Leeds Castle
in Kent England

Leeds Castle was built in 1119, so it has alot of history to go with it. The Castle was built by Robert De Crevecoeur which was to replace the earlier Saxon manor, the castle became a royal palace for King Edward I of England and his queen, Eleanor of Castile in 1278. Of course major renovations were made during that time, including the three drawbridges, gateways, and this would include the three portcullis's as well.

In 1321 for example, King Edward II besieged the castle after his queen was refused admission, and used ballistas, or springalds, to force its defenders to surrender. Henry VIII reconstructed the castle for his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, and a painting commemorating his meeting with Francis the 1st of France still hangs there. His daughter, Queen Elizabeth I was imprisoned in the castle for a time before her coronation.

The most recent history includes the opening of the castle to the public in 1976. On 17 July 1978, the castle was the site of a meeting between the Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan in preparation for the Camp David Accords. In September 1999, Sir Elton John played two sold-out solo concerts in the grounds of Leeds Castle.

This historic castle in the county of Kent is now an important leisure destination in the south east of England. The castle grounds have an aviary, a must see maze, a grotto, a picturesque golf course and for something really different the world's only museum of dog collars can you believe. The castle is also available to host conferences.

The maze at the castle was constructed in 1988, using 2,400 yew trees. To the surprise to most people, who have heard that every maze can be solved by keeping your right or left hand on the wall while walking through, this is called, wall follower, the Castle Maze proves that belief wrong, because not all of the 'walls' are connected. The exit is actually beneath a small lookout in the centre of the maze.

More detailed information about the Castle can be found at the official web site by clicking here.

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