5 minute read
The History of Leeds Castle 1150 -1925
Unlike Dover or Rochester, Leeds Castle has never been a heavily fortifed or military castle. Rather, it has always been seen as a country retreat, a venue for relaxation and entertainment, where important guests and favourites were permitted to stay.
Little evidence remains of the medieval period, apart from the Gatehouse, the Barbican and Gloriette. In the Castle, the foundations of the Gloriette and Courtyard date from Eleanor of Castile’s ownership. Both were partially destroyed by fre in the 17th century and rebuilt in the 19th century. Six medieval queens owned Leeds Castle. Eleanor of Castile (circa 1241-1290), wife of Edward I (1239-1307), bought Leeds Castle and created an exotic retreat infuenced by her Spanish upbringing. In addition to the Gloriette, she built aviaries and introduced Sicilian parrots and nightingales. After Eleanor’s death in 1290, Edward I and his young and vivacious second wife, Margaret of France (1279-1318) spent their honeymoon at Leeds Castle. Edward II (1284-1327) promised Leeds Castle to his wife, Isabella of France (1295-1358), however he reneged on his promise and gave it to a male favourite. She lay siege to Leeds Castle, challenged the infuence of such male favourites and ruled England as Queen Regent after the death of her husband. As Edward’s widow she owned Leeds Castle until her death. Anne of Bohemia (1366-1394) spent the Christmas before she married Richard II (1367-1400) at Leeds Castle.
Infuenced by her cosmopolitan upbringing, Richard created a new, extravagant court modelled on the age of chivalry. Richard and Anne stayed at the Castle throughout their reign, using it as a retreat from the formalities of court. Joan of Navarre (1368-1437) married her second husband, King Henry IV (1367-1413) in 1403. After his death she initially enjoyed good relations with her stepson, Henry V (1386-1422). However, determined to acquire her considerable fortune, Henry accused Joan of being a witch and a traitor. Imprisoned at Leeds Castle on two separate occasions, she continued to live in relative comfort, as evidenced by her wardrobe book. Joan was never formally tried but the stigma of witchcraft remained. Henry married the glamorous and popular Catherine de Valois (1401-1437) but died shortly afterwards, leaving her a young widow. As mother of the future King Henry VI, she maintained her own sophisticated household. Catherine’s subsequent affairs scandalised the court, but her eventual marriage to Owen Tudor led to the creation of the Tudor dynasty. She was the last medieval queen to own Leeds Castle. Leeds Castle remained in royal ownership until 1552. According to records held in the National Archives, Henry VIII (14911547) stayed at the Castle on at least four occasions between 1522 – 1544. He transformed Leeds from a medieval castle to a luxurious Tudor retreat for his frst wife, Katherine of Aragon (14851536). Katherine was betrothed at a young age to Prince Arthur of England, older brother of the future King Henry. Widowed as a teenager in 1502, her future was uncertain. She eventually married Henry in 1509 and was one of his closest friends and advisors in the early years of their marriage. Highly educated and mulit-lingual, she was the frst female ambassador in European history. As a symbol of their loving union, he created a set of apartments, furnished with her personal symbol, the pomegranate. This can still be seen carved into one of the freplaces in the Castle.
After Henry’s death, Edward VI (1537-1553), his only legitimate son by Henry’s third wife Jane Seymour (circa 1508-1537), transferred title of the Castle to Sir Anthony St. Leger in 1552. From this time on, Leeds Castle ceased to be a royal retreat and remained in private hands until 1974.
Over the years the fortunes of the Castle waxed and waned in line with those of her owners, such as the Culpeper and Fairfax families. By 1925, the future of Leeds Castle was uncertain. The golden age of the English country house had come to an end with the onset of World War I and the death of hundreds of young heirs on the battlefelds of France. Post-war taxation and crippling death duties resulted in a rush to sell land and property. Hundreds of country houses were demolished, their interiors sold to architectural salvage frms. Others were shipped to America, purchased by public museums or wealthy landowners with a taste for the past. Leeds Castle, which was in serious disrepair, could well have suffered a similar fate without the timely intervention of a wealthy Anglo-American heiress.
Lady Baillie (at the time Mrs Wilson Filmer) and her second husband, Arthur, acquired the Castle from Fairfax Wykeham Martin in 1926. Despite having lavished huge sums of money on extensive repairs to the Gatehouse and Gloriette, demolishing the main Jacobean house and replacing it with one in the Tudor Style (1822), by the early years of the 20th century the Castle was dilapidated and for sale.
With a substantial budget and a passion for the past, Lady Baillie was determined to create an elegant country house. Whilst she was beguiled by the romance of English history, and Henry VIII in particular, she also had an American love of all modern conveniences, including electricity, heating and good plumbing. Lady Baillie preferred ‘the French style’ of decoration and employed infuential continental designers Armand-Albert Rateau and Stéphane Boudin.
In 1931 she divorced Arthur Wilson Filmer and married Sir Adrian William Maxwell Baillie and would henceforth be known as the Hon. Olive, Lady Baillie, a title she retained until her death in 1974. The glamorous and luxurious interiors she created in the 1930s refect a lifestyle played out against the background of the ‘Gathering Storm’ of war in Europe.
Leeds Castle is a unique survivor from the heyday of interwar country house living and entertaining. Lady Baillie was well versed in social etiquette and the role of generous hostess was written into her DNA. Her salon was always open to a wide range of acquaintances who could be relied upon for good conversation and witty repartee. Guests were expected to join her in the Games Room, playing Canasta and bridge for high stakes, whilst music and dancing took place in the Salon. Since Lady Baillie completely rebuilt the interiors of the Castle, some in the medieval style, there is little physical evidence of any eras before 1926. For this reason, we present the Castle as it was during its 1930s house party-heyday.
We invite you to enter Leeds Castle as house guests
But be warned your hostess, Lady Baillie, is notoriously private. You may catch a glimpse of her disappearing on her secret staircase, or you may only come across her in her Boudoir watching one of her favourite flms.
