This time we visit Hever Castle, once the childhood home of Anne Boleyn,
second wife to King Henry Viii and mother of Elizabeth 1st.
Join us for a tour around this beautiful historic and important property and gardens.
Hever Castle is located in Eden Valley, Kent. Known as the garden of England for hundreds
of years because of its abundance of fruit-growing and hop gardens.
There are two entrances and parking areas at Hever and you can get all
the latest information about visiting along with booking at this website.
If you watch the end we'll show you a lovely 15th-century pub nearby you can
visit after the tour for a drink and some lunch. We'll head straight to the castle
before seeing more of the extensive surrounding ornate gardens and walks.
The history of Hever Castle starts some 700 years ago. The first records show that the moated castle
was built around 1270 and was owned by William de Hever, a sheriff under King Edward 1st.
It consisted of a gatehouse and walled bailey surrounded by the moat for defence.
Inside contained a timber-built hall with some outbuildings for kitchens stables and workshops.
In 1462 the Bullen family later to be known as Boleyn took ownership of Hever and during
renovations added a Tudor dwelling inside the castle walls. This is where the history of the
castle becomes intriguing and complex I'll try and give a brief summary of this period.
Sir Thomas Boleyn inherited the castle from his father William
in 1505 and decided to make a family home of Hever for his wife Elizabeth and three children, Mary,
George and Anne. Moving from Blickling Hall, Norfolk where Anne was born was a convenient
relocation so that Thomas was closer to court in London whilst also having good access to Dover
for diplomatic business trips across to Europe on behalf of King Henry Viii. At the time of
Anne's birth, the Boleyn family were one of the most respected in English aristocracy.
Arriving at Hever, Anne would have been approximately four
or five years old and spent a number of years growing up at
the property which would have looked quite different to what it does today.
In the early years Anne and her sister Mary held positions in the royal courts in the
Netherlands and France, having been introduced by their father. Later Anne became a maid of
honour for Queen Mary of France. Her experiences during this time made her a devout Christian.
Henry Viii would ascend to the throne and marry his first wife Catherine of Aragon in 1509.
After six births and no male heir, Henry was growing tired of waiting around
and by 1525 Anne had become one of the ladies in waiting to Queen Catherine.
Henry became enamoured
with Anne and this would lead to Henry renouncing Catholicism, creating the Church of England,
banishing Catherine and marrying Anne in a secret ceremony on the 1st of June 1533.
In September that year, Anne gave birth to Elizabeth later to become Queen Elizabeth 1st.
In early 1536 Anne was pregnant again. Henry fell from his horse during the tournament and was badly
hurt. When news reached Anne she was sent into shock and miscarried a male child of 15 weeks.
This started the downfall of Anne as Henry was incensed by the miscarriage and his wandering
eye then snared Jane Seymour, a new mistress. By April allegations of conspiracy and adultery
caused five men including Anne's brother George to be arrested on treason and having
sexual relations with the Queen. Anne herself was arrested on charges of adultery and incest.
Although the evidence against them was unconvincing the accused were found guilty
and condemned to death. George Boleyn and the other men were executed on the 7th of May,
and at 8am on the 19th of May Anne was executed at the Tower of London.
Henry was engaged the very next day and Jane Seymour would become queen
and the only wife of Henry that provided him with what he wanted most in the world a son. Of course,
we know Henry went on to have more wives and Hever Castle fell into his ownership for a period,
following the annulment of his marriage to Anna of Cleeves. The
castle passed to her as part of the annulment agreement,
and from 1557 onwards numerous other owners stamped their mark on the castle.
The most notably being William Waldorf Astor, the richest man in America who acquired the
now rundown estate in 1903. He would go on to invest a great deal of time and money renovating,
adding the lake and the beautiful gardens that we'll see shortly.
If you want to find out more about Anne's execution, see some of Henry Viii's armor
and possessions, check out our Tower of London tour where we had crowd-free
access to the thousand-year-old fortress. Link top right now and at the end of this video.
If you are looking for something to eat and drink or buy during your visit then
there's plenty of pop-up eateries and the Hever garden shop to check out on-site. Due to covid,
this is currently outdoors only but shortly to allow indoor seating again. There is plenty of
outdoor space and you can of course bring a picnic and find a spot to enjoy your lunch.
The inside of the castle is currently closed but on a previous visit before we started our youtube
channel we took a few shots inside. This will give you a taste of what you can expect to see
we'll be back to do a full inside guide as soon as we're allowed. We'll put a link in this video.
If you subscribe you also get notified when the video goes up.
There are many rooms to see
most of which were renovated to William Astor's specification but still retain their Tudor charm.
See the Boleyn coat of arms over the fireplace in the dining hall.
Explore the room believed to be where Henry Viii slept when visiting Hever
or just standing in ore of the wonderful craftsmanship of the castle.
There's so much more to see than we can show you today.
Let's now turn our attention to the wonderful gardens here at Hever,
laid out between 1904 to 1908 by Joseph Cheal and Son.
Over a thousand men worked on 125 acres for four years to design and plant what we see today.
Let's start with the maze and Tudor gardens by the castle itself.
The maze is over 100 years old and made from yew hedging, some eight feet high. It's a popular
attraction when open with over a quarter of a mile of pathways to get lost in.
A succession of owners
including Astor added a number of buildings with a period feel around the castle as you can see.
These are used for weddings, events and accommodation if you wish to stay at Hever Castle.
The Tudor gardens are a series of small areas with exquisitely clipped hedging and flora.
Whilst the castle had modest gardens in the Boleyn years,
Astor laid them out as what might have been during that period. The chess garden is a
personal favourite, like something out of Alice in wonderland. In the centre is an early astrolabe,
a form of astronomical device dating back to the reign of Queen Anne.
Here we are in the paved fountain garden.
Moving on we pass the edge of the lake. There are some nice walks in this area called the lake walk.
Some attractions like the water maze, millennium fountain
and Japanese tea house were not accessible on our visit. This is
where they also offer archery for those that fancy trying to hit the bullseye.
We walked the path that hugs the outer wall of the Italian garden which we'll see shortly.
Astor created many distinct areas within the walled gardens this is the blue corner a rockery
area where planting is predominantly blue flowering through all seasons.
For a blast of bright green with mosses and ferns, we pass the cascades over a hundred meters long,
you feel the cooling calm effect of the bubbling waters as you pass through this area.
From the lake walk, we enter the enchanting Italian gardens
this area covers four acres and consists of large manicured lawns,
showcase areas housing antiquities in marble and stone, all surrounded by 12 foot high walls.
Astor brought back many sculptures and statues from Italy in 1905
some of them are over 2000 years old.
Hidden in the centre is the sunken garden with a few benches it's a
nice place to stop for a peaceful picnic in the carmen tranquillity.
Overlooking the 38-acre lake we arrive at the impressive loggia
and nymphs fountain based on the trevi fountain in Rome.
In 2017 the castle extensively renovated this area to protect and restore the stonework from age.
This area can also be used for wedding ceremonies what a spectacular backdrop to get married in.
Walking along the terraces in the Italian garden we are heading to the rose garden.
This beautiful garden has yet to flower this year so looks rather sparse.
I can assure you from June to September it will be full of bright reds pinks and purple flowers
from the 4000 rose bushes in the walled garden. The fragrance will be incredible.
Starting near the Hever shop and passing the graves of some of Astor's faithful friends
is the Sunday walk. This takes you to some of the quieter areas of the estate.
Meandering paths full of streams, rhododendron, ferns and shrubs
lead you uphill for views back over the estate.
This long straight path points you straight down at the entrance of the castle for a striking view.
The fountain pool at the edge of the half-moon lawn leads us back to the castle.
Today the castle is owned by Broadland properties, chaired by John Guthrie. They purchased the castle
and its entire collection from the Astor family in 1983. They continue to look after Hever Castle.
We promised you a Tudor pub at the start. A great place to end your day at Hever Castle.
Situated just 100 yards from the castle entrance. The Henry Viii pub has been here since 1597. Step
inside for a roaring fire, oak beams and a historic atmosphere. You can see more details
on their website including views inside the pub itself. We hope you enjoyed our tour of Hever
Castle. We have more like this on our channel so do subscribe if you want to see future videos or
head over to our website for more information thanks for watching, see you again you!