リーズの洞窟・トップ5

It has stood here for 1,000 years and has a varied history. Kings and queens have lived here, and the castle has survived many battles. Henry VIII had the castle converted into a palace in the 16th century. From the 17th century onwards, it passed through various private owners. Parts of it were demolished and rebuilt, changing its exterior several times. Eventually, it fell into disrepair until Lady Baillie, a wealthy Anglo-American heiress, breathed new life into the castle. In the 1930s, Leeds Castle developed into one of England's largest country estates and a center of lavish hospitality for leading statesmen, European royalty, and film stars. It hosted numerous lavish parties until the outbreak of World War II. The castle survived the war unscathed, after which the Lady continued to rebuild and alter it. When she died, the castle passed into the hands of the Leeds Castle Foundation, a charitable foundation she had founded to preserve it from then on. Although well-funded, it wasn't enough to maintain the castle. It had to be opened to the public. Today, the castle hosts a variety of tourist activities. You can visit it for £40, and approximately 500,000 people visit each year.

This footpath follows the southern shore of Great Water and offers wonderful, free to access views of Leeds Castle. The castle is a grade 1 listed building. It's been here since 857 and has been the favourite residence of several monarchs. The present castle is mostly 19th century. It was left to the public in 1976 and open for visits.

Maybe obvious to others, but because some of the signage was missing/hidden when we visited didn't realise that the public footpath intersects with the castle grounds which is private and which you must pay in order to use. The grounds are very pretty, but the entry ticket seem very expensive to me. You can still get nice views of the castle and grounds from the public footpath as well.

There is a public footpath from Leeds (by the church)

Its definitely worth the small detour to see what many believe is one of Britain's finest castles.

The wild goats are no longer

Sutton Valence Castle is a ruined Norman keep that was built in the 12th century. From 1238, the strongly-defended castle was owned by Simon de Montfort, who led the baronial rebellion against Henry VIII. When de Monfort was killed at the Battle of Evesham in 1265, Henry III gave the castle to his half-brother William de Valence, as a reward for his loyalty. From the castle, you get an incredible panorama over East Sussex and the Weald of Kent. The castle, which is owned by English Heritage, is free to enter during daylight hours.

Leeds Castle was in its long history a Norman stronghold, the private residence of 6 English queens of the Middle Ages (Eleanor of Castile, Margaret of France, Isabella of France, Joan of Navarre, Anna of Bohemia and Katharina de Valois), a palace of Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, in Jacobean times a country estate and a Georgian mansion. In the 20th century the castle was an elegant retreat and today Leeds Castle is one of the most visited attractions in the UK. Leeds Castle has Norman foundations, a medieval gatehouse; The Gloriette was built by Edward I and expanded in the times of Henry III, there is a Tudor tower and a 19th century country house. The first castle was built by the Norman Baron Robert de Crevecoeur in 1119, at the time of Henry I, the son of William the Conqueror, on an island in the River Len. In 1278, one and a half centuries later, it came into the possession of Queen Eleanor, the wife of Edwards I. For the next 300 years, the castle was a royal residence and part of the Wittum of the English queens.