Leeds Castle Foundation Celebrates 40th anniversary with Patron HRH Princess Alexandra

HRH Princess Alexandra, Patron of Leeds Castle Foundation

Leeds Castle Foundation celebrated its 40^th anniversary as a charitable foundation today, Thursday 9^th October, with a Royal visit from Patron HRH Princess Alexandra to officially open The Gatehouse introductory exhibition, view the new Exhibition Centre display rooms, meet long serving staff and attend an education workshop with students from the Leeds and Broomfield Village Primary School.

The last private owner of Leeds Castle the Hon. Olive, Lady Baillie made the  Castle her lifelong love and she ensured that after her death in 1974 the Castle should be enjoyed by visitors from all over the world as a place where people would always be welcome. 

Over the last 40 years, Leeds Castle under the guidance of the charitable Foundation has become one of the most visited historic buildings in Great Britain and today plays hosts to events and functions throughout the year continuing to boost tourism in Kent.

Niall Dickson, Chairman of Leeds Castle Foundation walks with HRH Princess Alexandra, Patron of Leeds Castle Foundation to the Maiden’s Tower to meet long serving staff during the official visit today to celebrate the 40^th anniversary of the charitable foundation.

HRH Princess Alexandra, Patron of Leeds Castle Foundation meets long serving staff in the Maiden’s Tower to celebrate 40^th anniversary of the charitable foundation. Pictured above meeting Wendy Edmed, Retail Assistant who has worked at Leeds Castle for 27 years.

Beverley Clark, PA to the Chief Executive (pictured above) commented: "It was an honour to meet Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra, who was delightful. The long serving staff were so excited and privileged to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the charitable foundation in the presence of our Patron." 

Anna Hudson, Visitor Operations Manager (pictured below) added: "I found the Princess absolutely charming and she was very interested in our work here. It is a real joy to work at Leeds Castle in such beautiful surroundings with lovely people."

HRH Princess Alexandra, Patron of Leeds Castle Foundation officially opens The Gatehouse introductory exhibition during a visit to celebrate the 40^th anniversary of the charitable foundation. Pictured above with Shane Guy, Head of Tourism for Leeds Castle (left) and Niall Dickson, Chairman of Leeds Castle Foundation (right).

The Gatehouse introductory exhibition is a 900 year walk through history of Leeds Castle

The Gatehouse,is designed as a 15 minute walk‑through prior to visiting the Castle and includes an incredible virtual model, a computer‑generated fly‑through history of the Castle from its 12th century origins as a stone fortress on the River Len to an elegant early 20th century retreat. The new presentation, housed in The Gatehouse building on Castle Island, gives visitors the chance for an in-depth look at some of the Castle’s finest treasures, including a medieval crusader’s sword and Joan of Navarre's wardrobe book.

HRH Princess Alexandra, Patron of Leeds Castle Foundation views the Joan of Navarre wardrobe book with Victoria Wallace, Chief Executive of Leeds Castle, Niall Dickson, Chairman of Leeds Castle Foundation (centre) and Shane Guy, Head of Tourism for Leeds Castle (right).

HRH took a tour of the new Exhibition Centre, which opened in June, featuring two display rooms located within Stable Courtyard. Pictured above with Victoria Wallace, Chief Executive of Leeds Castle as she meets Tori Reeve, Curator of Leeds Castle.

HRH Princess Alexandra, Patron of Leeds Castle Foundation views the Dog Collar Collection in the new exhibition centre with Tori Reeve,Curator for Leeds Castle (pictured above left) during a visit to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the charitable foundation.

Students from the Leeds and Broomfield Village Primary School enjoyed a special visit from HRH Princess Alexandra during an education workshop ‘A Potted History of Leeds Castle’. The award‑winning Leeds Castle Education Centre delivers the new National Curriculum for the 2014/15 academic year through interactive workshops offering all the benefits of school trips within the beautiful 900 year old Castle in Kent.

HRH Princess Alexandra, Patron of Leeds Castle Foundation visits an education workshop during a visit to celebrate the 40^th anniversary of the charitable foundation. Pictured with Jake Poulton, aged 8, and Charley Jackson, aged 7, from Leeds and Broomfield Primary School.

"The children from Class 2 of Leeds and Broomfield School were very excited to meet a real live princess. They started their day learning about all the kings, queens, princes and princesses who had lived at the castle over the 300 years that it was royally owned.

"When the princess arrived, they were overawed and uncharacteristically quiet, but they soon found their voices to tell her they would much rather be at Leeds Castle than in the Maths lesson they would have been doing at school! The Princess also signed the Leeds Castle Visitor book whilst visiting the Education Centre," commented Helen Ellis, Education Manager.

  

HRH Princess Alexandra, Patron of Leeds Castle Foundation visits an education workshop during her visit. Pictured with Helen Ellis, Education Manager and children from Leeds and Broomfield School.

For more information on Leeds Castle Foundation visit www.leeds-castle.com 

Kipling and Keats inspire Leeds Castle’s Festival of Flowers Autumn Glory

Yesterday evening Leeds Castle welcomed the press, floral designers and special guests from the theatrical world including Sir Ian McKellen to preview the transformation of the 900 year old Castle into a colourfully creative venue for the Festival of Flowers: ‘Autumn Glory’. 

Autumn Glory is the theme of the Festival of Flowers

The Festival, led by Leeds Castle Head Florist Louise Roots and multi award winning floral designer Mig Kimpton runs until Sunday 28th September and is free to enter for visitors holding day or annual passes to Leeds Castle.

Louise Roots, Castle Florist with her beautiful David Austen Roses Display

Special guests were welcomed by Festival Designer Mig Kimpton before an exclusive preview of the beautifully decorated Castle rooms. Over 25 talented floral designers, local florists and amateur flower arrangers have created floral designs on the theme of the glory of the Kent garden inspired by the poetry of Kipling and Keats.

In the Castle courtyard the Castle gardeners have created a floral representation of the great influences of both poets. Kipling spent his informative years in India, which is illustrated at the far end of the courtyard. Keats, in the near right corner of the Courtyard, spent his final years in Italy. One of his famous poems ‘Ode to a Nightingale’ is purportedly written whilst Keats sat under a plum tree. 

Castle Gardeners Sam and Natalie in the decorated Courtyard inspired by Poets Keats and Kipling

Special guest Sir Ian McKellan complimented Castle Gardener Sam Wiesbauer for the creative design describing it as ‘intuitive and intelligent.’ 

Mig Kimpton Festival Designer with special guest Sir Ian McKellan

To read more about the preview evening visit: http://maidstone-magazine.co.uk/leeds-castles-fantastic-flower-festival-attended-sir-ian-mckellen/

Specialist talks, demonstrations and workshops make for a truly floral celebration for visitors to enjoy throughout the week. A free specialist talk on the flowers and gardens of Leeds Castle takes place on Thursday at 2pm at the Pavilion Lawn Marquee. 

Yellow Silk Drawing Room

Take a step back in time to the 1930s as one of the Castle Guide’s regales tales of the last private owner Lady Baillie’s lavish house parties and how she planned floral arrangements down to the minutest detail on the ‘Lady Baillie’s Love of Flowers’ talk.  

For more information on the event visit: www.leeds-castle.com/events

Flower Power at Leeds Castle

Written by Castle Florist Louise Roots

Summer is finally here and this season is set to be very busy and exciting for the floristry team. One of my projects this week is to decorate a punt with fresh flowers as part of The Chelsea Fringe.  From tomorrow, Thursday 22nd May for around a week visitors to Leeds Castle will see a beautiful bedecked ‘flower powered’ punt floating in the moat with what looks like a cottage garden on it. 

Leeds Castle entry to the Chelsea Fringe on display from 22nd May: 'Floating English Country Garden'

In my design I am including a mass of suitable summer flowers and cuttings from the gardens. Tall Delphinium, Peonies, Foxgloves, Alliums and Lupins all feature to create an idyllic summer garden scene gently floating on the moat. Although I have been lucky to be involved in lots of different things, I must admit that decorating a punt is a first for me as a florist, but then I have never been known to turn down a challenge especially when it involves using so many stunning flowers. 

Louise Roots, Castle Florist with Andrew from Leeds Castle Punting

This is our offering as participants in The Chelsea Fringe and there will be additional events going on during the day on 22nd May in the Culpeper Garden with talks, trails and Invicta School joining us early afternoon to sing. I hope that visitors will enjoy seeing our entry to the Fringe with the ‘flower powered’ punt and it encourages people to return to see our beautiful gardens all year round.

The floating English country garden punt will be on display on the moat from Thursday 22 May

The wedding season is well under way and we we are lucky to be involved in some beautiful wedding design themes. This gives me the opportunity to work with some stunning flowers and arrangements. 

The early part of the year is spent meeting brides and discussing their wedding themes and it is lovely to see it all come together on the big day. 

The trends we saw in 2013 are set to continue this year. Vintage inspired informal arrangements are still popular and glamorous whites and creams are always a favourite colour choice. Brides are opting for blowsy blooms such as scented garden roses, peonies and hydrangeas for a traditional look, while the feminine shades of coral, soft apricot, mint green and tiffany blue are a popular choice matching the current fashion trends.

Vintage inspired arrangements in the Banqueting Hall

Festival of Flowers 23-28 September

September will see the return of the Festival of Flowers to Leeds Castle, a floral celebration from the glory of the Kent Garden. We are lucky to have the involvement of multi award winning Mig Kimpton who has invited some fantastic designers to transform the Castle with floral displays. The festival will also provide the opportunity for anyone with a flare or passion for flower arranging to enter one of our floral competitions.

During the festival we will be running workshops, demonstrations and talks, as well as garden tours. Mig Kimpton will be hosting his autumnal floral inspiration show, something I am personally looking forward to. This is going to be a spectacular event that I am passionate about and I would love to see Leeds Castle become the flagship of flower festivals in the future.

Lady Baillie, the last private owner of Leeds Castle, loved fresh flower arrangements and always wanted fresh flowers in the Castle upon her arrival for the weekend.  

Lady Baillie carefully chose flower arrangements to match her outfits when hosting her infamous house parties. She often entertained high society guests during the 1930s including Royalty, politicians and Hollywood stars such as Edward and Mrs Simpson, Noel Coward, David Niven and Errol Flynn.

Lady Baillie loved flowers

Lady Baillie hosted high society guests at her 1930s house parties

Castle Florist Louise Roots

Lady Baillie would tell her Housekeeper her wardrobe choice for the weekend and the flowers would be cut and arranged accordingly. However, she was known for her eccentricity and sometimes changed her mind about the colour scheme on a Friday morning before she arrived and so the florists would have to start all over again!

We continue this tradition with floral arrangements inside the Castle and change the flowers every Wednesday and of course for weddings, special events or celebration dinners.  Lady Baillie had four greenhouses where she grew exotic flowers for the Castle and to plant out in the gardens. 

Spring blooms

Today the gardening team continue to use greenhouses for nursery planting. I always use seasonal flowers where possible and at this time of year there is so much to choose from. I love to work on a large scale and working in the Castle allows me to do just that. 

As part of my role, I work closely with the Gardening Team especially to find out what foliage from around the estate might be available for arrangements. I also advise the gardeners on types of flowers that are suitable for arrangements. For example, the team is currently ordering Alliums for planting in the autumn. By next spring I will be able to use the flowers for displays. It has a lovely globe-like flower head which works well for fresh flower arrangements as well as dried flowers in the winter.

The Culpeper Garden looks lovely at this time of year with lots of alliums, pink lupins, blue bearded iris, foxglove and purple delpheniums.

The Culpeper Garden: an English cottage style garden 

I have been the Head Florist at Leeds Castle for two years full time and prior to that I worked here on a casual basis when asked to help with wedding flowers. I trained for two years full time at college to an advanced level and once qualified I worked in various florist shops to gain experience. This fitted in well with working as a freelance florist at the Castle part time as it allowed me to be involved in large scale work that I might not have been asked to do in a shop. I have now been a florist for 13 years and love my job at Leeds Castle.”

 Louise with an asymmetrical front facing pale blue delphinium arrangement 

Horticultural Events at Leeds Castle

The Chelsea Fringe
Now in its third year, the Chelsea Fringe is an alternative gardening festival based across the UK and beyond celebrating everything about plants, gardens, flowers or landscape and if it's interesting or original and quirky then it's in. 

It is the Fringe to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show but it is different because it spreads far and wide, covering everything that could be conceivably linked with gardens, plants, landscape and environment with most events and activities free and un-ticketed.

The Fringe is all about harnessing and spreading some of the excitement and energy that fizzes around gardens and gardening. Entirely independent of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show (though acting with its support), the Fringe explodes out of the showground geographically, demographically and conceptually. Find out more at: www.chelseafringe.com

There are several ‘satellite’ Fringe events taking place around the country and Leeds Castle is one of them with a spectacular and somewhat quirky cottage garden on a punt: ‘the flower powered punt’.

Festival of Flowers: Tuesday 23 to Sunday 28 September

This September, Leeds Castle hosts a Festival of Flowers themed ‘Autumn Glory’, a floral celebration from the glory of the Kent garden. Leeds Castle Head Florist Louise Roots and multi award winning floral designer Mig Kimpton will lead a team of over 25 designers to transform the Castle rooms through floral works of art on display from Tuesday 23 to Sunday 28 September.

A Floral Art Competition sponsored by South East Flowers will feature three classes open to all whether you are a florist, flower arranger, student florist or simply enjoy working with flowers. Choose between Class A ‘Autumn Door’, a door wreath to be hung on a dark wooden panel staged on front of a barrel in the Cellar entrance; Class B ‘Autumn Celebration’, a table centre exhibit to be staged in the Henry VIII Banqueting Hall; or Class C ‘Autumn Basket’, to be staged on a window sill within the Castle in a basket including any fruit or vegetables.

Class A and Class B floral art exhibits must fit in a space of 60cm x 60cm, while exhibits for Class C will be given window sill dimensions on application. Download the application form to enter the competition at www.leeds-castle.com/events

Meet the Castle Gardener Tour: Thursdays from April to September at 1130 

The Castle Gardeners are once again hosting Garden Tours for visitors to ask questions, find out more about the history of the gardens and how the plants are maintained day to day to take some useful tips home. The tours run on Thursdays from April to October, subject to availability, please check the website for details. The Garden Tour is free of charge with a valid admission ticket and meets outside the Fairfax Restaurant at 1130am.

Garden tours meet Thursdays at 11:30 outside the Fairfax Restaurant

Spring has Sprung at Leeds Castle

Written by Head Gardener Andrew McCoryn.

Spring is here and it’s really nice to see the daffodils, crocuses and of course our famous Anemone blandas in full bloom after the heavy rainfall of January and February. In the past few weeks, we’ve been making the most of the sunny, dry days by planting lovely cherry trees in the Culpeper Garden to bring some beautiful white and pinks blooms for visitors to enjoy.

The plan for this year and beyond is to create lots more colour and interest to attract more visitors throughout the colder months and, personally, I’d like to ensure that the Culpeper Garden is one of the best-kept gardens in Kent, after all the county has long been nicknamed 'the Garden of England.'

The Culpeper Garden was first opened in 1980 in memory of the Castle’s last private owner Lady Baillie.  It was designed by leading landscape gardener Russell Page and I believe he successfully achieved a homely feel to the cottage-style garden. It’s located on what was once the site of the Castle’s kitchen garden and is named after the Culpeper family that owned the Castle in the 17^th Century.

New to the Culpeper Garden for 2014 are over twenty witch-hazel shrubs. We planted these in January. Known in China as ‘Queen of the winter’ they produce the most amazing vibrant yellows, oranges and red spidery flowers. Hardy down to -18 degrees Celsius, some of the flowers possess a lemony or spicy fragrance. It’s the perfect way to kick off the New Year in an English garden.  We are also making a winter trail of hardy shrubs through the formal gardens, which will add colour, fragrance and interest for many winters to come.

One of our latest projects is to restore the rockery around The Barbican and fortified mill to bring back the colour as it would have been in the 1930s.  Working with an original 1934 black and white photograph, and the recent discovery of 80 year old rockery plant lead labels, this amazing plant puzzle is slowly being pieced back together.

Later this year we will be planting cherry trees and magnolias on the Castle Island to give visitors the 

feeling of tradition and majestic presence in keeping with the Castle's 900 year history. We are so lucky to have such a rich and colourful past here at Leeds Castle and we plan to reflect this through the development of the gardens around the Estate.

This summer we will be kept busy redeveloping the Lady Baillie Mediterranean Terrace Garden, where many palm trees indigenous to the Mediterranean, South America and Central China will be planted. I hope that this will encourage more visitors to enjoy this warm, but often overlooked, part of the Estate.

On the top terraces will be Chilean Jubaea Palms, which has the widest trunk of any palm species and feels like the skin of an elephant - I know this from my days working at a zoo with elephants. On the mid-terraces will be Chamaerops Palm, one of only two types of palm tree native to the Mediterranean and on the lower terraces will be Chinese Chusan palm, which has fan-shaped leaves and a hairy trunk, giving a lush sub-tropical feel.

We have recently planted a series of large round Tuscan stone pine trees. These have created volume and height to the garden and will help to provide shelter for other plants. Incidentally the trees are also the source for pesto. Alongside them we will be adding tall pencil-shaped Italian Cypresses. So revered was this plant in ancient times that the people of the Island of Cyprus named their island after the plant.

Together with the team we have been planning our new look Lady Baillie Mediterranean Terrace Garden for some time. We want the garden to be as dramatic as possible. Most importantly though is to remember that we are nearer to the North Pole than the Mediterranean by over 500 miles, therefore we have looked for plants from around the world that come from colder climates but still have that exotic look.

I’ve recently introduced desert plants such as the Argentine saguaro, a cactus originating from the cool mountains of Chile and Argentina, where it can withstand temperatures as extreme as -10 Celsius; meaning it can easily survive a British winter. For me, it’s all about combining theatre with plant knowledge and good gardening.

The Mediterranean Terraces were originally the location of Lady Baillie’s aviary and were designed by landscape architect Christopher Carter and opened in 1999.  It offers an interesting contrast to the cottage-style Culpeper Garden with its dramatic terraces and striking views across the Great Water.

My team and I are looking forward to once again hosting the Garden Tours from next month and I would encourage visitors to come along, ask questions, find out more about the history of the gardens and chat to us about how we maintain the plants day to day to take some useful tips home. The tours run on Thursdays from April to October, subject to availability, please check the website for details coming soon. The Garden Tour is free of charge with a valid admission ticket and meets outside the Fairfax Restaurant at 1130am. We hope to see some of you there!

Spring Photo Walks 26th March 2014, 15th April 2014, 17th April 2014
A rare opportunity to improve your photography skills and capture the castle grounds and spring flowers with your own equipment with professional guidance from Robert Canis. The workshop is suitable for all ages and abilities and each walk lasts approximately three hours. 

Price £40 per person (includes a one-day ticket to Leeds Castle and refreshments). Max 8 people per session. Pre-book online HERE.

For more information on the Leeds Castle Garden Tours and Spring Photo Walks please visit www.leeds-castle.com/events

Celebrate Leeds Castle's 40th Anniversary with a limited Edition commemorative Canterbury Bear

Visit the Leeds Castle shops to take home a very special edition commemorative Canterbury Bear!

The trio of ‘famously British’ bears have been specially created in 2014 for the Castle in celebration of the charities 40^th anniversary and are an extremely limited edition.  

In 1974, The Leeds Castle Foundation first opened the Castle and grounds to the public, which remains open daily and continues to attract visitors from around the world.  

‘Henry’ is named after King Henry VIII, who owned the Castle and transformed it from a fortified stronghold into a magnificent royal palace for his first wife Catherine of Aragon from 1517 to 1523.  He is priced at £40 and is very huggable – unlike his namesake!

‘Charles’ takes his name from the Honourable Charles John Winn, first husband of the last private owner Lady Baillie and a serving officer with the 10^th Hussars. Charles was the man who inspired Lady Baillie to buy Leeds Castle. He is priced at £60 and made of mohair.

‘William’ is named after Lady Baillie’s grandfather William Whitney. He was a US Navy Secretary who later amassed a great fortune, ultimately helping to restore Leeds Castle as we see it today. He is price at £85 and is also made of mohair.

Canterbury Bears have over thirty years experience in making exceptional quality bears and supplying to retailers including Harrods, V&A Museum, Disney, Liberty's and Orient Express.

The same love and dedication goes into each and every one of the handcrafted bears which are designed to last a lifetime and beyond.

Kerstin Blackburn MD of Canterbury Bears said:

“We are delighted to be working with Leeds Castle and are proud to be able to support such a prestigious historic and local landmark. It is an excellent opportunity for our beautiful bears to be seen by people from across the county, country and the world.”

Bob Needham, Retail Manager at Leeds Castle said:

“I’m really excited that we have been able to partner with a local handcrafting supplier in Kent on these gorgeous bears. There will be some very lucky children and collectors who will have a wonderful heirloom to delight their children and grandchildren, just as their purchase helps protect the castle for now and future generations.”

You do not need an admission ticket for the Leeds Castle Shop at the main entrance and car parking is free. 

Bringing Kent’s historic golf course back to its former glory

Major two-year investment project underway, to revitalise the Leeds Castle Golf Course and re-establish one of the “most iconic opening golf holes in the world”. 

Bridge built by Armand-Albert Rateau in the late 1920’s over the Broomfield road to join the Leeds Castle golf course

During the ‘Golden Age’, when Hollywood stars and the rich and famous of the 1930s were being entertained at Leeds Castle weekend houseparties by the last private owner Lady Baillie – a lesser known but equally significant chapter of the castle’s history was happening outside….on the golf course.

In 1931, Lady Baillie agreed to the construction of the golf course, as she felt that a vast expanse of beautifully laid-out trees and mowed grass, leading to an expansive sheet of water, with the castle as the focal point in the middle, would create as idyllic a country scene as could “humanly be devised”.

Eminent golf course architects of the day, Sir Guy Campbell, Cecil Hutchinson and Stafford Hotchkin, were commissioned to design a course where “no bunkers would be visible from the castle”, which would not “interrupt the skyline with a flagpole on a green”.

The end result was a unique nine-hole course considered by many at the time to be one of Britain’s finest, which remains open daily to players of all abilities.   

Since its completion, the course has hosted many of the world’s top professional golfers, including American professional Walter Hagen, a major figure in golf in the first half of the 20th century and Gene Sarazen, also American and one of the world's top players in the 1920s and 1930s.

In 1935 and 1937, the American Ryder Cup teams stayed at Leeds Castle en route to Southport and Ainsdale for the Ryder Cup matches.

Later during the 1970s and following their victory, members of the American Walker Cup team stayed at the castle as guests of Lady Baillie’s husband, Sir Adrian Baillie. The team played a number of matches on the course in preparation for the British Amateur Tournament.   

Walker Cup Team visit Leeds Castle as guests of Sir Adrian Baillie

Today, the historic nine-hole golf course at Leeds Castle is undergoing a major two-year ‘facelift’, which will be completed in 2016, 85 years after it was first opened for play!

The stunning views of the castle from the course will be restored with the addition of new vistas, created by thinning out existing overgrown woodlands.

Over the coming weeks and months, work will begin on remodelling parts of the current course in keeping with Sir Guy Campbell’s original vision.

Campbell’s approach to designing a new course was simple and practical; make use of natural hazards but avoid trees, avoid building up teeing grounds, never build high plateau greens, use as little manures as possible and do any weeding by hand! 

Although Sir Guy will not see the exciting modifications due to take place on his course at Leeds Castle, some of his original holes will be retained and, in some cases, re-instated.  

To supervise these changes PGA Master Pro and EIGCA Golf Course Architect Alan Walker, has been appointed and brings his expertise to the project.

Mr Walker said:

“I’m very excited and privileged to be able to oversee the restoration of this unique course back to its former glory.

The program is both a restoration and an agronomy project. From an architectural standpoint, there will be some changes to the individual golf holes, but the main change will come in 2016 with the re-routing of the nine hole course and restoring the classic opening hole playing around the moat with the castle in full view. It will be once again one of the most iconic opening golf holes in the world.

The programme will be phased over two years with the renovation of all bunkers and teeing grounds one of the first jobs to complete. We are also reviewing the current irrigation system and updating where necessary.

Charles Henderson of Sports Agronomy Services will plan and manage the agronomic changes to the golf course. Charles has a wealth of knowledge and experience in sports turf working on numerous golf courses around the world. The implementation of his plan has already commenced and the golf course will begin to show signs of improvement as the months progress.

Our ultimate plan is to upgrade the golf course and enhance the overall golf offering in the coming years. We wish to create a sense of pride of place for golf at Leeds Castle”.

Shane Guy, Head of Tourism for Leeds Castle, said:

“We are proud to be able to invest in the product and bring the golf course back to the standards that are expected of Leeds Castle.

The course has, and will continue to, provide a leisure facility for our conference, wedding and accommodation customers as well as visiting golfers.

Whilst the work is in progress we will remain open and golfers will start to see a rise in standards of the course.

We want to provide a facility that meets the requirements of all levels of golfers, and one that shows quality throughout the year.”

From 1 April, there will be two new ways to enjoy golf at Leeds Castle.   

The new ‘One Under Card’ gives seven rounds of golf for the price of six with prices starting from just £70. For those wishing to play unlimited golf, you can now purchase a ‘Season Ticket’ for five or seven days with prices starting from as little as £295 per year.  

Follow @LeedsCastleGolf for updates on the project.