Hever Castle 2025

Hever Castle & Gardens

 

Thursday 7th August 2025

 

£46pp

 

Pick Ups A B C D E

 

 

Spendtime looking at the beautiful interiors and historic elements in the Castle as you discover the childhood home of Anne Boleyn.

 

 

The stunning grounds and award-winning gardens, with statues, fountains, chess pieces cut from golden yew, 4000 roses, a Loggia at the Lake and many more wonderful sights, is a delight to walk around in.

 

Dating back to the 13th century, Hever Castle was once the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII and Mother of Elizabeth I. It formed the unlikely backdrop to a sequence of tumultuous events that changed the course of Britain’s history, monarchy and religion. Its panelled rooms house fine furniture, tapestries, antiques and what is regarded by some as ‘one of the best collections of Tudor portraits after the National Portrait Gallery’. The Book of Hours Room beautifully illuminates two prayer books which belonged to Anne Boleyn and bear her inscriptions and signature. 

 

Today, much of what you see is the result of the remarkable efforts of William Waldorf Astor, who used his fortune to restore and extend the Castle in the early 20^th century. The Astor Suite is dedicated to its more recent history, showcasing pictures and memorabilia relating to the Astor family and the Edwardian period.

 

Hever Castle is what every child wants a castle to be: crenellated, moated and haunted. The permanent exhibition in the Long Gallery depicts the saga from the Wars of the Roses to the Reformation through its art collection.

 

Discover magnificent award-winning gardens set in 125 acres of glorious grounds at Hever Castle. Marvel at the Pompeiian Wall and classical statuary in the Italian Garden; admire the giant topiary chess set and inhale the fragrance of over 4,000 rose bushes in the quintessential English Rose Garden.

 

The Loggia, overlooking the 38-acre lake, is the perfect spot to relax before exploring the many cascades, grottoes and fountains. A stroll through the Tudor Garden, Blue Corner or Rhododendron Walk, provide colour and interest throughout the year. Wander further afield and enjoy Sunday Walk and Church Gill Walk that follow the course of a stream through peaceful woodland or Anne Boleyn’s Walk, with its impressive collection of trees planted more than 100 years ago.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Requests for particular seats on the coach can be made when booking and we will do our best to accommodate these requests, but allocations are made on a first come first served basis, dependent upon customer mobility. We reserve the right to change your seat and allocate you a different one for operational reasons. On single bookings, we reserve the right to alter your seating to maximize the seating available. We accept no liability in the event of any such change.

 

Accessibility

Visitors should consider access to the Castle according to their individual needs.

 

• We regret that it is not possible for visitors to use motorised wheelchairs or mobility scooters inside the Courtyard or Castle due to the historic nature of the building and its contents.

• We have 4 manual wheelchairs available for hire for a refundable deposit of £25.00 per wheelchair. It is essential to book these prior to a visit (not the same day). These can be booked by calling the Shop (10am-3pm) on 01732 861718 and selecting option 2. For your own safety, we advise wheelchair and mobility scooters keep to the hard surfaced shingle paths.

• Wheelchairs cannot be taken up staircases inside the Castle for health and safety reasons.

• Pushchairs cannot be taken into the Castle and must be left in the Courtyard for health and safety reasons.

• From the drawbridge there is one step down to the Gatehouse followed by three steps down to the Courtyard. We regret that it is not possible to install a ramp for these steps for health and safety reasons. From the Courtyard there is one step up and down into the Castle’s Entrance Hall.

 

Gardens

• Most of the gardens are accessible to wheelchairs and pushchairs as they are mainly on one level and the majority of steps are ramped.

•  The paths are loose gravel, tarmac, stone, or grass with gradual inclines. 

 

Castle

• There are three floors to view in the Castle.

• The ground floor is arranged on one level, and is the only floor suitable for wheelchair use. There are six rooms to view before reaching thirteen spiral steps up to the middle floor. It should be noted that the spiral steps to the middle floor are the only means of reaching the upper floors.

• The middle floor is arranged on various levels, with steps up and down into most of the rooms. There are sixteen steps up to the top floor. The top floor is also arranged on various levels. There are twenty six spiral steps down from the top floor to exit into the Courtyard.

• All staircases in the Castle have a banister rail.

• Inside the Castle the floor surface is wood in most rooms, with some areas being carpeted or covered in carpet matting.

• Individual seats and window seats are located in some rooms. Please note that some rooms do not have seating available

• Lighting inside the Castle is generally bright with LED spotlights, wall sconces, or chandeliers. However, some areas are more dimly lit to aid preservation of the exhibits.

 

 

Day Trip Departures

 

Timetable

• Our timetables are unique, bookings are taken throughout the year, and we release the pickup times around a month before departure. This allows us to ensure our pickup routes are kept to a minimum and our days run to time.

• Arrival and departure times in our brochure and on our website are a guideline and will be confirmed on your final confirmation.

• On some trips we run Fast Track pickups, typically on coastal trips or those of some distance. This shortens the pickup times and gets you to the destination in good time.

• Terms and Conditions can be found on our website or copies supplied upon request.

 

Seating arrangements

• Requests for particular seats on the coach can be made when booking and we will do our best to accommodate these requests, but allocations are made on a first come first served basis, dependent upon customer mobility. We reserve the right to change your seat and allocate you a different one for operational reasons. On single bookings, we reserve the right to alter your seating to maximize the seating available. We accept no liability in the event of any such change.

 

Hever Castle & Gardens Terms & Conditions