Off With Her Head!
There are lots of reasons why we choose a destination when we travel. It could be for a sporting event, a Taylor Swift concert, a sea monster, a bathtub or a culinary adventure. My list also includes the architecture of the lodging and the sense of time, place and history that it embodies.
A couple of years ago a friend told me they had spent a night at Hever Castle about 30 miles outside of London. While I hadn’t heard of Hever Castle it was the family home of Anne Boleyn who was the second wife of Henry VIII and the first to be beheaded. It immediately piqued my interest and after doing a little research I decided that we had to stay there. How to sell that to the rest of the Bull family? Luckily, as a family we went to see Six: The Musical about the six wives of Henry VIII and we all gave it 5 stars. Anne Boleyn was hands down our favourite so no surprise the very next day we booked our stay at Hever Castle.
Hever Castle originally built in the 13th century was home to the Boleyn family from 1462 to 1539. Anne was raised there before going to Europe for her education and to work as a lady in waiting to Queen Mary, the wife of Louis XII of France ( and sister to Henry VIII) . She returned to Hever Castle where Henry courted her, first as his mistress ( her sister Mary had previously been one of his mistresses) but Anne said if you want it you gotta put a ring on it and Henry married her after divorcing Catherine of Aragon, his first wife, and upending the course of British history, monarchy and religion.
The Boleyn family, previously known as the Bullen family had apparently adopted the fancier and more Frenchified spelling. ( Standardized spellings didn’t emerge until the 19th century) . Their family coat of arms is dominated by three bull’s heads. Work with me here: Boleyn, Bullen, Bull. Could we, the Toronto Bulls, possibly be - Royalty? My mother always claimed ( with no actual evidence) that we were. So I’m going with yes we are! This would not be the first time that I’ve been called Lady Di.
Hever Castle is everything you want a castle to be: crenellated ( having regular openings around the top to fire at attackers), double moated with a substantial portcullis ( a heavy castle door made of metal strips to be lowered to prevent access to invading troops) and haunted.
After deteriorating somewhat over the centuries the castle was purchased by William Waldorf Astor in 1903 ( who was the second richest man in the U.S. at the time). Unhappy with the U.S. and embroiled in family drama he had departed for England. Good move on his part. He became Viscount Astor and his great-great grandson calls Charles and Camilla his in-laws.
In today’s dollars it is estimated he spent about $1 billion restoring and expanding the property. Employing about 1500 men and using as much as possible the same materials and tools as Tudor and Elizabethan craftsmen had used he restored the Castle, created the Astor Wing - 27 bedrooms attached to the Castle, dug out a 38 acre lake, created a stunning Italian Garden and built Medley Court, a lavish 4 bedroom home in the Tudor style. It was at Medley Court where we, the apparently now Royal Bulls stayed.
We had booked 2 nights at Medley Court and we did not leave the Castle grounds during our stay. We had unrestricted access, in complete privacy, to soak in the breathtaking views and scenery of the grounds and gardens after closing hours ( and the Castle was only open from 11 to 4) as well as access to the Castle during opening hours. We strolled through the beautiful Italian gardens, hiked around the lake, fed the swans and ducks, wandered through the mazes, played tennis, drank English “champagne”. Although we did our best to play royalty during our stay alas we had no one to cook our meals, run our baths or light our fires. And although we may have practised our best Shakespearean insults when we were in Stratford we refrained from any practice beheadings while at Hever Castle. Fun Fact: Henry, as his only “concession” to Anne’s execution, allowed a French executioner using a French beheading sword rather than the standard English beheading axe , a rather crude and sometimes inefficient tool for getting the deed done.
As most of you know we are a champagne/sparkling wine family - it really does go with everything and so easy/too easy to drink - so let me tell you a little bit about English “ Champagne”. England is the fastest growing wine region in the world and over 75% of the wine produced is sparking, over 6 million bottles in 2023 using the traditional French champagne grapes. As a result of climate change the grape growing regions of England have a climate very similar to that of the champagne region of France from 50 years ago and possessing the same chalky soil. No wonder the French Champagne houses have moved in. We do try to buy local where we can when we are away so it was a no-brainer to buy a few bottles of Chapel Down, having originally purchased a bottle at the LCBO a few years ago where it is available from time to time. Could we mistake this for the real deal? I think yes.
The Castle itself no doubt owing to its 20th Century renovation and its modest size ( for a castle that is) is a fun tour, even for our museum averse children, with its instruments of torture, Annes’ prayer books, one of the best collection of Tudor paintings in England, it’s antique furniture and resplendent public rooms.
Our Medley Court while not quite as grand as the Castle did not disappoint. Our Tudor inspired dining room with original portraits was I think the size of my entire house while my walk-in closet in my bedroom was the size of the apartment we rented in Paris at the start of our trip. Our covered terrace provided Castle and garden views including the resident swans and ducks and every room had a fireplace.
For history buffs I would recommend the books and/or tv series Wolf Hall ( season 2 currently on PBS) chronicling the rise and fall of Thomas Cromwell; Henry’s Chief Minister, not an easy job as most who assumed the position left it with their heads detached from their bodies.
Love it or hate it the history associated with the monarchy makes Britain a completely fascinating place to visit.
