- Type
- Castle
- Origins
- 1271 · 13th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Location
- England, United Kingdom
- Commissioned by
- William de Hever
- Visiting
- probably – Wikidata lists it as a museum or gives tickets, opening hours or visitor numbers; check before you go
- Coordinates
- 51.1869°, 0.1139°
History
The oldest parts of the castle, the gatehouse and the moated curtain wall, are medieval, dating from the late 13th and 14th centuries. In 1462 the estate was bought by Geoffrey Boleyn, and his descendants created a comfortable residence within the walls. Anne Boleyn grew up here and was visited by the lovestruck Henry VIII. After her father's death the castle passed to the king, who in 1540 gave it to his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, as part of the settlement ending their marriage. In 1903 the American millionaire William Waldorf Astor bought Hever; he restored the castle, built a Tudor-style village beside it for guests and laid out gardens with a lake.
What to see
The rooms are filled with Tudor portraits, period furniture and two prayer books bearing Anne Boleyn's handwritten inscriptions. Around the castle lie the Italian Garden with ancient sculpture collected by Astor, a rose garden and the lake, as well as a yew maze and a water maze where wet feet come easily.
Wikipedia article Official website Wikidata Q1132683
Popularity: articles about this site in 30 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).