Hever Castle

Hever Castle, another beautiful castle in Kent, was home to the Boleyn family. After the Boleyns fell from grace following Anne Boleyn’s spectacularly gruesome demise, the house eventually became the home of King Henry VIII’s cast-off fourth wife, Anne of Cleves. According to the timeline on the Hever Castle site, the house went to the Waldegrave family, which I believe continued to live there into the 1600s. The house fell into a state of disrepair but was eventually salvaged by American William Waldorf Astor, who purchased the castle and made extensive work on it.

The castle and its gardens have been open to the public since 1983 – and it truly is one of the most lovely castles I have ever seen. I had an annual membership and so my husband and I went down from London to Hever regularly, but since we’ve moved up to Lancashire, it’s too far to keep that up.

I was a BAD girl and took photos inside, but I figured that since I had no flash, it shouldn’t hurt. Anyway, the photos might inspire people to go and visit, which is win-win for all really!

Photo: Andrea Zuvich

Once you pass over the bridge you come into a lovely Tudor style courtyard.

The image below is of the Astor bit (and to be honest, I can’t remember the name of the room). I’d call it a living room, but that’s just me. It’s nice but it’s far to modern for my taste and for being in a castle – but, again, that’s just my opinion.

Photo: Andrea Zuvich

Lovely tapestries and paintings throughout…

Photo: Andrea Zuvich

The stairs are great, but be careful, especially if someone is pinching your bottom on the way up…

Photo: Andrea Zuvich

One you have ascended to the next floor, there is the Tudor section, where they have rooms and objects which belonged to Anne Boleyn – Hever Castle’s most famous resident.