The Hever Castle Story

Famous for its links with the Tudors, particularly Henry VIII, there have been three main periods in the construction of this historic castle. The oldest part of the castle dates to 1270 and consisted of the gatehouse and a walled bailey. In the early 1500s the Bullen family acquired the castle and added a Tudor dwelling within the walls. Hever Castle was also the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, the mother of Queen Elizabeth I. During the same period Hever Castle passed into the ownership of Henry’s fourth wife, Anne of Cleves. From 1557 onwards the Castle was owned by a number of families including the Waldegraves, the Humfreys and the Meade Waldos.

In 1903, William Waldorf Astor invested time, money and imagination in restoring Hever Castle, building the ’Tudor Village’ and creating the gardens and lake. 

The lake, playing host to the swim section of the triathlon, took 800 men to dig by hand and took 2 years to construct.  In so doing the lake diverted the course of the River Eden.  There are pictures in the castle of the Astor family diving off the steps of the Italianate Loggia.

The run section of the triathlon circumnavigates the lake and the estate. This is the first time since 1939 that visitors have been able to walk/ run the entire distance around the lake. Along the way look out for bird boxes that are home to owls, blue tits, robins and woodpeckers and for kingfishers, swans, herons and crested grebes on the lake. At the foot of the lake sit three WWII pill boxes built to defend a key crossing point on the river Eden as part of the Medway Defence System.

Since 1983, the castle has been owned by Broadland Properties Limited and open to the public. The castle houses historic 16th century Tudor portraits, furniture and tapestries. Other artifacts include two magnificent Books of Hours (prayer books), both signed and inscribed by Anne Boleyn. Additionally, costumed figures of Henry VIII and his six wives in the Long Gallery adds to the atmosphere and is popular with the children. Finally, the Council Chamber in the thirteenth century gatehouse contains collections of historic swords, armour, instruments of execution, torture and discipline.

A number of films have been made on the estate using the grounds and the castle as a backdrop including Anne of the Thousand Days (1969, Directed by Charles Jarrott, with Richard Burton, Geneviève Bujold, Irene Papas), The Princess Bridge (1987, Directed by Rob Reiner, with Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon and Inkheart (2008, Directed by Iain Softley, with Brendan Fraser, Sienna Guillory, Eliza Bennett).