The Hever Castle, the Two Queen Anne and the Astors

Hever Castle is one of the most storied castles in England, attracting thousands of visitors every year not only because of its interesting structure but also the history that transpired here.

Hever Castle can be found in the village of Hever in Kent, England. It was originally a medieval defensive castle, which was built in 1270. In 1462, merchant and Lord Mayor of London Geoffrey Boleyn converted the existing structure into a manor, adding a Tudor dwelling within its walls.

In 1505, Geoffrey Boleyn’s grandson, Thomas Boleyn, inherited the castle and lived there with his wife Lady Elizabeth Howard and their children George, Mary and Anne, who would later become the wife of Henry VIII, who would often stay at the nearby Bolebroke Castle while courting the Marchioness of Pembroke. Hever Castle came into the possession of Henry VIII after the death of Anne Boleyn’s father in 1539. Interestingly, a year later, Henry would bestow the property to another wife of his, another Anne in the person of Anne of Cleves, as part of their annulment settlement.

Subsequently, the castle was passed through various owners such as the Waldegraves, the Humfreys, and the Meade Waldos.  Wealthy American statesman and businessman William Waldorf Astor salvaged Hever Castle from its deplorable state after acquiring the property in 1903. He restored a considerable quantity of paneling and interior features, and had workmen use techniques and materials applied 400 years back in order to bring back the castle’s authentic glory.

The Drawing Room has a secret door that leads to the turret, where the Astors used to hide their treasure trove of drinks. One of Henry VIII’s private locks—which the extremely suspicious king would take with him on visits to noblemen’s houses to be fitted to very door for security purposes—can still be found on the door of the Dining Hall.

Hever Castle’s Long Gallery owns the country’s richest collection of Tudor paintings. It measures more than 30 meters long and extends the whole width of the castle, making it the longest living space in the castle.

 “Much of the statuary in the gardens is more than 2,000 years old,” says Hever Castle’s guidebook. The Gatehouse, dating as far back as the 13th century, is the oldest part of Hever Castle. It contains the Chamber Room, which currently houses an assortment of ancient armor and items of torture and punishment such as the scold’s bridles, which are muzzles or masks that have plates in them, and which restrains the sufferer—usually a gossipmonger or an alleged witch—from speaking.

The 38-acre lake in Hever Castle’s Park took two years and 800 workmen to dig out. The Hever Castle Estate and its collection are currently owned by a Scarborough-based Yorkshire family, the Guthries, who purchased the property from the Astors in 1983.