When Henry VIII converted Leeds Castle into a Tudor palace, he could not have imagined it would become a tourist attraction with half a million visitors a year and a café serving high teas with smoked salmon sandwiches and prosecco.
But that’s true.
Tourists flock to the love nest that Henry renovated for his first wife Catherine of Aragon in 1519, downstairs, on the site of a Norman stronghold.
Before his reign, the fortress was best known as a home (whether by choice or not) for a succession of queens.
The first, Eleanor of Castile from 1278, installed a medieval writing room for copying manuscripts.
Laura Sharman visits Leeds Castle, the love nest that Henry VIII renovated in 1519 for his first wife, Catherine of Aragon
Leeds Castle has become an attraction with half a million visitors every year
Before Henry’s reign, the fort was best known as a home (whether by choice or not) to a succession of queens
Meanwhile, Queen Joan of Navarre was imprisoned there in 1419 for witchcraft.
The last female owner in the 1920s, Lady Baillie, was known for hosting lavish parties for politicians, socialites and Hollywood stars, and was called ‘the perfect place to spend a weekend’.
Nearly a century later, much the same can be said.
As you enter the dining room to the sound of swing music, it is easy to imagine Charlie Chaplin, one of Lady Baillie’s guests, standing by a tower of champagne glasses – just like the one in the window today, capturing the essence of that heady want to record the period. .
Set in the rolling Kent countryside (the M20 passes not far from it), the castle is flanked by two pleasant villages listed in the Domesday Book.
The nearest is tiny Broomfield, home to two fine Tudor houses, while the highlight of beautiful Hollingbourne – just to the north – is All Saints Church, dating from the 14th century.
This contains a beautiful 17th century embroidery with fruit trees and cherubs.
For lunch, look no further than the Black Horse Inn in the village of Thurnham, just north of Hollingbourne.
Laura stays in a lakeside lodge in the grounds of Leeds Castle
As she enjoys the view from an outdoor pool at her lodge (pictured), Laura wonders ‘what Henry VIII would think’
Queen Joan of Navarre was imprisoned at Leeds Castle in 1419 for witchcraft. Above this is the castle maze
Laura recommends stopping for lunch at the Black Horse Inn, pictured, in the nearby village of Thurnham
This atmospheric 18th-century pub, which also has rooms, serves first-class lamb roasts on Sundays.
The countryside is crisscrossed with excellent walking trails, one of which follows the Pilgrims Way through the North Downs.
We opt for a 90-minute loop past oosthuizen and a vineyard.
Back at our lakeside lodge, in the grounds of Leeds Castle, we enjoy the lake view from our outdoor pool – and are left wondering what Henry VIII would think.