Leeds Castle

Early History

The name of the castle (Esledes) comes from its first owner - Lida or Lidiana - who in 857 built a wooden fortification on this site . It was first mentioned at the end of the 11th century, when during the land census the data on Leeds and its inhabitants were included in the Domesday Book . In 1119 , a stone castle was erected by Robert de Crevecker on a lake island. In 1278, it was significantly rebuilt by Edward the Leggy for his first wife, Eleanor of Castile . A triple barbican was built, each part of it had its own entrance, a drawbridge, a gate and a hersa . Until 1318, the castle was part of the widow's share of the queens of England, the second wife of King Margaret of France lived in it for a long time. Upon the death of his stepmother, Edward II traded Leeds for the Edderley estate in Shropshire, owned by Lord .

Queen's Residence

In the fall of 1321 , Queen Isabella intended to stay during her pilgrimage to Canterbury in Leeds. The owner, Lord Budlesmera, who at that time was in opposition to the king, was not in the castle, and his refused to accept the queen. Several people from Isabella's guard were killed while trying to break into Leeds ^[1] . In October 1321, in revenge, Edward II besieged and took the castle, his commandant and soldiers of the garrison were executed, and Badlesmer's relatives were arrested and sent to the Tower . Frightened by the fate of the Leeds defenders, the garrisons of other castles belonging to Badlsmer surrendered to the king without a fight.

Perhaps, already in 1321, the castle was transferred to Queen Isabella, since on Easter in 1322, Leeds food supplies were sold by her order ^[2] . Documents also confirm the transfer of Leeds to the Queen only in 1327 ^[3] .

More than a castle was never besieged, remaining for centuries the residence of the queens of England. In 1395 , Richard II received in the castle the French chronicler Jean Froissart , who described this episode in his Chronicles.

Henry VIII rebuilt the castle for his first wife, Catherine of Aragon . A picture depicting the meeting of Henry and King Francis I is kept in Leeds. The future Queen Elizabeth spent some time here in custody.

Modern History

In 1926 , Leeds acquired Lady Olive Bailey, and, hiring the best interior designers, completely transformed the castle's interior. The architect Arman-Albert Rato was engaged in both external changes and interior decoration, for example, an oak staircase was built in the style of the 16th century. Later, a Parisian decorator Stefan Budin worked in Leeds. Thanks to Lady Bailey, the castle contains collections of furniture, ceramics, tapestries , paintings and Chinese porcelain of the 18th century. The Queen’s Bedroom and Bathroom were reconstructed - these rooms were restored to the appearance of the chambers of the beginning of the 15th century, when Catherine Valois , wife of Henry V , often visited the castle. Lady Bailey also set up the Leeds Castle Foundation, which works on landscaping the castle and its surrounding park.

• A plant maze of two and a half thousand yew trees.
• Aviary , where you can see about a hundred rare and exotic birds ( cockatoo , macaw parrots, toucans, etc.).
• Museum of Dog Collars, which contains a collection of old collars of the XV — XVII centuries.