Some Historic Kent

And so where today?

Off to Hever Castle for a bit of History. Hever was the home of Anne Boleyn but much of what you see today is the American ideal of a Tudor House as restored by William Waldorf Astor.









The inner courtyard.



Obviously Hever makes alot of its Boleyn connections. It has for instance Boleyn's book of hours.

Look what was on the moat!









I ought to point out that the "Tudor" village you can see was built by Waldorf.



So lets have a look at the gardens, which incidentally got the top ** in the Good Gardens Guide.


























Hever is a great day out although perhaps better when its not a bank holiday.

So it was starting to get busy so what to do? There was a church that was on the way back that was also next to a house I had yet to visit. Both Church and House received *** in the respective Jenkins.

Lullingstone Castle is the subject of a TV series. It is a tudor house converted to be a Queen Anne Mansion. The setting of lake, gatehouse, mansion and church is quintessentially English.






For those used to the Corporate nature of the National Trust or of a fine private house like the earlier visited Hever this is a bit of a surprise. The house is indeed of restoration, and what is open is limited.

The grounds don't seem to be prepared to expect visitors. It all seems a bit amateurish. The World Garden may be a wonderful idea but I would leave it a good few years to let the planting establish.

The church though is very fine. It contains a dinky font in a cupboard and some excellent memorial tombs.










I was a little disappointed still it is a member of the HHA so didn't cost me a penny.