Preserving Leeds Castle: The Gloriette Masonry Repairs

You may have noticed that scaffolding has started to be put up around the Gloriette. As part of the on-going preservation work undertaken by the Leeds Castle Charitable Foundation, a restoration project is taking place this winter and again next winter requiring a major programme of stonework repair, replacing up to 30% of the stone and pointing with lime mortar.

The Gloriette (or Keep) dates in part from the late 13^th century and is the oldest part of the main castle building. It was erected in the 1280s by Edward I on the foundations of the original 12^th century stronghold, and is built on a D-shaped footprint, following the outline of the small island on which it sits. At that time it would have been a mostly single-storey structure built around a central courtyard and with internal walls of timber. In the 16^th century the upper floor was added to the Gloriette when a suite of royal apartments were prepared for Henry VIII.

In the 1660s the Gloriette was severely damaged by fire and had partially collapsed, before its fortunes were transformed by Fiennes Wykeham Martin who rebuilt it as part of his major restoration of the castle in 1822.

1660s Fire - arson by Dutch Prisoners of War 

The Gloriette just prior to the 1822 restoration

The Gloriette is built of ragstone, a local stone which is very soft. Weather and the passage of time impact on buildings of this age and they need attention at regular stages during their history.

The railway line used for the 1927 restoration

The restoration project will cost nearly £1.7 million, funded by our visitors. Universal StoneLtd. a company with much experience in restoring heritage buildings will carry out the work for us.

We very much hope the project will not inconvenience you during your visit and are grateful to you all for your support, without which preservation of these great buildings would not be possible. 

The Leeds Castle Foundation exists to preserve Leeds Castle for the benefit of the public. If you would like to help us, there are donation boxes around the estate or you can donate by texting LCGH01 plus amount to 70070.

Leeds Castle encourages local students to get creative!

Leeds Castle has announced the winner of a design competition, run last year in conjunction with Invicta Grammar School in Maidstone.

Students were encouraged to get creative and design some new characters for Leeds Castle, which would appeal to a younger audience whilst still reflecting the history of the castle.

Hannah Marno, aged 18, was the winner for her excellent creation of a full set of characters, each with their own personalities and fitting the brief exactly.

Retail Manager at Leeds Castle, Bob Needham said:

“We were really excited and impressed with all the entries we received and very grateful for the time, consideration and effort that has obviously gone in to the work. They were all great pieces and there are obviously some budding artists and designers at Invicta Grammar School!”

Hannah’s characters include a knight called Sir John, a Princess ‘with attitude’ called Catherine, Arthur the Peacock, Lancelot the Black Swan and the Merlin the White Swan.

Since the competition ended last year, Leeds Castle has been working with Hannah to adapt and develop the characters, which have been reproduced onto life-size cut  outs, for the enjoyment of younger visitors to the Knight’s Realm Playground at the Castle.

Due to the outstanding quality of the illustrations produced, Leeds Castle also commissioned Hannah to produce more drawings of her characters, which will shortly be launched on a wide range of merchandise in the retail outlets at the Castle. 

The merchandise includes notebooks, mugs, key rings and stationary ranging from £1-£5.

Hannah recently finished her last year at Invicta Grammar School and is about to start College where she will study for a degree in Graphic Illustration, which will hopefully lead to a career in the creative industries sector.

Hannah was also one of only two students from Invicta Grammar School to receive a bursary from the Benenden branch of NADFAS, to support her development as an artist. 

Invicta Grammar School, which specialises in business and enterprise,  has built a successful business partnership with the Castle over the last few years and is proud of this first successful retail venture which has given school pupils the opportunity to work on live commercial briefs provided by business partners – an important aspect of the educational experience.

The retail partnership will continue with two new cushion designs, which will be available in time for Christmas from the Leeds Castle shops.

One cushion will depict the black swan and will be produced using the Invicta CAM embroidery machines. The other design will feature a jacquard fabric, designed by Invicta student Lucy Hennessy, woven in Italy as part of the British Council Comenius partnership with Invicta’s business partner school Enrico Tosi, in Busto Arzizio near Milan in northern Italy.  

Cinema under the stars at Leeds Castle

Tickets are on sale now for two evenings of classic cinema under the stars at Leeds Castle, on Friday 6 and Saturday 7 September 2013.

The Luna Cinema are the country's leading producer of open air cinema, and will present on a giant inflatable screen – “The Blues Brothers” and “Casablanca”, two unforgettable films with the stunning backdrop of the 900 year old castle.

On Friday night, sing along to ‘Rawhide’ with Jake and Elwood Blues at our screening of the cult 1980 American musical comedy “The Blues Brothers” starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd.

Then on Saturday evening, enjoy one of the most beloved American films, “Casablanca”. Follow the WWII romance of Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, from that infamous Moroccan gin joint.

The whole family will enjoy these late summer evenings of outdoor cinema. Bring a picnic rug and try some spatchcock chicken or hickory smoked rump beef from official caterers Cock 'n' Bull Rotisserie.

The Luna Cinema 2013 season is proudly sponsored by Haagen Dazs.

Gates open at 6pm for both events and tickets must be pre-booked. They cost £15 for adults and £12 for children aged 5 – 15 (Casablanca only). Visit www.leeds-castle.com/events. 

Are you a brave Knight or a beautiful Princess?

Are you looking for something fun to do with the kids during the summer holiday? Why not send them back to school….at Leeds Castle! 

Visit Leeds Castle from the 24 to the 26 august and enrol your brave knight’s and beautiful princesses at our very own ‘knight and princess school’.

Children aged 2 to 10 years old can dress up in chainmail and helmets in the armour zone and try out their combat skills in a foam sword battle.

Sword fighting lessons using wooden training swords and real medieval techniques will be available, plus an interactive mini warrior battle show for the whole family which will re-enact the battle of Agincourt with the children cast as English archers.

The princess show will teach the etiquette needed to meet a prince, with the opportunity to try on beautiful dresses and learn a medieval courtly dance.

Your key to the castle ticket is valid for the knight and princess school event. Tickets cost £21 for adults; £18.50 for seniors and visitors with disabilities (carer goes free); £13.50 for children (under 4’s free). Tickets are valid for 12 months so you can pay once and visit all year round.

Make the most of the summer holidays at Leeds Castle

Are you looking for ways to entertain the family over the summer holidays? Join us at Leeds Castle for fun daily activities, competitions, tours and trails as we celebrate the 6 weeks of freedom! Get up close and personal with our feathered friends, get hands on with woodland crafts or become a fair maiden of brave knight at our knight and princess school. Along with our daily falconry displays, maze and grotto, the Knight’s Realm, Elsie the Land Train and The Black Swan Ferry they will be kept entertained for hours. Check out all of our summer holiday events and activities below:

Kent Wildlife Trust

Date: Monday 29 July to Thursday 1 August

Time: 10am to 5pm.

Where: Outside the Falconry Office

The Kent Wildlife Trust will be celebrating all things that live in the sea! Join in with free marine themed activities, an anagram challenge and quiz the on hand experts with any questions you may have about sea-life or nature. 

The Quest For The King's Key

Date: Friday 2^nd August, Tuesday 13^th August, Tuesday 20^th August & Friday 30^th August

Time: 11.30am, 1pm & 3pm

Where: Storytelling sessions start and end at the Pavilion and last approx. 30 mins

King Henry The Eighth is a little distracted as he has lost the key to a chest containing his favourite and most valuable ring. Join Raggedy Jack on your quest to find the Kings key. Hear about the magical creatures that live in the castle grounds and discover some of the secret and strange places they live.   

RSPB

Date: Saturday 3^rd August – Sunday 1^st September

Time: 10am – 5pm

Where: Outside the Falconry Office

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds will be offering fun wildlife activities including; identification challenges, quizzes, and the chance to use a pair of binoculars and telescopes. Experts will be on hand to answer any questions you may have about birds and other wildlife.

Woodland Crafts

Date: Saturday 3^rd – Sunday 11^th August

Where: Pavilion Lawn

Have a go at making woodcrafts this summer holiday. With natural materials found from Leeds Castle grounds, enjoy building mini rafts, necklaces and pinecone creatures on the Pavilion Lawn. There is a small additional charge of £2 for this activity. 

Meet the Wildlife Warden

Date: Every Wednesday in August

Time: 11.00am – 11.30am

Where: Outside the Falconry Office

An opportunity to ask the wildlife warden about black swans, meet a British owls and use a pair of binoculars to enjoy the castle’s beautiful wildlife.

Knight & Princess School

Date: Saturday 24 August - Monday 26 August

Join Leeds Castle’s Knight and Princess School. Brave knights can dress up in chainmail and helmets in the Armour Zone and try out their combat skills in a foam sword battle (suitable for ages 2 to 10).

Sword fighting lessons using wooden training swords and real Medieval techniques will be available plus an interactive Mini Warrior Battle Show for the whole family which will reenact The Battle of Agincourt with the children cast as English archers. The Princess Show will teach the etiquette needed to meet a Prince, with the opportunity to try on beautiful dresses and learn a Medieval courtly dance.

Meet the Falconer

Date: Friday 31st August

Time: 12pm – 12.30pm

Where: Outside the Falconry Office

Come and meet the Castle Falconer and get up close to one of our birds of prey. This is a fantastic chance to learn more about these amazing Leeds Castle birds and to ask questions to our expert handler.

So what are you waiting for? Bring the whole family to Leeds Castle to enjoy our many activities and events. Remember that if you pay once you can visit as often as you like! 

Five day total falconry course at Leeds Castle

Ever wanted to keep your own bird of prey? Keen to learn more about falconry? Our new five day course will provide you with the training you need to become an approved falconer! 

Our Head Falconer Mark Brattle is an approved Lantra assessor and will provide you will all the training you need plus your final exam to become an approved falconer.  

This exam is nationally recognised and so this course is ideal for anyone wishing to keep birds as a hobby, to learn more about the art of falconry or to continue into a career in the falconry industry.

During the week, our Falconry team will teach you how to feed, care for and handle a variety of birds.  

This course will help you with all the practicalities from how to choose and look after the right bird for you to basic bird first-aid.

You will cover both theory and practical activities, enabling you to approach the training of a bird with confidence.

The weeklong itinerary also includes learning the rich history of hawking and practising handling techniques and flying skills across the beautiful castle parkland with our Harris Hawks.

Each day will run from 10am – 4pm and the total price of £550 includes a delicious hot lunch from the 17^th century Fairfax Restaurant with views across the moat to the castle.

Advance booking is essential. Please visit leeds-castle.com/falconry or call 01622 767861 for more information.

A royal visit to Leeds Castle: Henry VIII and the Field of Cloth of Gold

On this day in 1520 King Henry VIII stayed at Leeds Castle with Queen Catherine of Aragon and an entourage of 5000 people. This was the best-documented royal visit to Leeds Castle and was a stop off between Greenwich and northern France for a ceremonial meeting with Francis I of France. This meeting became known from its magnificence as the Field of Cloth of Gold and was part of unsuccessful diplomatic attempts by Francis to woo the English away from their alliance with the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.

Staying at Leeds Castle

King Henry VIII travelled from London to Dover with an entourage of 3,997 people set out from Greenwich Palace on Sunday 21 May, 1520 and reached Leeds Castle on Monday 22nd May on the way to France. Queen Catherine of Aragon, Henry’s first wife, travelled in the same cavalcade accompanied by a personal suite numbering 1,175. Obviously not all of this vast concourse would have found quarters in the Castle, but the King, Cardinal Wolsey and nine other Bishops would have.  The entire upper floor of this part of the Castle was exclusively reserved for the Queen and her closest household staff, indeed the fireplaces decorated with her royal coat-of-arms and the symbols of Castile, a castle and a pomegranate, remain to this day.

At the time, Sir Henry Guildford was the Constable of the Guard at Leeds and as such was responsible for preparing the Castle for the King’s visit. It was his job to ensure food and sleeping places for everyone. He was paid £66-3s-3D (approx. £25,500 in today’s money). And given that the King had already paid some £860 for the necessary repairs and alterations to the Castle, the visit was an expensive undertaking; especially considering the Royal party only stayed for one night before moving on to Dover Castle. 

From the castle, they moved to Charing for their next night’s stay.  They reached Canterbury on the 25th of May, from where they moved on to Dover, before proceeding to France on the 31st of May, probably on board the flagship of the fleet, the ‘Henri Grace de Dieu’, or ‘Great Harry’.

Embarkation from Dover

Henry VIII rested in Priory while all the 27 ships were loaded, sailed across to France, unloaded, returned and reloaded. The hulls of the ships were too deep to come right inshore and so, small rowing boats were used to take the people to the ships, and they then had to climb up rope ladders to get on board. Once on board they hung their coats of arms on the side of the ship. This represented the passenger list and was a record of who was on which ship.

A copy of the painting of the “Embarkation from Dover” hangs in the Henry VIII Banqueting Hall at Leeds Castle. Henry VIII commissioned the paintings and in all probability the artist had not even visited Dover. They were pained around 1540, at least 20 years after the event.

The Field of Cloth of Gold

The kings spent huge amounts of money, wanting to outshine the other. Tents for people to stay in were made of gold cloth and there were wresting competitions, fountains which ran with wine, jousting tournaments, and much feasting and dancing. On the last day there was even a firework display.

They took all of their own food to eat during the 17 day meeting. Royal records show that venison from the Leeds park and butter from the dairies were supplied. We also know from Royal Household accounts that their fish menu included; 9100 plaice, 7836 whiting, 5554 soles, 2800 crayfish, 700 conger eels, 3 porpoises and a dolphin.

The original painting of the Field of Cloth of Gold is in Hampton Court palace.

Do you fancy sleeping under canvas just as Henry VIII’s entourage would have done in 1520? Leeds Castle has launched a new glamping site based on Medieval design to form a ‘village’ on the one-acre castle vineyard.

Bookable until September, Knight’s glamping offers guests a spectacular setting and the luxury of a four poster bed, warming log burning stove, crisp cotton bedding and cosy fur throws. Book your tent here!