Leeds Castle

Leeds Castle is situated in Kent, the Garden of England, halfway between London and the port of Dover.

The castle was owned by six medieval queens and remained in royal hands until Tudor times.

Since then it was in private ownership. Lady Baillie, the heiress to an American fortune bought it in 1926. 

Lady Baillie, who was born in New York in 1899 as Olive Paget, left a mark on the castle as she refurbished it using the finest architects and designers to create an elegant country residence filled with art and antiques collected on her frequent trips.

Lady Baillie (in the centre) with her two daughters

The Seminar Room

The Seminar room has hosted many international meetings like the Egypt-Israeli peace talks in 1978.

The dining room

Boudin, who worked in the castle for 30 years, designed the floral medaillon carpet. He later supplied this design to the White House for Jacqueline Kennedy.

Lady Baillie´s travelling case

Boudin redesigned this room. It had been the schoolroom for Lady Baillies´s daughters. The shelves in the library contain over 3000 books which were part of the owner´s collection.

 For me it is the most beautiful room with a fantastic view.

Lady Baillie used the castle as her country house, entertaining the rich and famous for nearly fifty years. When she died, in 1974, she left the castle to a charitable trust that is now responsible for its preservation. The castle looks today mostly as it did in Lady Baillie´s day.

References:

Bignell, Alan. Lady Baillie at Leeds Castle. Leeds Castle Enterprises, 2007

Aslet, Clive. An Exuberant Catalogue of Dreams- The Americans Who Revived the Country House in Britain. Aurum, 2013.