Leeds Castle Maidstone

Leeds Castle, in the lovely county of Kent just south of London, is a wonderful place to spend a day. We went there as part of a day tour by coach but there really is a lot that will keep you going for most of the day. The castle was built in 1119 and has been a royal palace and later a private home for many centuries. Most famously used by many queens of England who would come here to live after the king died in medieval ages. Henry VIII also visited here frequently early in his reign.

The castle is entered via some steps and through a Norman cellar and then you go up into a Heraldry room with portraits of various family owners and coats of arms. You pick up a laminated sheet that gives you an overall description of each room you go through. You can take photos in most of the castle except for the chapel.

Disabled visitors can enter the castle on the main ground door that is normally used as an exit. You progress through several rooms that are restored to how they would look in the medieval era. A queen's bedroom and bath with light softly filtering in the tall pointed windows.

There are a few miscellaneous rooms used for meetings and a board room and then you come to a Tudor era room with lots of windows and a grand fireplace. There are busts of Henry and each of his children that became monarchs (Mary, Elizabeth and Edward) in one corner. At the end is a lovely little chapel.

In the 1920s a socialite bought the castle. This woman married a man named Baillie in the early 30s. Lady Baillie hired a French decorator to restore and redecorate the castle in meticulous detail. The more modern part of the castle reflects this. There are sitting rooms, a library, bedrooms, a dining room and other lovely areas. They are very elegant but you could also picture yourself living there as well!

There are lovely old staircases, antiques, a grand marble staircase, original tapestries and paintings and sculpture to be examined. There are lovely views out over the moat and even the inner courtyards look inviting.

The castle is on two small islands surrounded by a moat. The rest of the grounds are manicured with a number of other attractions to view on a nice day. Off the islands there are a group of brick buildings that house the gift shop, cafe, toilets and most wonderfully, a dog collar museum! That is a small one room museum with cases containing dog collars for animals both domestic and those used for hunting. It's hard to imagine some of those heavy spiked collars on a dog! It's by far the most unique museum i've been to... so far!

Behind these buildings is a lovely English garden called the Culpepper garden after one of the former families that owned the castle. There is also an aviary of many colourful and rare birds. You can try to get through the maze elsewhere or view the greenhouse. There is a pond with many ducks including rare black swans and also a somewhat newer attraction, there is a hot air balloon ride available near the entry gate.

There is a playground and a craft center for kids and they hold special events through the summer including a jousting match and a flower show. See the web site for various details. http://www.leeds-castle.com/

It's a bit pricey at 15 pounds per adult with concessions and group/family rates but it isn't much when you think about all the things you can do and see. You can even play a round of golf for an additional charge.

Getting there: You can catch a bus from Victoria coach station to the castle for 22 pounds which includes the price of admission. It arrives about 10:30 a.m. and returns to London about 3 p.m. Train travel to Bearsted station with a shuttle bus to the castle.

This review is the subjective opinion of a TravelPod member and not of TravelPod.com.