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Getting to Kent
Kent is an easy place to get to whether you're travelling by road, rail or air.
Beyond Boleyn: Kent and the Tudors
Kent has more castles and stately homes than anywhere else in England, with many real life links to the mighty Tudor dynasty.
Hever Castle
Hever Castle is the real-life home of Mary and Anne Boleyn. Anne and Mary's great-grandfather, Geoffrey Bullen purchased the castle in the 1400s and passed it to his grandson, Sir Thomas Bullen. Thomas moved his family here from Norfolk around 1504-5.
Henry VIII began courting Anne Boleyn at Hever Castle, often arriving unannounced with a huge retinue. It is an idyllic setting with its stone moated Tudor dwelling surrounded by beautiful gardens.
Many artefacts mark the unfolding of their romance including Anne's childhood bedroom, replicas of the elaborate locks Henry brought with him to fix to his bedchamber door (to ensure his personal safety) and a replica of the clock he presented to her as a wedding gift.
Most poignant of all is the Book of Hours, inscribed and signed by Anne Boleyn, that she probably clasped as she stepped to her execution. Written in her own hand in the book is the haunting plea, ‘remember me when you do pray/that hope doth lead from day to day/Anne Boleyn.'
Henry VIII later appropriated Hever Castle following the death of Sir Thomas Boleyn. The king gave the castle to his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, when he divorced her in 1540.
New for 2008! - A rare and newly acquired portrait of Catherine Howard was unveiled by David Starkey on 3rd March 2008, completing Hever Castle's collection of Henry VIII's Queens. Hever Castle now boasts one of the best collections of Tudor portraits after the National Portrait Gallery.
Leeds Castle
The birth place of the Tudor Dynasty, Leeds Castle was the scene of the scandalous affair between dowager Queen Catherine de Valois and courtier Owen Tudor. Their grandson became Henry VII, the first Tudor king.
The castle was used as a retreat by Henry VIII who invested heavily in improvements, including exquisite windows, fireplaces and banqueting halls still on view today. Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon spent a night at Leeds en route to the ‘Field of the Cloth of Gold', a meeting between Henry VIII and Francis I of France, and Henry also retreated to Leeds Castle to escape the plague raging in London.
Ightham Mote
Ightham Mote is decorated with Tudor emblems, a striking example of the way courtiers curried favour with Henry VIII. Sir Richard Clement, the owner from 1521 to 1538, embellishing his home with displays of loyalty to Henry and Katherine, for example, the Tudor Rose and pomegranate of Aragon in the stained glass of the Great Hall and the barrel-vaulted roof of the New Chapel. After Katherine was divorced, Sir Richard officiated at Anne Boleyn's marriage with Henry, but any awkwardness he might have felt was not so great that he refurbished his interiors to hide tributes to the king's first wife.
Lullingstone Castle
Henry VIII loved to visit enchanting Lullingstone Castle with Anne Boleyn. The historic family mansion, dates back to the Domesday Book, is still owned by descendants of the original owners. It is home to the UK's first ever ‘World Garden of Plants' containing plants from around the globe planted in their respective countries of origin.
Rochester Castle
The imposing fortress of Rochester Castle was where Henry VIII first met Anne of Cleves, his fourth wife, in the timbered "Old Hall", standing behind the castle on Boley Hill. Anne was taken there shortly after her arrival in England and paraded before the King at the Castle. Henry bitterly disappointed with Anne's looks called her his "Flanders Mare" and six months after the wedding, divorced her.
Henry wanted several resting places when travelling through Kent and one of these was the Priory attached to Rochester Cathedral. Always fearing invasion, he constructed the first dockyard at nearby Chatham. Queen Elizabeth I built Upnor Castle to defend warships anchored on the River Medway.
Deal and Walmer Castle's
Deal and Walmer Castle's were key fortresses in Henry VIII's coastal defences against France and Spain. Deal has huge, rounded bastions in contrast of Walmer more relaxed appearance. Walmer Castle has long since been transformed into the elegant residence of the Lords Warden of the Cinque Ports.
Canterbury Cathedral
In Henry VIII's time Canterbury Cathedral was one of the most important religious centres in the world, but the King's split from the Roman Catholic Church caused widespread upheaval. Henry ruthlessly destroyed religious buildings to suit his own needs and the Cathedral was no exception. Under Henry's orders soldiers closed all abbeys, monasteries and smashed windows and statues in the Cathedral.
Henry's daughter - Mary Tudor, a staunch Catholic known as "Bloody Mary" because of the huge number of people she had put to death for their faith, had Thomas Cranmer the Archbishop of Canterbury burnt at the stake for refusing to become a Catholic.
Visit Tudor Kent
If all this Tudor history has inspired you to visit Kent you can find a wide choice of accommodation to suit all tastes and budgets, from quaint cottages, converted barns, bed and breakfasts, and conical oast houses, to chic city hotels, seaside guest houses and family-friendly caravan and camping parks.
Search our comprehensive Kent accommodation database
Accommodation located specifically in the Heart of Kent
Travelling to Kent
Kent is easy place to get to however you choose to travel. There are regular train services from London and southern England covering all the major towns. See http://www.southeasternrailway.co.uk/
