Hever Castle

Ahhhhhhh...beautiful Hever Castle...the childhood home of Anne Boleyn.

"The oldest part of the castle dates to 1270 and consisted of the gatehouse and a walled bailey. In the early 1500s the Bullen family bought the castle and added a Tudor dwelling within the walls and so it became the childhood home of its most famous inhabitant, Anne Boleyn. It later passed into the ownership of Henry’s fourth wife, Anne of Cleves. From 1557 onwards the Castle was owned by a number of families including the Waldegraves, the Humfreys and the Meade Waldos. Finally, in 1903, William Waldorf Astor invested time, money and imagination in restoring the Castle, building the ’Tudor Village’ and creating the gardens and lake."

Words can't express how breathtaking this place is. It is a proper Tudor castle with a moat, acres of land with canals and a lake, huge oak trees hundreds of years old and creepy topiary trees. Jousting, swords, big horses and all that romantic stuff is there too. Inside the castle (not allowed to take pictures, which is why there aren't any) has stone floors, walls, twisty turny staircases, loads of medieval furniture...and a very good vibe. Despite its reputation, I didn't feel any creepy ghost vibes in this place...it was full of love and history and the warmth of family. The huge Mediterranean gardens were gorgeous and full of huge Italian urns and sculptures, hundreds and hundreds of years old...just simply amazing. England really does have some awesome history.

Love and Light
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