitors.
Hever Castle is located near Edenbridge, Kent, about an hour's drive from London. The main season runs from the first of March through the end of November, with special opening days during the winter. It would be worth visiting year round just to see how the gardens wear the different seasons.
