the castle dates holds almost 900 of history, dating back to 1119 and becoming a royal palace in 1278. the castle gained a reputation as a “ladies castle” being a property presented to a queen by her king; over six queens resided in the castle over the years. King Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, stayed extensively at Leeds, and lot of work was done to reflect the tudor style. Queen Elizabeth I, daughter of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn (his second wife), was imprisoned at Leeds for a time before her coronation. the last inhabitant of the castle was Lady Baillie who purchased the castle in the 1920s. she spent considerable time and money to redecorate the castle interior. the castle was opened to the public in 1976.
the castle itself was kinda small, but the grounds were extensive and ever-so picturesque. Lady Baillie was a big bird lady and had opened up an aviary filled with exotic birds from around the world. birds generally scare me but it was pretty cool to see such a varied collection of different birds. in addition to the aviary birds, there are less rare ones that wander the castle parks and gardens freely; daniel was extremely interested in the black swans, which were imported from Australia by Lady Baillie and a symbol of the castle.
and, for my favourite part of the castle? a hedge maze! it was so much fun getting lost in the hedges and not at all scary. not finding my way out never crossed my mind… really!
the visit to the castle was a lot of fun, but the next time I’m in UK, I’m going to visit a castle with 12 ft thick walls or situated on top of secret wartime tunnels.
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