Hever Castle is a quick day trip from London and provides a really fun outing; it’s privately owned and not affiliated to either National Trust or English Heritage. It’s very well taken care of and has a great deal to offer guests during their visit – from history to a well maintained castle and it’s beautifully manicured gardens.
There’s a variety of options for things to do and see while visiting the Castle:
- Historic Castle, once home to Anne Boelyn, with it’s beautifully maintained and curated collection.
- Gardens that cover acres of the property and have a variety of different areas to visit and explore, including a Rose garden.
- 2 Mazes can be found within the Gardens and will certainly keep children (and young-at-heart adults) thoroughly entertained.
- Row Boats & Peddle Boats can be hired to take out into a small pond at the end of the gardens.
- Jousting shows are put on as part of an events calendar, along with a variety of other events that the Castle hosts.
There is significant history at the Castle as well:
- Built-in 1270, and has over 700 years of history in a single beautiful building.
- It was the childhood home of Anne Boelyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII.
- It later became home to Henryโs divorced fourth wife โ Anne Cleves.
How to get there from London?
- It sits in the county of Kent, south of London, and is accessible via train (1 hour journey) or by car (1 hour 20 minute journey).
- Trains depart from London Bridge (Southern Rail) to Hever Station.
- It is a 1 mile walk from Hever Station to Hever Castle.
- The Hever Castle website has some further details on how to reach the Castle.
Since moving to the UK many years ago I have been keen to make it to this castle and experience one of their jousting events, and finally had the chance to this summer. They host the jousting events several times throughout the year (and you can check their site for scheduling). It was a spectacular show during an overcast day but with plenty of ground to sit on with a picnic.
Hever Castle Grounds
Hever Castle Gardens
Hever Castle Gardens
Hever Castle Grounds
Hever Castle Jousting
Hever Castle Jousting
Hever Castle
Hever Castle
