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The original castle was built by William de Hever in 1270 and consisted of the gatehouse and walled bailey. In 1462, Anne Boleyn’s great-grandfather, Geoffrey Boleyn, purchased the castle. He extended it and converted it into a private home. When the Boleyn family moved into Hever in c. 1505 they converted it into a comfortable Tudor home.
Anne Boleyn, together with her siblings Mary and George, is likely to have spent a good deal of her childhood here prior to being sent to join the court of the Archduchess Margaret in 1513.
After the demise of Anne and Thomas Boleyn, the castle became the property of Henry VIII. In 1540 he gave it to his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, as part of a very generous annulment settlement.
After this, the castle had several owners including the Waldegraves, the Humfreys, and the Meade Waldos. In 1903 the American millionaire, William Waldorf Astor, purchased Hever. He went about restoring the castle, building the Tudor village, and creating the beautiful gardens and lake.
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roberta-writes.com 
Hever Castle is a place I´d like to visit. It is so full of history.
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So much history there! Was the cardinal conducting a service of some kind?
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I remember going to Hever Castle as a child on a family outing. I fear I was too young to really appreciate its history, but remember the gardens being lovely. Your photos bring back the memory.
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Thanks so much for including the history, Roberta. It’s just amazing to me that this was being built and changing hands hundreds of years before any building of substance was being considered in our country. I would love to visit a castle like this. Seeing your wonderful photos might be as close as I get.
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I didn’t get the armor until I read your caption. Yes, you’re right!
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I love Heaver Castle always a lovely place to visit 💜💜💜
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The gardens are amazing, Willow. It’s worth visiting just for that.
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Yes we have had several lovely visits there not for a couple years Robbie 💜
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Thanks for another fascinating history lesson, Robbie!
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Beautiful castle with an interesting history, Robbie 🙂
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Thank you, Denise. This castle is very Disney princess, just how I imagined a castle would look.
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Another terrific article – great pics and nice history lesson as well!
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Thank you, John. I seem to spend all my holidays walking around museums, castles, and art galleries.
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Then GREAT holidays those are!
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What a fascinating bit of history and gorgeous photos, Robbie!
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Hi Jan, I’m glad you enjoyed this history. King Henry VIII and his six wives were my first historical fascination.
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I missed going there during my last visit to London. Forget why – probably the weather. Lovely gardens.
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The castles are closed after Christmas until the spring, so maybe that is why. Bad weather can also make travelling difficult.
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Wow–that was a culture desperately in need of a little feminism. The sheer arrogance of Henry giving Anne Boleyn’s house to his fourth wife as an annulment settlement–well, it just boggles the mind. I recently read a book that blasted English history as being merely the study of which wives fat Henry had killed. They should have read some of your posts. : )
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Hi Cathleen, thank you for visiting. There is truth in the claim that English history does seem dominated by the evil Henry Tudor. I am very interested in the lives of everyday people living in the UK throughout history, and especially during the Victorian era.
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The Victorians were fascinating, weren’t they? Such a study in contrasts. And so accessible, too, because unlike earlier eras, we have photographs. And at least in the US, there was such a sense of time passing and of technology marching on, that serious attempts were actually made to chronicle the lives of ordinary people. Matthew Brady, for instance, with his pictures of the Civil War soldiers, and all the Wild West shows that toured from the late 1800s until WWI.
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Yes, you are right about it being more accessible and, therefore, easier to write about. I tend to gravitate towards stories about things like baby farming, chimney boys, and kids down mines which I believe should be remembered. We have to remember history to try and avert making the same mistakes.
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what an impressive set of owners Hever Castle has had!
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Yes, but the Boleyn’s and William Astor all died badly so I’ll stick to my farm house.
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good choice!
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castles are cool
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I love them, Annette.
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Just like a fairy tale. (K)
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This castle really is just like a Disney princess castle. Very ornate. That was the doing of Astor though, he changed it from a tudor styled castle.
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Oh, I am coming back for a second look at your photos. This is definitely going on my to visit list!!!
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I am a big castles fan, Rebecca. My sons get to visit four on every trip to the UK.
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Interesting history and great photos.
I was remind of history at school, Henry and his wives. . A great restoration i guess this the same person of the hotel chain Waldorf Astor?
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Yes, this is the same man. I’m glad you enjoyed the pictures. I enjoy this period in history, it changed so much.
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I guess for me Henry the eight and his wives is always the bit of school history lesson I remember the most. And guy fawkes, the fire, the plague, and tutor and roses. I don’t recall anything that well
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Roberta, Such a beautiful castle and gardens. This castle is not far from London and now I’m wondering why I missed visiting it when I was in London. Thank you for sharing its history and your beautiful photos. #ThursdayDoors
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There are so many castles in the UK, it is easy to miss one. I loved the gardens and the furniture and tapestries are exquisite.
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great post! love what dandies those rich folks used to be 🙂
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That is a lovely way of putting it, da-AL. This castle is very ostentatious and decadent.
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My list of places to visit when I get to the UK keeps growing and growing. This place looks fascinating.
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Thanks Carla, the UK has so many castles, museums and other places of historical interest it is difficult to see everything. We’ve made five trips to the UK with the boys and I still have a long list of places to visit.
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I know I will never see everything I want, but will have to make sure I put a big dent in it. I will probably only get one shot.
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I want to go to Glastonbury to see the medieval kitchen at the ruined abbey. It is the best preserved in Europe. I also want to see the Bronze age village near by.
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I hope you get to someday.
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Beautiful photos, Robbie. I love that walled garden and the view of the place from a distance. It looks like a fairytale castle. And interesting history too. Most of all, I’m glad it’s been preserved.
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Hi Diana, the British preserve everything. Lots of places are historical sites and are protected, even houses that are privately owned and people live in. My cousin couldn’t make any changes to her house or do renovations that weren’t approved by the historical preservation society.
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That’s interesting! And I’m glad. Otherwise it would be lost to future generations.
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I love the photo of the gardens – so natural and earthy. It’s nice that the castle and gardens are being well cared for.
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The British are excellent at maintaining their heritage sites, JoAnna. I love visiting the UK for this reason. So many well kept and beautiful places to visit.
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I’ve never seen a cardinal in real life, unless you count the birds.
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Religion is a big part of English history. You do see religious leaders fairly often. I like it.
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