Leeds Castle (@leedscastleuk) is a 900-year-old castle set in 500 acres of glorious grounds and gardens in #Kent. The castle’s last private owner was Lady Baillie, who handed the property over to a trust so it could be maintained as a visitor attraction.
Given the size of the castle and the extensive grounds, it is possible to get lost. The castle helps avoid this by having an interactive map that visitors can access through smartphones and tablets.
A tour of the castle’s interior reveals a mix of styles and periods. This experience has been enhanced through the use of digital audio guides. Here visitors can listen via headsets to detail about the castle’s history. This is not dry narration delivered by a donnish historian, but instead brought to life through interesting, character driven stories full of facts about the people who made their mark on the castle.
The audio guide also provides a rich stream of information about the wealth of antique furnishings, paintings and treasures throughout the rooms.
The castle has had many previous owners, including King Henry VIII, infamous for his six wives and break with the Catholic Church in establishing the protestant Church of England and the Anglican religion.
The castle was used as a palace by Henry VIII’s first wife Catherine of Aragon. Over the course of its history, the castle Leeds Castle has been a Norman stronghold. The first stone was laid by William the Conqueror’s son Henry I, on an island in the River Len during the 12th century.
It was also the private property of six of England’s medieval queens. The castle also served as a Jacobean country house.
The castle has been used in a number of movies, including the 1949 Ealing Comedy film Kind Hearts and Coronets; The Moonraker (1958); Waltz of the Toreadors (1962); and the Doctor Who serial The Androids of Tara.
In later years the castle became an elegant early 20th century retreat for the influential and famous.
In 1926, Lady Baillie, a wealthy Anglo-American heiress acquired the castle and used it to host many decadent parties, especially during the 1930s when parts of the castle interior adopted an Art Deco theme (an eclectic style and drew on many sources, with an emphasis upon decorative styles.)
Lady Baillie bought the castle in 1926 for £180,000 ($250,000.)
Today the castle is run by the Leeds Castle Foundation, a private charitable trust.
A further example of the use of digital technology is an exhibition called “The Dark Sky.” This is a visual and audio exhibit presenting the battle of Agincourt through the use of computer graphics. The battle was a critical part of the 100 years’ war between Britain and France; here, some 600 years ago, in 1415, King Henry V of England, and only a few dozen men, defeated a mighty French army at Agincourt.
The castle grounds are magnificent, full of lakes, birds and luscious, rambling lawns.
Plus plenty of woodland.Close to the woodland, there is an activity ground for children, including tree houses and rope bridges.
And a chance for people to hire Segways and meander through the woodland.
There are also more formal, decorative gardens, such as the large cottage garden. Then image below is of a very English garden, full of Roses, Lupins, Poppies and Lads’ Love, together with some exotic blooms mixed in to create a profusion of color and scent.
The grounds also contains a very difficult maze. The maze consists of 2,400 yew trees and it forms the shape of a queen’s crown (appropriate given the castle’s history.)
The maze leads down into a grotto. The grotto complete with macabre forms and mythical beasts created from shells, minerals and wood.
The castle frequently uses social media to promote events at the castle. This includes notifications of regular jousting tournaments or promoting the golf course adjacent to the castle grounds.
Another eye-catching area within the castle grounds is The Bird of Prey Center. This houses many birds from a variety of different species, from the American Kestrel to our largest, a Russian Steppe Eagle.
The castle also utilizes Facebook, with some 30,000 followers. Here special theme nights are promoted, where a select number of guests can stay at the castle and enjoy recreations of the 1930s parties.
The application of social media also allows the castle to post promotional videos: