History: The castle was raised in stone on an island by a Norman baron in the reign of William the Conqueror's son, Henry 1, nearly 900 years ago. 150 years later it came into the possession of Edward 1 and for the next three centuries it remained a royal home.

It later passed into the hands of three famous families, the St Legers, the Culpepers and the Fairfaxes, and was owned for jus over a century by the Wykeham Martins, until it was bought in 1926 by the Hon Mrs Wilson Filmer, a wealthy Anglo-American heiress. After her death, the castle was handed over to the Leeds Castle Foundation whose job it is to preserve and promote the castle and grounds.

Grounds: Beyond the walls of Leeds Castle, the grounds and gardens provide a haven for bird life, both native and exotic. From the eight pairs of black swans roaming freely on the moat to the beautiful Parakeets, Cockatoos and Macaws in the exotic bird Aviary.

Leeds Castle park dates from the early-middle ages, and was designed to enhance the architecture and status of the royal castle at its core. The original moated prospect, (approaches) and parkland setting of the gloriette may be attributable to the late 13th century Norman and Spanish Islamic influences associated with Edward I and his wife, Eleanor of Castile.

Flowers and foliage abound in the formal gardens - the Culpeper and the Lady Baillie Garden, while the maze with its secret underground grotto provides a challenging half hour (or more!) unless you'd rather opt for a more sedate viewing of the greenhouses or a cup of tea in the Wykeham Martin Tea Room.