Days of staying at Hever Castle

 

My latest trip away is all down to a history teacher, who back in 1941, enthused an eleven year girl with tales of the Tudors and a certain castle in Kent. That young girl is now 91 - she's my Mum who's always wanted to see where Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII, was brought up.

So off we went to Kent, to Hever Castle to stay in a castle for the very first time, and immerse ourselves in history and luxury. A treat to ourselves, as for a long time we were apart during lockdowns and missed each other dreadfully.

Of course, we weren't staying in the seven hundred year castle itself, our room was one of 28 in the Tudor style Edwardian wings, just yards from the castle. Arriving mid-afternoon, we were pleased with Bramley, our accessible deluxe twin room on the ground floor, with a large en suite.

Mum made herself a pot of tea before unpacking. There was a selection, from Earl Grey to fruit and peppermint teas and a selection of biscuits. Builders tea and shortbread for her, I downed a bottle of spring water but noticed approvingly there was a cafetiere and real coffee for me in the morning.

We ventured out into the gardens for a brief stroll and to sit and rest in front of the castle. 

It was quiet with only a few couples here and there, other guests who were staying here. All the day visitors had gone, leaving us feeling quite spoilt to have the place to ourselves.

Back indoors, it was time to eat.  We sat and relaxed in the sitting room as we waited for our table....and then it was time to eat in the rather grand dining room, full of guests talking quietly, as we were all served attentively with nothing being too much trouble.

Smoked salmon starters went down well and then chicken and duck as our main courses. Lots of vegetables and we couldn't manage puddings. 

An early night for both us and we were back for breakfast early the next morning. When I say breakfast, this was a feast. Continental pastries, fruit platters, porridge, eggs Benedict, full English breakfast with vegetarian and vegan options too, plus copious refills of coffee, tea and fruit juice.

We virtually staggered to the castle afterwards in time for a private tour for hotel guests before the day visitors arrived. 

The castle is oh so atmospheric with precious treasures belonging to its most famous inhabitant, Anne Boleyn. 

This was Anne’s personal Book of Hours,beautifully illustrated and with colours  still so vivid, but there is also a poignant inscription by Anne herself. "Le temps viendra" - the time will come.

Henry VIII may have married her but he also ordered her execution and later, he gave her family home to his fourth wife, Anne of Cleeves. 

Hever Castle isn't the largest castle in the country but as the saying goes, size isn't everything, and it does have a priest hole, a ghost, a wonderful collection of portraits of Plantagenet and Tudor Kings and so much more. 

It was at the beginning of the 20th century that Hever Castle and its 125 acres of gardens were transformed by the new owner, William Waldorf Astor. The richest man in America, he spent the equivalent of a billion pounds today in restoring the castle itself, building new wings and completely changing the gardens and grounds.

From the castle you can see our bedroom in the Astor Wing, so close to the original castle  

 

 The courtyard for hotel guests is a lovely area to sit and read a book in the early afternoon, or drink a gin in the early evening and chat with fellow guests.

 

As well as creating the extra wings, William Waldorf Astor employed 800 workers to dig and create a lake and create the most spectacular gardens.

These days, there isn't a huge staff to maintain them. We were lucky enough to meet the irrepressible Neil Miller, the Head Gardener who only has a team of eleven gardeners, and some volunteers, yet manages to create, refresh and enhance the acres and acres of ground

Some of the gardens are high maintenance too, such as the rose garden, containing 4000 rose bushes,

the more formal Italianate Garden and the wonderful and very different Pompeian Wall, but we loved them all.

Whether you visit Hever Castle for the day, or for a night or two, there's something for everyone no matter how young or old you are. Mazes, a children's play area, a couple of cafes and you can even go boating on the lake.

A two night stay though was a wonderful experience. We cocooned ourselves in a different world, a world where we felt safe and pampered. A place where we not only felt as if we went back in time, but where we had time to chat, to read and to have drinks with other like-minded people, such as Sam and George who love history, historic houses and gardens. 

For me, the best part of each day was first thing. Walking out into the gardens in the early morning light, breathing in the scented air, and being totally alone. Wandering around the knot garden amongst the herbs, walking over to the lake, sitting there watching the ducks and swans gliding on the water, and totally losing track of time and the outside world.

Meanwhile Mum couldn't get enough of going into the castle itself when it was so empty and she could wander around to her heart's content. There are lots of stairs and she could only use her rollator on the ground floor, but the very helpful guides ensured that she could get everywhere in the castle safely and at her own pace. 

So, we loved our time at Hever Castle. The acid test mind you, is would we go again? For both of us, the answer is an unequivocal yes. I would love to see the tulips in Spring, apparently, there's thousands and thousands of them.

Meanwhile, there are other adventures to plan. Mum has now achieved her childhood dream of visiting Hever, and over the years, we've ticked off her fancy to see Salzburg in the snow and her ambition to cruise down the Nile with a trip to the Valley of the Kings. 

Where though, can I take a gregarious, lively minded, 91 year old on a trip next?