Leeds Castle and Boughton Monchelsea Place
Thu 8 May 2025 9:45 AM - 4:30 PM BST
Leeds Castle, ME17 1RG
Description
Enjoy exclusive tours of two exquisite and breathtakingly beautiful Grade I properties tucked away in the Weald of Kent.
Discover Leeds Castle, built on islands in a lake formed by the River Len. A castle has existed on the site since 857. In the 13th century, it came into the hands of King Edward I, for whom it became a favourite residence; in the 16th century, Henry VIII used it as a dwelling for his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. Robert Fairfax owned the castle for 46 years until 1793 when it passed to the Wykeham Martins. Sale of the family estates in Virginia released a large sum of money that allowed extensive repair and the remodelling of the castle in a Tudor style, completed in 1823, that resulted in its appearance today. Our tour will include the history and ownership of the current and previous buildings on the site. The last private owner, the Hon. Olive, Lady Baillie purchased the castle in 1926 and undertook major restoration and the addition of interior features that includes a 16th-century style carved-oak staircase.
Header image Leeds Castle © gailf548 from New York State, USA, CC BY 2.0 <;, via Wikimedia Commons
Boughton Monchelsea Place © Copyright Oast House Archive
Later, visit Boughton Monchelsea Place, a 16th-century house built around 1567-75 on the site of an earlier manor house. The house, built of Kentish ragstone, is the remainder of a former courtyard house built for Robert Rudston. Its present form dates from 1819 and has been the home of several MPs for Maidstone. Internally, the house contains numerous features from the previous dwellings including 16th- and 17th-century fireplaces and timber panelling. The windows in the entrance hall and north room of the east range include armorial glass dated 1567 and 1575. The stairwell includes windows with 17th-century German stained glass taken from the adjacent church of St Peter. The park and gardens and the barn are listed Grade II.
Tickets £88 including a two-course lunch at the George Inn, Leeds Village. Lunch options to be made available to attendees in April 2025.
Location
Leeds Castle, ME17 1RG