Wednesday we took a day tour to Leeds Castle, Dover, and Canterbury.
Leeds Castle was build in 1116 as a Norman stronghold under William the conqueror. It became the property of King Edward I in 1278 and was a royal residence for several hundred years, including King Henry the VIII, who transformed the castle for his wife, Catherine of Argon. The castle was given to one of the English Lords at one point and was no longer a royal residence. In the early 1900's a wealthy English American woman bought the castle and invested millions of pounds of her inheritance to renovate and restore the castle. It is located in Kent, south of London, in the beautiful green hills of the English countryside. It is one of the few castles that still has a water moat surrounding the castle.
Near the end of our visit the rain clouds broke for this beautiful view of the castle with the surrounding moat. What a perfect day!
Lady Baillie is the wealthy woman who bought the castle and restored it. This was her bedroom. Quite elegant!
Palace drawing room.
Knight of armor in one of the castle corridors.
Dining Room
This is the castle Keep, the oldest part of the castle.
No castle is complete without the iron gate and drawbridge!
The exotic black swans, imported from Australia, are one of the castle hallmarks.
The BBC was filming a documentary at the castle while we were there. The horse drawn wagon was part of their production, carrying one of their high brow historians.
After Leeds we took a quick stop at the White Cliffs of Dover then went to Canterbury. Canterbury is a significant religious site in English history. The Archbishop of Canterbury was the strongest religious power in Britain through the ages. This position often rivaled the authority of the King. The cathedral was beautiful, one of the best we've seen in Europe.
The main nave of the cathedral
Canterbury is the site of the famous martyrdom of Thomas Becket, the archbishop who resisted royal authority and paid a heavy price. Originally, Thomas and King Henry II were great friends and allies. Once Thomas became archbishop, however, they found themselves in continual conflict, as Thomas sought to recover and extend the rights and authority of the archbishop and opposed the king in several key issues. At one point the king, in frustration, exclaimed, "will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?" Taking him seriously, four knights rode to Canterbury and killed Thomas in the cathedral in June of 1170. He has since been canonized as a saint and this memorial commemorates the murder.
The entrance into the cathedral courtyard
Outside the cathedral in the main courtyard
There was a shrine at this location in the cathedral in honor of Thomas Becket. King Henry VIII had it removed and now this candle burns in its place
A side corridor of the main cathedral nave - beautiful architecture!
Some of the old cathedral ruins
The cathedral quadrangle and extension of the crypt
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