by Patrick Boniface

Created on: September 25, 2008

Like something out of a medieval fantasy, Hever Castle is a dream like castle that satisfies a visitor on all levels. Some are drawn to the castle by the majesty of its beautifully cared for and manicured gardens and grounds; others by the history of the place and others loose their heads when told of the fate of one of its famous former residents Anne Bolyen.

Fresh spring the herald of love's mighty king,
In whose coat armour richly are display'd
All sorts of flowers the which on earth do spring
In goodly colours gloriously array'd.

These words were spoken by Edmund Spenser who wrote of Hever Castle; his words are lyrical and of a style of the age in which he lived the late 1500's. Their candor and the brilliance with which he fawned over the flowers and gardens of Hever Castle live on throughout the centuries. As you walk through the splendidly manicured and trim set gardens you almost can imagine treading in the footsteps of Anne Boleyn, as Hever was her family home, and what a home it must have been for the beautiful young woman, who'd loose her head to King Henry VIII's jealousy.

Hever Castle set in a fold of the English countryside below the rolling mass of the North Downs, is as romantic a place as you could imagine, its double moat and stone gatehouse, several feet thick in places, were built in the 13th century. To this original construction, the Boleyn family added a comfortable Tudor manor house around the year 1500.

The next few centuries were not always kind to the Castle or the gardens but the 20th century finally saw a savior for the place. Credit must go to the American William Waldorf Astor, a millionaire, who spent a sizable amount of his fortune not just buying the Castle, but also in restoring it.

Inside his English Castle Waldorf Astor furnished the building with splendors from across the globe, majestic wood carvings and paneling on the walls, and hallways, bedrooms and staterooms filled with antiques and collectibles. Yet more rooms were decorated with immaculate taste with works of art, which are simply breathtaking. Astor was a modern man with all the latest technologies on his contemporary wish list for his new estate. Bathrooms with modern plumbing and electricity were installed. The wiring for this and for the radiators and pipework were all cleverly concealed so not to distract from the appearance of Hever Castle.

Yet the American needed more rooms than the small castle could provide. Undeterred Astor employed the services of architect

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