My son and I love History and for a long time we had been meaning to visit Hever Castle in Kent where King Henry VIII of England courted the young Anne Boleyn and would eventually marry her and then have her executed for being unfaithful to him.
You can only stay one night at Hever Castle so I booked my son and I into the Castle which is the Hotel. It’s all a bit complicated if I’m honest. The Hotel is in the Castle Grounds. The Castle grounds themselves are massive, which you are completely free to walk around and enjoy, then you have to drive to the Castle itself where ‘it all begins’
I’d booked us two single rooms which you would expect as Mother and son. Single rooms? My son had a bedroom, a bathroom and then leading off his bedroom he had a sitting room, complete with sofa and t.v. That’s right – this was a single room. I had a bedroom that was so big you could have held a football match in it and a bathroom almost the same size. When I looked out of my window I looked out straight onto the Castle. Then the slight problem happened. We had a raiding party!. Nothing as simple of people. Ducks and Geese. Straight under our windows. Why do these sweet little visitors think you want to be woken up at the first sign of light by their constant quacking? Actually though to be honest they were so gorgeous because they were looking straight at our windows because we were on the ground floor.
Next breakfast. Breakfast? Well it was more like King Henry had come for a visit. I’ve never seen to much food in all my life. Help yourself from the buffet said the lovely Manager. Which we did. The over she came and said. Right now we move on to the Main Menu? Pardon? Sorry you get both Dear – now Porridge to start with??? And then the full English Breakfast as it would have been, and then of course Toast and a selection of Jams and Preserves.
Nest it was onto a walk around the part of what would have been the stables. That was lovely and very interesting although for me there was too much information able the Astors who had lives there and Winston Churchill but maybe that was just me because I wanted the Hitory of Anne and Henry. The actual Castle didn’t open until later so we made our way up there anyway and that was a good thing to do because there was a lot to do when you go there. There was loads of comfortable benches. You could sit and watch what what was going on in the lovely pond, and you were very close to the Castle which was only a very short walk away. You could literally breath in the atmosphere of the past. If you wanted you could buy a little bag of duck food. There was a shop, which Jack and I went into at the very end.
Next it was our ‘turn’ to head for the Castle. The moat was full of the moxt amazing fish. No – I’ve got no idea what they were. We did queue up but for no time at all. Fifteen minutes if that? They made sure that queue made fast. I’ve been in so many Castles over the years but for the first time I could feel myself wanting to cry for this very young girl. As you walked around you could almost hear her. See her begging him for Mercy. For her life because he had hadly been Faithful to her. What we didn’t understand was why there is a picture of a Lute Player in there? The Lute Player was the man in actually cost poor Anne her head!
Then I came face to face with the piece of History that I had come to see.. The Book of Hours.
All I would say about the Castle itself is that it hasn’t been modernised. There are no lifts, no new stairs and no chairs where you can sit for a rest. There are spiral staircases, and the stairs are the same as they were in Anne’s day. You have iron things to hold on and rope at the sides. I use a walking stick and walk slowly and at one point I thought If ever I am going to die – it’s going to be now! But somehow I drew in my breath and did it – because the Book of Hours was waiting to me.
Then of course I had to get down again and nearly had a heart attack when the Security Man said those stairs can dangerous. Please be careful. Could my son have helped me. No because there was no room for him to turn around to help me.
Suddenly the young man behind me said. Take as long as you like love. I’m watching you from the back. You don’t fall.
When I got down I thought I was going to faint believe me. Until I found out that if you tell someone that if you have something like a breathing problem they will have a seat ready for you so you can sit and have a little breather. It’s stuff like wheelchairs they can’t accommodate.
So the actual Exhibition in the Castle isn’t all about Anne Boleyn. It’s also about Catherine of Aragon and then you get the bits that I don’t like at all. This is the costume that this Actor wore when he played King Henry VIII in this film and that film. Yes? Well? What’s that got to do with History if it’s all the same to you? But that’s just my personal opinion!
So I would say if you love the History of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn and would love to see Hever Castle and the beautiful Gardens, or take the children where they can enjoy the Jousting and the other attractions pay them a visit.
Carol Yeomanson Books 