‘A CASTLE OF OUR OWN’

Beautiful Leeds Castle, Kent, where as children Caroline Ashby and her brother shared happy times.
Beautiful Leeds Castle, Kent, where as children Caroline Ashby and her brother shared happy times.

I grew up in the small village of Leeds, Kent, in the 1960s. My parents had moved there in 1954 when my father began working as a forester for Lady Baillie. She owned Leeds Castle, on the outskirts of the village, and we lived in a 450-year-old tied cottage on the estate.

Lady Baillie had fallen in love with the castle and bought it in 1926. The romandc Norman castle is surrounded by a moat and 500 acres of woodland and deer park, in those days it was still a home, so it was not open to the public.

Few people outside the surrounding villages had heard of the castle, which was screened from the nearby main road by trees in those days. My brother Jeremy and I thought of it as our own castle, and a magical place to play. We often went down to the grounds with our father when he had business to attend to in the estate yard. It was so peaceful there, and the only people we ever saw were gardeners or gamekeepers striding about.

We loved playing hide and seek in the wood gardens, which looked their best in spring with all the daffodils, narcissi and anemonies in bloom. There was a little stream, and close by an old wooden summer house overlooking a tennis court. We often heard Canada geese cackling, or saw peacocks strutting about, and loved to watch the elegant black swans gliding through the calm blue waters of the moat.

My dad has always been a cricket fanatic, and still prepares the ground for every village match. The cricket field is leased from the castle and is in the park overlooking it. While he prepared the pitch, we used to explore the park where in late summer there were lots of conkers to gather from the horse chestnut trees, or walk to the castle gardens which looked
magnificent with azaleas and rhododendron in bloom.

The castle courtyard contained staff cottages, barns, garages and ‘the hostel’ which was tucked in the comer next to what is now the gift shop, this was the staff social room, and we often went with our father when he had to lock up for the night. It was a small, dark, smoky room with a pool table in the centre, and had tiny windows overlooking the courtyard. Dad always treated us to a packet of crisps, the ones with sachets of salt in them, and a bottle of Vimto.

Leeds Castle had been a royal palace in medieval days. It had seen many batdes, and we were convinced it was haunted, but we never saw any ghosts. However, we were not brave enough to venture there on our own at night to find out! I liked to scare my brother with tales of people having seen strange figures hovering about the batdements at night.

In later years I used to go babysitting in The Maiden’s Tower’, which was built by Henry VIII for Anne Boleyn. On cold dark autumn nights I used to have the television playing loudly so that I would not hear every creak, or the trees outside msding in the wind. I always expected to see a headless figure come floating down the staircase!

The days off school because of
heavy snow in winter were brilliant. My brother and I often walked to the park, where everything would be hidden under a layer of pure white snow. The casde looked even more magical, locked in the frozen moat, and the snowball fights we had in the park were great fun. Then we would rush home to sit by a log fire – much better than being at school!

Every Christmas Lady Baillie held parties for the children of her estate workers, and we looked forward to this for weeks. The party was always held in the oldest part of the casde, known as ‘The Gloriette’. All the rooms were decked out with chains and bells in faded reds, yellows and greens, and brightly-coloured balloons hung from the ceiling. In one room a huge table groaned under the weight of mountains of food. We could never manage to eat all the sandwiches and cakes, so many mince pies were wrapped up in napkins and taken home for dads’ suppers!

After tea we trooped excitedly into Henry VUI’s banqueting hall, where a huge Christmas tree stood laden with baubles, chocolates, crackers and tinsel. There would be a cartoon to watch, or a performing magician, and then Lady Baillie would hand out our presents from under the tree. One year I
had a toy rabbit that played a drum when wound up, but unfortunately it came to a sorry end one day when I decided to wash it in the kitchen sink, and it fell to bits. We always went home with balloons and sweets as well, and the children’s parties continue to this day.

In 1974 Lady Baillie died and left the castle to the nation. It is now run by Leeds Castle Foundation as a charitable trust. Medical seminars, conferences and many other functions are now held there and the casde is open to the public.

The media descended on Leeds in July 1978 when the Middle Eastern Peace Summit was held there. The meeting had been switched from London because there were worries that Palestinian extremists were plotting a terrorist strike. There were armed guards everywhere and many worried villagers. The estate was sealed off, and my dad was most annoyed as he had to cancel a cricket match against a visiting side from Cambridge!

The castle caters for coachloads of tourists now and ‘the hostel’ has long since closed. We can no longer roam the grounds without paying the entry fee. The collection of exotic birds in the aviaries has increased, and there is a maze and grotto too. In the courtyard the old bam has been restored and named the Fairfax Hall after one of the 17th Century owners of the casde, and is now used as a tea room. Land by the courtyard has been transformed into the Culpepper Garden with neat flower beds, and is wonderful to see in summer.

Nowadays our own castle is no longer a haven of peace and tranquility – yet it brings happiness to all who visit, for you cannot fail to fall in love with it.

Caroline Ashby

More Stories

Cork-board background Bottom

‘A CASTLE OF OUR OWN’

Beautiful Leeds Castle, Kent, where as children Caroline Ashby and her brother shared happy times.
Beautiful Leeds Castle, Kent, where as children Caroline Ashby and her brother shared happy times.

I grew up in the small village of Leeds, Kent, in the 1960s. My parents had moved there in 1954 when my father began working as a forester for Lady Baillie. She owned Leeds Castle, on the outskirts of the village, and we lived in a 450-year-old tied cottage on the estate.

Lady Baillie had fallen in love with the castle and bought it in 1926. The romandc Norman castle is surrounded by a moat and 500 acres of woodland and deer park, in those days it was still a home, so it was not open to the public.

Few people outside the surrounding villages had heard of the castle, which was screened from the nearby main road by trees in those days. My brother Jeremy and I thought of it as our own castle, and a magical place to play. We often went down to the grounds with our father when he had business to attend to in the estate yard. It was so peaceful there, and the only people we ever saw were gardeners or gamekeepers striding about.

We loved playing hide and seek in the wood gardens, which looked their best in spring with all the daffodils, narcissi and anemonies in bloom. There was a little stream, and close by an old wooden summer house overlooking a tennis court. We often heard Canada geese cackling, or saw peacocks strutting about, and loved to watch the elegant black swans gliding through the calm blue waters of the moat.

My dad has always been a cricket fanatic, and still prepares the ground for every village match. The cricket field is leased from the castle and is in the park overlooking it. While he prepared the pitch, we used to explore the park where in late summer there were lots of conkers to gather from the horse chestnut trees, or walk to the castle gardens which looked
magnificent with azaleas and rhododendron in bloom.

The castle courtyard contained staff cottages, barns, garages and ‘the hostel’ which was tucked in the comer next to what is now the gift shop, this was the staff social room, and we often went with our father when he had to lock up for the night. It was a small, dark, smoky room with a pool table in the centre, and had tiny windows overlooking the courtyard. Dad always treated us to a packet of crisps, the ones with sachets of salt in them, and a bottle of Vimto.

Leeds Castle had been a royal palace in medieval days. It had seen many batdes, and we were convinced it was haunted, but we never saw any ghosts. However, we were not brave enough to venture there on our own at night to find out! I liked to scare my brother with tales of people having seen strange figures hovering about the batdements at night.

In later years I used to go babysitting in The Maiden’s Tower’, which was built by Henry VIII for Anne Boleyn. On cold dark autumn nights I used to have the television playing loudly so that I would not hear every creak, or the trees outside msding in the wind. I always expected to see a headless figure come floating down the staircase!

The days off school because of
heavy snow in winter were brilliant. My brother and I often walked to the park, where everything would be hidden under a layer of pure white snow. The casde looked even more magical, locked in the frozen moat, and the snowball fights we had in the park were great fun. Then we would rush home to sit by a log fire – much better than being at school!

Every Christmas Lady Baillie held parties for the children of her estate workers, and we looked forward to this for weeks. The party was always held in the oldest part of the casde, known as ‘The Gloriette’. All the rooms were decked out with chains and bells in faded reds, yellows and greens, and brightly-coloured balloons hung from the ceiling. In one room a huge table groaned under the weight of mountains of food. We could never manage to eat all the sandwiches and cakes, so many mince pies were wrapped up in napkins and taken home for dads’ suppers!

After tea we trooped excitedly into Henry VUI’s banqueting hall, where a huge Christmas tree stood laden with baubles, chocolates, crackers and tinsel. There would be a cartoon to watch, or a performing magician, and then Lady Baillie would hand out our presents from under the tree. One year I
had a toy rabbit that played a drum when wound up, but unfortunately it came to a sorry end one day when I decided to wash it in the kitchen sink, and it fell to bits. We always went home with balloons and sweets as well, and the children’s parties continue to this day.

In 1974 Lady Baillie died and left the castle to the nation. It is now run by Leeds Castle Foundation as a charitable trust. Medical seminars, conferences and many other functions are now held there and the casde is open to the public.

The media descended on Leeds in July 1978 when the Middle Eastern Peace Summit was held there. The meeting had been switched from London because there were worries that Palestinian extremists were plotting a terrorist strike. There were armed guards everywhere and many worried villagers. The estate was sealed off, and my dad was most annoyed as he had to cancel a cricket match against a visiting side from Cambridge!

The castle caters for coachloads of tourists now and ‘the hostel’ has long since closed. We can no longer roam the grounds without paying the entry fee. The collection of exotic birds in the aviaries has increased, and there is a maze and grotto too. In the courtyard the old bam has been restored and named the Fairfax Hall after one of the 17th Century owners of the casde, and is now used as a tea room. Land by the courtyard has been transformed into the Culpepper Garden with neat flower beds, and is wonderful to see in summer.

Nowadays our own castle is no longer a haven of peace and tranquility – yet it brings happiness to all who visit, for you cannot fail to fall in love with it.

Caroline Ashby

More Stories

Cork-board background Bottom