My visit to Leeds Castle this month was my second ever visit to Leeds Castle, having first visited it ninteen years ago when I was a student working in London. The weekend that I visited the castle earlier this month was also the weekend of Leeds Castle Motor Show, Motors by the Moat, a day filled with events and a car show on the grounds of the castle. Leeds Castle is a castle museum instead of a ruin; it has been set up with historical furniture and furnishings, and it also had additional attractions on site, such as a falconry, children's play area, gardens, a maze with grotto, and additional areas.
First up, I admired the views of the castle from the moat. It is one of the most picturesque castles and one of the remaining ones in the south of England that has not been destroyed.
First, to get into the castle, I walked through the gate above and then walked around the moat to the entrance through the cellar on the lower level.
The cellar is one of the oldest parts of the castle and dates from the 12th century. The cellar contained a large wine store at the back. It has a staircase to the now-demolished hall as the castle was renovated over the years. The cellar was used for storing food and drink in case of seige, and it was also used for storing wax.
All of the rooms were fit out in traditional period styles. You could only see some of the rooms, and there are tours on certain weekends to see some of the additional rooms at the top of the castle, but we just saw the standard rooms on the self-guided tour.
The Queen's Room is designed for 1422 as a royal room and contained wall tapestries to help keep in the heat. It was remodelled after an image in a book. Henrey VIII's widow Catherine stayed here.
A courtyard leads off from the room along with a bathroom for the queen.
Next up is the Queen's Gallery. The fireplace dates from Henry VIII's ownership of the castle with his and his first wife's initials carved into the stone.
The next room is the Henry VIII Banqueting Hall, modelled in the 13th century. This hall is the largest room in the castle and looks over the moat with beautiful views. The ceilings contained carved details with wooden beams and figures in the windows.
In the hall outside the room is a view of the interior courtyard below.
This is the room used as a Boardroom and decorated for the mid-1900s. The rooms were decorated and used by the weathy in the 1920s, and some of the rooms are included below, including a huge bedroom with dressing room and restroom and other bedrooms and a seminar room, which was used for billiards.
This is one of the living rooms and one of my favourite rooms in the castle.
The library is also one of the favourite rooms but is located near the exit and tearooms today, so it's a busy area.
Outside, there are beautiful views over the castle.
After the castle visit, I walked up behind the castle to see the gardens on the other side along with the aviary and the maze.
I had a wander through the maze, which I am sure that I did in my visit visit to the castle. I found the end with the grotto underground, decorated with a sea theme with audio.
Afterwards, I checked out part of the falconry show with a few large birds.
Tickets to Leeds Castle are good for visits throughout the year, hence the large upfront cost. So, my plan is to return to Leeds Castle a few times throughout the year in order to see the changing seasons and to attend other events in order to make the most use out of my ticket.
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