In small England, there are surprisingly many castles.Many of them are poorly preserved, and some are completely destroyed. One of the well-preserved medieval buildings is Leeds Castle. About his story and how to get to him, read in the article.
Early history of Leeds Castle
Its location is the lake islandsat the river Len. It's only four miles from Maidstone, Kent. Today it is perhaps the most beautiful medieval castle in the world, rich in its history and the events taking place around it.
The castle is named after its first owner, whowas Senor Lyd. First (857) was built a small wooden fortress. In its place much later (1119) is built a castle made of stone. Since 1278, the castle is in the possession of Edward the First, who remodels it and gives it to his wife, Eleanor of Castile. Up to the beginning of the fourteenth century (1318), the castle was owned by the widowed queens of England. It was the residence of Margarita of France, the stepmother of Edward the second.
Residence queens
The owner of the castle in 1321 was Lord Badmersmer.When he was not at home, Queen Isabella came to stay, which was denied hospitality. Her guards were killed, and she returned home. King Edward the second, the spouse of Isabella, responded to the insult. He arrested the relatives of Badmersmer and sent them to the fortress, and Leeds captured.
Королева Изабелла получила замок в подарок от his wife. Since then, no one has captured him. For many centuries the castle was the residence of the English queens. Leeds belonged to the Crown for a long time, from 1278 to 1552. In the Middle Ages, he was a favorite vacation spot for English kings and queens, who often visited him.
The history of the castle in our time
Lady Bailey Castle of Leeds, photo of which is presentedfor a survey, inherited from a rich uncle in 1926. For her reconstruction and interior decoration, the lady spent almost all her condition. She hired the best masters for work. With their help, the inner appearance of the castle has changed.
Большой вклад в его реставрацию внес архитектор from France Armand Rato, and later - Stefan Budin. Thanks to the heiress, paintings, tapestries, furniture, Chinese porcelain, and ceramics were collected. Reconstructed many premises for various purposes.
Seminar Hall
Leeds Castle has many rooms.One of them is the former room of Lady Bailey. She used it as a boudoir. In 1960, the room was transferred to her own son for the arrangement of a bedroom in it. When the lady died (it was 1974), the room was converted into a hall in which they began to hold seminars.
The first meetings in this hall were held in 1978.In a year where the foreign ministers of countries like the United States of America, Egypt, and Israel entered into a series of agreements called the Camp David. The Seminar Hall was demanded by Sinn Fane when peace negotiations were held in the fourth year of the third millennium, in which issues relating to Northern Ireland were addressed.
Library
Her design is the creation of the hands of the great master Buden.The model for interior design is the Boton house library, which was restored in the 17th century. The main decoration is a portrait depicting a lady and her daughters.
At that time, Bailey was forty-seven years old, Pauline twenty-seven, and Susan twenty-four. The eldest daughter died in 1984, the youngest - in 2001. The library has about three thousand volumes of books.
Lady Bailey's bedroom
For the design of the room was inviteddecorator from France. It was the year 1936. In the future, the famous master Stephan Budin carried out orders for the White House, in particular for the wife of President Kennedy.
Bedroom of Aragon Catherine
In the castle of Leeds, the interior of this room also designedStefan Budin in 1960. The first wife of King Heinrich the Eighth in 1520 stayed in it, and the bedroom was named after her. Above the bed hangs a portrait depicting the mother of Lady Bailey, and above the fireplace is Lola Montes, who was known as the main adventurer of the 19th century.
Main staircase in the castle
Ее так называют потому, что за дверями (их four) are almost all bedrooms, of which there are twenty-three in the castle. At the top under the stairs are portraits depicting mother and father Bailey. The father’s name was Almerik Padget, he was the titled Lord Quinborough. And his grandfather is the Marquis of Anglesey.
Mother - Pauline Winty - was originally from New York.Her uncle was a very rich man and left all his fortune to Lady Bailey’s niece. When she entered the estate inheritance rights, the castle was in a terrible state.
As you know, almost all funds leftUncle, she spent on the restoration of the castle, which was used as a suburban residence, until 1974, in which she died. Before her death, she managed to create a charitable foundation named after Leeds Castle. After her death, the foundation inherited ownership of it.
Banquet Hall of King Heinrich the Eighth
Leeds Castle in England has a room calledin the name of the famous king. Heinrich was the owner of the castle. It was during this period that a bay window was installed, distinguished by luxury and beauty. The beams in the room - a real work of art woodcarving. Especially noteworthy is the floor, the material for which is ebony. To decorate the interior of the hall in the 16th century a tapestry was brought from Flemish, and from France - facing materials for the fireplace.
Royal apartments
In this room, the restorers tried to keepthe interior was as it was when the widow of King Henry the Fifth, Catherine Valois (1420), owned the castle. The bed of the queen was majestic and rarely used for its intended purpose.
Its impressive sizes and thin silk draperiesimpressed by the guests who took the queen. Bedspreads and curtains were labeled with the initials “H” and “C”, denoting the names of the king and queen. A diamond-shaped coat of arms hung above the fireplace, meaning that the queen was a widow.
Gallery
Это помещение было отреставрировано в 1927 году architect from France Armand Rato. Leeds Castle is proud of its gallery. Impressive carved oak beams of the wonderful work of the Parisian masters. The busts of King Henry the Eighth and his children are made of marble. The facing of the fireplace and the carved coats of arms of the king and queen delight visitors. The table, and he has his own legend. At first it belonged to the Italian monastery, later, in the 17th century, took a worthy place in the gallery.
Chapel
In this case, this is the room in whichdaily conducted service for the rest of the soul of the first wife of Edward. Her name was Eleanor of Castile. The chapel in which the funeral service was sent was called "church chapel." During the reign of Henry the Eighth, it was closed. This time falls on the year 1544. Its restoration and re-lighting took place in the twentieth century, in the seventies.
The panels, which depict the Nativity of Christ,made of linden wood. They refer to the year 1500. The furniture is covered with Flemish tapestries in 1495. Organ music was reproduced on the corresponding instrument of 1795 of release.
Road to the castle
How to get from London to Leeds Castleby car? The remarkable medieval building is located from London in the south-east direction only 64 kilometers away. This is the neighborhood of Maidstone. Need to go on the highway B2163, M20.
How to get to Leeds Castle by train?Special routes have been developed for direct train connections between Victoria Station in London and the nearest station on the Birsted Railway, from where regular bus routes run to the castle itself. The road takes one hour. You can go on a journey from another station - Waterloo. Trains stop very close to the castle, just twenty minutes away.
