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Hever Castle, Kent

Hever Castle represents a period of great social change in Britain. When the castle was first built around 1300 it was designed as a functional fortification. Edward I , a strong and ruthless king was in charge, but society remained generally violent and unstable. By Tudor times, the period for which Hever is most famous, people were living more stable lives, and the rich no longer felt the need to hide behind thick walls. By the reign of Elizabeth I wonderful houses such as Longleat and Montacute were created. These lacked defensive capabilities. Hever straddles this social divide. It was built as a castle, but in 1500 was to become more of a country house, when a comfortable dwelling was built inside the original walls. This was the country house where Anne Boleyn, future wife of Henry VIII spent her childhood. By 1903 American billionaire William Waldorf Astor felt attracted to Hever's romance. He spent millions purchasing and restoring the castle, building a mock Tudor village behind it, creating extensive gardens and digging an enormous lake. His money built on the image of romance. Castles had always been spiritual as well as military buildings, their architecture closely mimicking that of sacred sites from Neolithic times onwards. Visitors now enjoy a romantic, dreamy landscape, a quality that is always latent in seemingly unromantic buildings dedicated to warfare.

The house has many interesting exhibitions inside linked to Tudor life, Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. In the grounds there is an exhibition dedicated to country houses through the ages, a book shop, a gift shop, two restaurants, a yew maze and an imaginative water maze. There is also a large, exciting children's playground which features a wooden maze in which the six entrances are named after the wives of Henry VIII. Displays are organised on various aspects of Tudor life. On bank holiday weekends a band often plays in front of the castle which adds to the atmosphere. There is also a lakeside open air theatre where performances are held from June until August.

As noteworthy perhaps as the Anne Boleyn connection, but made less of at Hever, is the fact that Nancy Astor, the wife of William Waldorf Astor, was the first woman MP to sit in the House of Commons.

 

Opening Times: Gardens open at 10.30am, castle at 12 noon. Closing times vary - see below.

3rd - 31st March, Wednesday to Sunday 10.30am - 5pm, last admission 4pm.

1st April to 31st October open daily 10.30am - 6pm, last admission 5pm.

1st November to 24th December Wednesday to Sunday 10.30am - 4pm, last admission 3pm.

27th December to 2nd January, 10.30am - 4pm. Last admission is one hour prior to closing.

The yew maze and water maze are open from Easter to October only.

Address: Hever Castle, Hever, near Edenbridge, Kent TN8 7NG

Directions: The castle is situated three miles south east of Edenbridge in Kent off the B2026 in the village of Hever. Dogs on leads are welcome. Click here for an interactive road and satellite map centred on Hever Castle.

Access: Most of the gardens are accessible to wheelchairs. Most steps are ramped. Wheelchairs are available to hire. In the house only the ground floor is accessible. Both restaurants are accessible, and both have adapted toilet facilities. All wheelchair users are admitted free, although their carers will be charged normally. There is designated disabled parking near the Mote restaurant. Assistance dogs are admitted to all areas.

Contact:

telephone: 01732 865224

box office: 01732 866114

fax: 01732 866996

e-mail: mail@hevercastle.co.uk

 

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