Leeds Castle is truely a beautiful castle, situated in Kent, which has been described as “God's back Garden”. There has been a castle at Leeds for nearly 900 years and what you see today is largely the work of one woman.
Olive, lady Bailey. She bought the castle in 1926 and turned it into one of the most glamorous party houses in England.
She had high profile guests such as Edward, Duke of Windsor and wife Wallis Simpson, movie starts like Charlie Chaplin and Jimmy Stewart, the Great Winston Churchill and even James Bond creator Ian Fleming. During the 1930's
they played tennis, croquet and even swam in a pool with its very own wave machine. When the Second World War broke out in 1939. They were using the castle to test out flamethrowers and new weapons to prepare to defend England
against a Nazi invasion. She was very patriotic and kindly gave up her castle to help in the war effort, she gave it up to be used as a makeshift hospital to help in the case of all injured servicemen and women alike.
From the outside, its a beautiful picturesque castle, that hosted lavish parties but beneath that veneer it is no stranger to menace and violence...
The first castle was built around the 1100's by Robert Decrevco or “Robert the Brokenhearted”. Sitting on an artificially created lake from the River Len are three small islands that make up the castle. it really is a marvelous
castle, defended by a extensively wide man made moat that would require a boat to get to the bank and then a ladder to scale the wall. It is a textbook castle built to keep people out. Unfortunately Robert went bankrupt and had to sell
up. It was later purchased by the Queen of England, Eleanor, the Spanish wife of Edward I in 1278.
She built up the Gloriette, which is was the small island and turned it into a lush and lavish castle to live in. In her time it would of been a single story structure around a courtyard with timber walls, lead roof, main hall, a
banqueting hall and apartments.. she even bring European hygiene to Britain where she created a bath house.
The castle was thrusted into a bloody rebellion when the Kings son Edward II came to power between his reign in 1307-1327. Edward gave the castle to a trusted servant and friend Richard Badlesmere for his hard work. Three years later and
the a rebellion broke out against the King. Many Barons protested against the growing influence of one of the kings favorites, Hugh Despenser. Despenser and Bablesmere were massive rivals in court. Badlesmere decided to join the fight
against the King and the King was so enraged he demanded that he hand over Leeds Castle back to the Crown. Badlesmere refused. He joined the rebellion up North and left his wife in charge of the castle. The King was cunning and sent his
wife Queen Isabella to do his dirty work. She rode up to the castle gate and Asked Margaret Badlesmere to let her in. She refused, and with that came a tense standoff which eventually saw some of the Queen's men slain. This is precisely
what the King wanted. It gave him the perfect excuse to humiliate badlesmere, you don't attack the King's wife and get away with it.
The King amassed his army and set to besieg the castle himself personally. The castle held out for a week before surrendering. Thirteen of the garrison was killed and he imprisoned the Margaret and her Children in the Tower of London. In
April 1322 Badlesmere himself was captured, he was dragged down the streets of Canterbury behind a horse, hanged and beheaded... His head was put on a spike on one of the city gates to display to people you don't cross the King.
Queen Isabella was given the castle, but Edward made so many enemies that even she hated him. Isabella and her lover Richard Mortimer raised an army to rebel. She captured him and forced him to abdicate the crown and eventually had him murdered.
She held the castle till her death in 1358. All in all this castle saw 6 Queens of the King bestowed this castle as a gift to them. One Queen wasn't so lucky, Joan of Navarre, second wife to Henry IV. She was a very wealthy woman but fell foul
to her stepson's expensive war in France and to raise funds he accused her of necromancy and witchcraft. She was never tried as in an acquittal he would have to return her money so, he kept her locked up in the tower. But she wasn't the only
witch to be imprisoned here. Eleanor Cobham, her position in line with the crown. She saw an astrologer for her horoscope and it was told she would be Queen. But news got to the current King of this, got a second opinion. The King accused her
of necromancy and conspiring against the King. She was locked up there till her trial, her life was spared, but all those associated with it all died.
The castle then saw a long era in the hands of the Tudors, but over time, most of medieval building fell to ruin in the 17th Century. Its newest building at the time ”The New Castle” was built in the 1800's. This was the era of no longer
castles being required for Mary purposed but now a sign of opulence and wealth. A pleasured Manor of which to live in.
In 1920 it was up for sale again, with it looking in a real state of despair as owners struggled on the upkeep of the castle. But the change come from the new money from the new world. American dollars. This was Olive Paget,
a weather Anglo-American with bundles of cash looking to find something to showcase her wealth. She transformed it from its sorry state and gave it a new lease of life that we still can see associated with its current splendor to date. It Truely
is a beautiful place which has had strong Women owners down the line in history run at the helm of the castle.