Sunday, May 7, 2023 - Dover, England

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Sunday, May 7, 2023 – Dover, England 

Another day with a lot of photos. There was so much to see.

As we approached England, the sun was just coming up and we got a great view of the White Cliffs of Dover. They are impressive. And there is a castle on the hill that looks pretty impressive too.

 

We are taking an optional tour today and visiting Leeds Castle and the town of Canterbury. Both of these sites are about an hour from Dover. 

We start with Leeds Castle. The immigration officer this morning advised us that Leeds Castle is about 400 miles from the city of Leeds. When he asked where we going today, we said “Leeds Castle and Canterbury”. He was very pleased that we said Leeds Castle. He said most people just say Leeds. And Leeds is nowhere near here. 

We arrive at Leeds Castle after a very pleasant drive through the English countryside. England is having a very late spring. The woods are still carpeted with bluebells. I wish I could’ve gotten a picture of the bluebells. Indeed, they are everywhere. The floor of the woods is literally blue. 

The grounds at Leeds Castle are beautiful. Today it is only 500 acres. When the castle was originally built, there were almost 3,000 acres. The castle sits on two islands in a lake. There has been a castle here since 857 although it has changed many times over the years. It was a favorite residence of Henri VIII. It stayed in the royal families until 1552 when it was granted to the grandson of the constable of the castle. 

It then stayed in that family until 1924 when they were forced to sell the estate for death taxes. Olive, Lady Bailley (an American heiress) bought the castle in 1926. She spent about $2 million remodeling and furnishing the castle over the years. During WWII, the castle became a hospital for burned British airmen. 

She used the castle primarily as a retreat for weekend parties. The interior is beautiful. It is hard to tell what might be somewhat original and what she had done. In 1974, upon her death, she left the castle to the Leeds Castle Foundation. Today the grounds are open to the public, there is also an 18-hole golf course, picnic grounds, gardens, a maze, and many other features. We only had time for tour of the castle conducted by a docent that had a wonderful dry sense of humor.

On the approach to the castle which is to our left.

The old gate house. Originally a draw bridge would have been here.

but the old wooden doors are still in place. At least a couple of inches thick and studded with nails to deflect axes and swords.

Inside the old gate. This is now the gift shop

The Gloriette is to the right. Quarters for the King and Queen when they visited here as a Royal Castle.

The current castle front

This is on the gate house. The rows of stones sticking out are from a 12th century wall.

 A pair of ducks taking their rest on top of a hedge.

The library

Transition to the dining room, I don't know if the wood is original or a recreation.

The dining room

This room was a gathering hall for servants, however, it was initially the library until Lady Bailley moved it to the current location.

Floors warn from traffic

These beams are old wood, but installed by Lady Bailley with the carving added to her specifications.

She was quite fond of birds. Every room has birds of some sort.

A piece of fine porcelain on display.

Once we were outside, we spotted this goose sunning itself on the wall. It appeared quite content.

It was a short drive to Canterbury from Leeds Castle. The carpark for the tour busses was about a 15-minute walk from the City Center. Once we arrive at the environs of Canterbury Cathedral, our first order of business was to have lunch. The grounds themselves were open to the public today for picnicking as yesterday King Charles III was crowned, and part of the celebrations are that today is a public holiday and people are encouraged to have family picnics/block parties, that sort of thing. Normally, the grounds around the Cathedral are only available by special ticket and that ticket would not include the interior of the Cathedral - that would be a different ticket. 

Seeing the towers of Canterbury Cathedral from the village.

An attractive gate spotted on our walk to the Cathedral Precinct

Typical architecture

The next house dates from 1573

The gate into the Cathedral Precinct. Just recently refurbished.

A door in the main gate.

Lunch was a typical English meal of Bangers and Mash or sausage, mashed potatoes, cooked cabbage, followed by a nice light desert. We got a chuckle out of the house wine that was served. The label had the name of the restaurant on it, but also indicated (in small print) it was Concho y Toro wine from Chile. A brand we are very familiar with.

 After lunch, we had a tour of the Cathedral. A local guide/docent spent a bit of time educating us on the various features of the Cathedral. We then had time to explore on our own. It is amazing. It is huge! 3 different levels and a crypt. Any one level could be considered complete and unique. They are linked together one after the other. You can see from one end to the other. The spot where Thomas Becket was murdered is memorialized. Numerous tombs for past Archbishops, wonderful stained-glass windows.

The spot where Thomas Becket was murdered is memorialised.

From the highest level of the cathedral looking down on the middle with the lowest showing through the arches.

Detail of a window that is mostly gone.

 

We enjoyed a Guinness at a local pub before rejoining our group, walking back to the bus and returning to our ship. As we neared the coast, we could see that the fog had rolled in. The guide and driver took a different route back to the ship so that they could drive by Dover Castle on the way. Dover Castle is one of the largest castles in England.

Another 1570s era building.

Dover Castle.

 

Addendum:

We are back in Dover on May 11^th after finishing the World Cruise in Greenwich. Our original plan was to explore Dover and hopefully get up to Dover Castle. But I’m a bit under the weather, so stayed quiet most of the day. It was a pretty day although on the brisk side, but did get a couple photos of the castle from down here,