Leeds Castle

We'd always meant to go and see Leeds Castle in Kent in the South of England, (no where near Leeds in Yorkshire) but head never got round to it. We postponed Father's Day this year as Fliss was still down in Exeter. This Sunday, the sun shone so we had Fathers Day and made the trip. These photos are in reverse order. I kept seeing men dressed like Edwardian Maharajahs and thought some acting was going on somewhere in the grounds. No, it was an Indian wedding in a marquee across from the castle. The photo doesn't do justice to the beautiful saris, these women (and some of the men) looked like so many exotic butterflies.
The abundance of black swans in England offends my eyes. I love them in Australia but over here, I just want to see the white ones. There were one or two odd white peacocks as well. (Though I have very happy memories of these on our honeymoon at Amberley Castle. (this little castle is now a hotel so somehow it didn't seem to matter too much). Perhaps I'm just turning into a grumpy old woman...
Whilst the grounds and the outside of the castle were stunning (if somewhat crowded) the interior left a lot to be desired. It had been refurbished in the early years of the 20th century and it showed. To me it felt like hotels we stayed in when I was a child. Very sad.
Having said that, some super things were bought into the castle at this time and I've added some photos of the Flemish tapestries, some deftware and one of the fabulous Aubussons on the wall.