Hever Castle

Hever Castle

There have been three main periods in the construction of this historic castle. 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.

Since 1983, the castle has been owned by Broadland Properties Limited and open to the public. The castle has a homely atmosphere and houses historic 16th century Tudor portraits, furniture and tapestries. Other artefacts include two magnificent Books of Hours (prayer books), both signed and inscribed by Anne Boleyn. Costumed figures of Henry VIII and his six wives in the Long Gallery adds to the atmosphere and is popular with the children. The Council Chamber in the thirteenth century gatehouse contains collections of historic swords, armour, instruments of execution, torture and discipline.

The castle is a romantic double moated 13th century castle which houses historic 16th century portraits, paintings, furniture, tapestries and treasures. A new exhibition 'The Pampered Prince' will be on display in the Long Gallery to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII's accession to the throne.

GARDENS:
The spectacular gardens at Hever Castle were laid out between 1904 and 1908 by Joseph Cheal & Son, turning
marshland into the spectacular gardens you see today.
The stunningly beautiful walled Rose Garden is at its best with the heady scent of over 3000 roses including Buxom Beauty, Rhapsody in Blue and Champaign Cocktail.
Two of the rose beds have this year undergone a change with the arrival of the novelty rose of the year 2010, ‘Super Trouper’, a bright orange floribunda and the famous old glowing red hybrid tea ‘Tintinara.
In the Italian Garden, the small gardens along the Pompeiian Wall are a blaze of summer colour and the herbaceous border, in the Gertrude Jekyll style, is a paintbox of colour.
Don’t forget to take a stroll around Lake Walk.
Over 1,000 men worked on the great design with around 800 men digging out the 38 acre lake at the far end of the Italian Garden – taking two years to do so!
There are many water features around the gardens, including Half Moon Pond, the Cascade Rockery, the cool and shady grottoes, the formal loggia fountain based on the Trevi fountain in Rome, and the more informal Two Sisters Pond.
The 110 metre herbaceous border has been reinstated and Sunday Walk created, providing a peaceful woodland garden following the course of a stream.

VISITORS INFORMATION:
HEVER CASTLE AND GARDENS ARE OPEN WEDNESDAY - SUNDAY IN MARCH
OPEN DAILY FROM 1ST APRIL

OPENING TIMES
March - December 2010
Gardens open 10:30am
Castle opens 12 noon

MAIN SEASON
3 - 31 MARCH: WEDNESDAY - SUNDAY
Last admission 4pm
Final exit 5pm

1 APRIL - 31 OCTOBER: DAILY
Last admission 5pm
Final exit 6pm
(31 October Final exit 5pm)

WINTER
1 NOVEMBER - 24 DECEMBER: WEDNESDAY - SUNDAY
CLOSED 25 AND 26 DECEMBER
OPEN DAILY 27 DECEMBER - 2 JANUARY 2011

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