Leeds Castle

Leeds castle lies in Kent, England. It dates back to 1119, although a manor had stood on the same site since the 9th century. The castle lies to the east of the village of Leeds in Kent, which should not be confused with the city of Leeds in West Yorkshire. Leeds Castle is one of the wonderful castles in Britain that has been recently reconstructed. The Castle stands on the shores of a lake. There are wonderful parks and gardens around it. Everywhere you look, you can see a lot of flowers and wonderfully arranged flowerbeds. The castle, in 1278, became a royal palace for King Edward I. of England and his queen, Eleanor of Castile. Major improvements were made during his time, including the barbican, which is made up of three parts each with its own entrance, drawbridge, gateway, and portcullis. In 1321, King Edward II besieged the castle after his queen was refused admission. He used ballasts to force its defenders to surrender. Richard II.’s first wife, Anne of Bohemia, spent the winter of 1381 at the castle on her way to get married to the king. Henry VII transformed the castle for his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. His daughter, Queen Elisabeth I., was imprisoned in the castle for a time before her coronation. The castle escaped destruction during the English Civil War because its owners, the Culpeper family, sided with the Parliamentarians. The modern era for the castle began when it was opened to the public in 1976. On July 17th, 1978, the castle was the site of a meeting between the Egyptian president, Anwar Sadat, and the Israeli foreign minister, Moshe Daya, in preparation for the Camp David Accords. In September 1999, Sir Elton John played two solo concerts on the grounds of Leeds Castle.