Hever Castle
This week’s Tudor Time Traveller location is Hever Castle.
On my recent trip to England, like any loyal Anne Boleyn fan, I could not wait to visit Hever Castle. I spent weeks dreaming about the moment when I would finally come face to face with Anne’s childhood home. The home where she grew up and spent many happy years. I longed to walk the grounds where she had walked, to be in the same space that had once been occupied by Anne Boleyn. I was fascinated by the fact that the walls had once been privy to the most intimate Boleyn conversations. Each stone, I was sure, held an imprint of Anne’s voice, her image.
Castle Courtyard, Hever Castle.
Standing in the Castle Courtyard gazing at the timber-framed Tudor addition to the castle it felt as though at any moment Henry VIII would storm in over the drawbridge and under the ancient portcullis with his retinue of courtiers and followers. It was difficult for me to comprehend that all that separated me from them was time – not space, only time.
Although much of the interior of the castle was restored in the early 20th century, the collection of antique furniture, portraits and tapestries gave it an authentic feel. In the Inner Hall stood a walnut cassapanca or marriage chest dating from c. 1550.
The Dining Hall was the Boleyn Great Hall and is where they would have dined and entertained their guests. Adorning one of the doors is Henry VIII’s great gilt door lock that he carried with him when visiting other houses to ensure that his bedchamber could be properly secured, thus ensuring his safety from would be assassins.
In the Morning Room, a private retiring room in Tudor times, the Catholic Waldegrave family added a priest hole as mass was forbidden. It is said that a priest perished here and that his unhappy spirit refuses to leave.
The view from Anne Boleyn's Bedroom, Hever Castle.
Definitely one of the highlights for me was stepping into Anne’s bedroom. I was immediately surprised by how small and simple the room was as I had always imagined a much larger bedchamber. Still, it was almost incomprehensible that in the exact space where I now stood, Anne had slept, dressed, laughed and cried. I respected the owner’s request for no photography inside the castle but could not resist taking a photo of the view out of Anne’s window.
Hever is also home to two of Anne’s beautifully illuminated prayer books. I imagined her long slender fingers holding the books and wished that I could have held them too. One bears the poignant inscription ‘Le temps viendra’ (The time will come) and the other ‘Remember me when you do pray that hope doth lead from day to day.’
Although I now no longer need to dream of my first visit to Hever, I yearn for my return.
Click here for more information on the history of the castle.
I also want to return to Hever Castle! I have to admit that when I stood in Anne’s chambers, I held my hand against the window stones and I wept (how utterly embarrassing!) There is such a presence in Hever Castle, as though the essence of Anne’s younger years were there. It is such a breathtaking place, and I don’t think words can ever fully describe the experience. To walk where Anne walked….
You are absolutely correct Sarah, it’s so difficult to capture that ‘essence’ in words. I think it’s just one of those things you need to experience for yourself. And don’t be embarrassed, I completely understand how you felt. I was totally overwhelmed for most of my trip!
I loved Hever castle. I visited it this July, and I was impressed because it’s very small (compared with Hampton Court, Windsor…), but lovely!!!! It’s true that Anne’s bedroom is very small but I think it’s adorable!!! And the views through her window are really beautiful!!
Hever is a nice and a calm place, and the gardens are marvelous!!! I think, Anne Boleyn spent happy times in this house. And I really want to visit it again =)
Natalie:
Thank you so much for conjuring up my own memories of Hever Castle, and reminding me that when I return to England, I’ll have to make another day trip there. My only visit was in the spring of 2000; I can still walk — in my mind — the route from the train station; stopping by the church where Sir Thomas is entombed, then making my way (on a rain-drizzled morning) along the main road on the property, smiling the whole time as I made the approach. I spent an hour in the gardens (which weren’t quite in bloom) while waiting for the castle to open, and then just wandered through those rooms, much like you, imagining — even with many of the 20th century items — Anne walking those halls, full of hopes and fears and dreams. When I saw the Book of Hours with her scribblings in the margins, it made me feel very close to this woman I had read so much about….
The next day (a Sunday and the last day of my 3 week trip) I was sitting under the replacement oak at Hatfield, where Anne’s daughter learned that she was Queen! It felt right — my little way of honoring both mother and child.
So thanks for the memories. I can’t wait to to back. Question: is there a good time of year to visit Hever? April 2000 was awful; it rained most of the time, snowed once in Bath LOL but I loved the trip anyway. But just wondering if there’s a time when Hever is at its’ prime? 🙂
Tina, it sounds as though Hever enchanted you as it did me. I visited the castle at the end of September last year and it was perfect! A mild day with the most amazing blue sky! Although, people were commenting on how unusually ‘perfect’ the weather had been during my trip. I think that when you go depends on what you’d like to experience. I think a Christmas at Hever with the castle covered in snow would be unforgettable. I know that lots of people go during Spring when the gardens are in full bloom. Summer would probably be a little too crowded although they do host some great events during this period. I guess the solution is to several times and experience all the faces of Hever Castle!
Thanks for the reply Natalie. I’m thinking next time will be September or October 2014 (which will likely be the year I retire from our police department as a crime scene tech, so the trip would be a gift to myself after what will be 28 years of service). I’m looking forward to seeing Hever again though, because despite the years, you do still feel very close to a person. I know very litle remains of the Hatfield that Elizabeth (or her mother) knew, but you could still sense her presence, even if the tree’s been replaced. It was the same with Anne at Hever.