Hever Castle

Submitted by Alan Marsden on Sun, 03/05/2026 - 00:00

Hever Castle in Kent lies about a mile from the nearest railways station; I walked down twisty lanes till I came to the beautiful medieval manor house. Its gardens were beautiful and the deep blue sky made the old house appear in even more comely. Not only is it a nice, old pile, deserving a half day of anyone’s time, but it was the childhood home of Queen Anne Boleyn. Here, the Boleyn or Bullen family lived and played, till Henry Tudor fell in love with not just one but two daughters of the house. Although it ended with the tragedy of Anne’s execution on Tower Hill, her fat suitor’s desire for her created national reformation of the Church. Furthermore, that brief union resulted in the life of little Elizabeth, who as queen finally settled the country’s Protestant direction, imperfect though her settlement turned out to be.

Came here a lusty king to woo a beautiful young woman or two, but the union failed, his desired male heir denied. Despite Henry’s poor motives and Anne’s awful end, the great, silent God was carefully working out His purposes, slowly freeing England from papal darkness, superstition and ignorance.