Would you like to inspect the original subtitles? These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated:
1
00:00:03,880 --> 00:00:05,440
For me, a great British castle
2
00:00:05,520 --> 00:00:08,040
is a fortress, a palace, a home.
3
00:00:10,400 --> 00:00:13,520
And a symbol of power, majesty, and fear.
4
00:00:15,680 --> 00:00:17,560
For nearly 1,000 years,
5
00:00:17,640 --> 00:00:20,480
castles have shaped
Britain's famous landscape.
6
00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:26,400
These magnificent buildings
have been home
7
00:00:26,480 --> 00:00:31,320
to some of the greatest heroes
and villains in our national history.
8
00:00:31,480 --> 00:00:34,360
And many of them
still stand proudly today
9
00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:37,480
bursting with incredible stories
10
00:00:37,560 --> 00:00:41,880
of warfare, treachery,
intrigue, passion, and murder.
11
00:00:44,480 --> 00:00:46,520
Join me, Dan Jones,
12
00:00:46,680 --> 00:00:51,280
as I uncover the secrets
behind six great British castles.
13
00:00:53,600 --> 00:00:55,720
This time I'm in Leeds Castle.
14
00:00:55,960 --> 00:00:58,640
Not the Leeds in Yorkshire,
this one's in Kent.
15
00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:02,240
It's been called
the loveliest castle in England.
16
00:01:02,360 --> 00:01:04,560
But scratch that perfect surface
17
00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:07,280
and you will discover its darker side.
18
00:01:07,480 --> 00:01:11,000
Leeds Castle
might look pretty and genteel,
19
00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:13,760
but its history
certainly isn't for the faint hearted.
20
00:01:23,880 --> 00:01:28,680
For hundreds of years, building a castle
was the ultimate macho statement.
21
00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:34,120
Big and aggressive, castles usually
bristle with historical testosterone.
22
00:01:34,480 --> 00:01:35,880
But not this one.
23
00:01:35,960 --> 00:01:39,600
Leeds Castle has seen
its fair share of war and terror,
24
00:01:39,720 --> 00:01:42,720
but it holds a fascinating secret
25
00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:47,920
because its history has mostly been shaped
not by men but by women.
26
00:01:49,760 --> 00:01:53,520
There's been a castle here at Leeds
for nearly 900 years.
27
00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:57,240
But what we see today is largely
the work of one woman,
28
00:01:57,720 --> 00:02:01,320
Olive, Lady Baillie.
The daughter of an English baron
29
00:02:01,400 --> 00:02:03,320
and a wealthy American heiress.
30
00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:07,160
Lady Baillie was one
of the great hostesses of her age.
31
00:02:07,280 --> 00:02:11,440
She bought Leeds castle in 1926
and turned it into
32
00:02:11,520 --> 00:02:14,640
one of the most glamorous party houses
in England.
33
00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:20,840
Her guests included the controversial heir
to the British throne,
34
00:02:20,960 --> 00:02:24,560
Edward, Duke of Windsor,
and his wife Wallis Simpson.
35
00:02:24,920 --> 00:02:28,400
Movie stars like Charlie Chaplin
and Jimmy Stewart,
36
00:02:28,600 --> 00:02:32,760
the great Winston Churchill,
and even James Bond creator Ian Fleming.
37
00:02:33,800 --> 00:02:37,920
During the 1930s, they enjoyed
lavish dinners and parties,
38
00:02:38,120 --> 00:02:43,720
played tennis and croquet and even swam
in a pool with its own wave machine.
39
00:02:44,200 --> 00:02:47,880
But there was far more to Leeds
than banquets and blow-outs.
40
00:02:48,360 --> 00:02:52,600
And the castle's charmed life
was about to change dramatically.
41
00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:01,800
When the Second World War
broke out in 1939,
42
00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:06,120
Leeds Castle became a secret center
of British military research.
43
00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:10,920
Now, instead of parties there were
flame throwers being tested on the lawn
44
00:03:13,840 --> 00:03:17,640
to prepare to defend England
against Nazi invasion.
45
00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:21,960
It's that play hard, fight hard mentality
46
00:03:22,040 --> 00:03:25,600
that summed up this castle
throughout the ages.
47
00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:29,880
From the outside, it's beautiful,
glamorous, feminine even,
48
00:03:29,960 --> 00:03:34,680
but beneath that veneer
it's no stranger to menace and violence.
49
00:03:37,960 --> 00:03:41,440
Britain, of course,
has another famous Leeds in Yorkshire.
50
00:03:41,520 --> 00:03:45,760
Here in Kent, the name comes
from the old English word Hilida
51
00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:48,280
which means a babbling stream.
52
00:03:50,200 --> 00:03:53,800
The first castle built on this site
around the year 1100
53
00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:55,840
was the work of a Norman knight
54
00:03:55,920 --> 00:04:00,040
with the impossibly romantic name
of Robert Decrevco,
55
00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:02,400
or "Robert the Brokenhearted".
56
00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:05,200
Sitting on three small islands
57
00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:08,240
in an artificial lake
formed by the River Len,
58
00:04:08,320 --> 00:04:12,200
it really is a masterful piece
of medieval engineering,
59
00:04:12,280 --> 00:04:16,760
to manipulate the natural power
of the river into a man-made moat.
60
00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:22,400
And it means Leeds Castle is cunningly
defended by water on every side.
61
00:04:23,120 --> 00:04:28,000
Sadly, Robert the Brokenhearted
went broke and had to sell up.
62
00:04:28,680 --> 00:04:33,680
Much later, in 1278, the castle
was purchased by the Queen of England.
63
00:04:33,760 --> 00:04:36,280
Edward I's Spanish wife Eleanor.
64
00:04:36,360 --> 00:04:38,760
It was the start
of a long royal association.
65
00:04:44,120 --> 00:04:48,200
Queen Eleanor, or Eleanor of Castile
was a successful business woman
66
00:04:48,280 --> 00:04:50,640
and a property magnate in her own right.
67
00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:54,280
And, under her instruction,
the King's engineers began
68
00:04:54,360 --> 00:04:57,240
substantial alterations to the castle.
69
00:04:57,320 --> 00:05:00,520
With the moats and the barbican
providing defenses,
70
00:05:00,600 --> 00:05:06,160
the rest of the castle was free to be an
elegant home for a very impressive queen.
71
00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:13,520
Eleanor extended the castle on the smaller
island and called it her gloriette,
72
00:05:13,600 --> 00:05:17,880
the name of a fantasy tower
in a popular 12th century poem.
73
00:05:19,360 --> 00:05:20,600
In Eleanor's time,
74
00:05:20,680 --> 00:05:24,040
it would have been a single storied
structure around a courtyard,
75
00:05:24,120 --> 00:05:26,480
with timber walls and a leaded roof.
76
00:05:26,680 --> 00:05:30,280
A main hall, a banqueting hall,
and apartments.
77
00:05:32,840 --> 00:05:35,800
But it wasn't just the decor
Eleanor was interested in.
78
00:05:36,120 --> 00:05:40,480
She also brought new European notions
about personal hygiene,
79
00:05:40,640 --> 00:05:44,880
at a time when most English Lords
and Ladies were not so big on washing.
80
00:05:45,600 --> 00:05:47,360
Thirteenth century documents
81
00:05:47,440 --> 00:05:50,440
record the building of the Queen's baths
here at Leeds.
82
00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:53,160
And archeologists
have now found the baths
83
00:05:53,440 --> 00:05:55,760
in what was once thought to be
a boat house.
84
00:05:59,200 --> 00:06:02,680
So, originally, this would have been one
of the earliest English bath houses
85
00:06:02,760 --> 00:06:03,760
that was built.
86
00:06:03,840 --> 00:06:07,800
And it was built by Eleanor of Castile
towards the end of the 13th century.
87
00:06:07,920 --> 00:06:10,160
It would have been lined
with reigate stone tiles.
88
00:06:10,240 --> 00:06:14,000
It would have been seriously opulent,
it may have been fed by piped water.
89
00:06:14,120 --> 00:06:15,680
Eleanor sounds like
90
00:06:15,760 --> 00:06:17,960
quite a lover of luxury, is that fair?
91
00:06:18,040 --> 00:06:22,760
Absolutely, she was famous for having
glazed windows and carpets in her rooms.
92
00:06:22,840 --> 00:06:24,400
It actually caused a lot of controversy
93
00:06:24,480 --> 00:06:27,640
because it was seen as a bit
too luxurious, not quite the done thing.
94
00:06:27,880 --> 00:06:31,080
She also owned forks in a period
when nobody ate with forks.
95
00:06:32,320 --> 00:06:34,760
Eleanor traveled constantly
with her husband
96
00:06:34,840 --> 00:06:37,160
because she hated being separated
from him.
97
00:06:37,640 --> 00:06:39,720
And they obviously had a good time
on the road
98
00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:42,160
because whenever she returned
to Leeds Castle
99
00:06:42,240 --> 00:06:44,360
she was expecting yet another baby.
100
00:06:44,880 --> 00:06:46,960
She was almost constantly pregnant,
wasn't she?
101
00:06:47,120 --> 00:06:49,520
She was. We know of at least 16 children.
102
00:06:49,880 --> 00:06:51,960
Most of them didn't survive to adulthood,
103
00:06:52,040 --> 00:06:55,080
but she was basically pregnant
for most of the years of her marriage
104
00:06:55,160 --> 00:06:57,600
which eventually came to undermine
her health.
105
00:07:03,360 --> 00:07:08,160
Eleanor died at the age of 49
after 36 years of marriage.
106
00:07:08,520 --> 00:07:12,920
Leeds Castle passed back into the hands
of her husband, King Edward l.
107
00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:14,240
But not for long.
108
00:07:15,920 --> 00:07:20,720
After mourning Eleanor for several years,
the 60 year old king married again.
109
00:07:21,280 --> 00:07:25,200
His new wife was the King of France's
sister, Princess Margaret.
110
00:07:25,600 --> 00:07:29,120
She was 17 and people called her
the flower of the French.
111
00:07:30,520 --> 00:07:33,920
In 1299, Edward
and his new teenage wife Margaret
112
00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:36,040
spent their honeymoon here at Leeds.
113
00:07:36,640 --> 00:07:40,760
And just a few weeks later, the King
gave Margaret a very special gift
114
00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:42,400
the castle itself.
115
00:07:42,840 --> 00:07:46,200
She was getting one of
the finest royal residences in England.
116
00:07:48,360 --> 00:07:51,400
Leeds Castle's association
with England's queens
117
00:07:51,480 --> 00:07:54,720
gave it a reputation
as an idyllic pleasure palace.
118
00:07:54,880 --> 00:07:58,200
But that was all about to change
as the castle was thrust
119
00:07:58,280 --> 00:08:01,160
into one of the bloodiest rebellions
of the Middle Ages.
120
00:08:03,080 --> 00:08:04,320
At the heart of it all
121
00:08:04,400 --> 00:08:08,600
was one of the most unpopular
and spiteful kings in British history.
122
00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:17,000
During the 13th Century, Leeds Castle
had been run as a palace
123
00:08:17,080 --> 00:08:19,200
by two wives of Edward l.
124
00:08:19,560 --> 00:08:23,080
But when Edward's son, Edward II,
came to the throne
125
00:08:23,200 --> 00:08:25,840
he proved to be a big let-down.
126
00:08:25,920 --> 00:08:28,640
Thanks to him Leeds would become embroiled
127
00:08:28,720 --> 00:08:32,480
in one of the bloodiest rebellions
of the entire Middle Ages.
128
00:08:37,320 --> 00:08:42,120
Edward ll was one of the most useless
and unpopular kings of the Middle Ages.
129
00:08:42,200 --> 00:08:44,600
He was thrashed in battle by the Scots.
130
00:08:45,160 --> 00:08:47,240
And he infuriated the English Barons
131
00:08:47,320 --> 00:08:52,120
with his outrageous favoritism
towards a handful of intimate friends.
132
00:08:52,520 --> 00:08:53,800
But he was still the King
133
00:08:53,880 --> 00:08:58,440
and if you crossed him
things turned very nasty very quickly.
134
00:09:01,520 --> 00:09:03,520
One of Edward's most trusted favorites
135
00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:07,680
was a talented knight and politician
called Bartholomew Badlesmere.
136
00:09:08,200 --> 00:09:12,360
He came from the village of Badlesmere
just a few miles away from Leeds Castle.
137
00:09:12,440 --> 00:09:16,560
And he made a stellar career
for himself in Royal service.
138
00:09:18,920 --> 00:09:22,360
He fought in foreign wars.
He put down Welsh rebellions.
139
00:09:22,440 --> 00:09:26,320
He even went to Rome to talk to the Pope
on behalf of the King.
140
00:09:30,200 --> 00:09:34,080
In return for all that loyal service,
Edward made Badlesmere rich.
141
00:09:34,400 --> 00:09:37,840
And one of the prizes he rewarded him with
was Leeds Castle,
142
00:09:37,920 --> 00:09:40,520
which Badlesmere received in 1318.
143
00:09:40,720 --> 00:09:43,280
But that was where all his problems began.
144
00:09:46,120 --> 00:09:51,040
In 1321, just three years after
Badlesmere was given Leeds Castle,
145
00:09:51,120 --> 00:09:53,520
a rebellion broke out against the King.
146
00:09:54,160 --> 00:09:55,800
Many of his Barons protested
147
00:09:55,880 --> 00:09:58,760
against the growing influence of
one of the king's favorites,
148
00:09:59,480 --> 00:10:01,080
the ruthless Hugh Despenser.
149
00:10:02,040 --> 00:10:05,240
Despenser was a major rival to
Badlesmere in court.
150
00:10:06,520 --> 00:10:11,080
After much agonizing, Badlesmere decided
to join the rebellion against the King.
151
00:10:11,640 --> 00:10:12,960
It was the wrong choice.
152
00:10:16,720 --> 00:10:20,320
Edward II was enraged
at Badlesmere's disloyalty.
153
00:10:20,560 --> 00:10:23,880
He ordered him to hand Leeds Castle
back to the Crown.
154
00:10:24,640 --> 00:10:25,960
Badlesmere refused.
155
00:10:26,080 --> 00:10:29,560
Instead, he fled to join up
with other rebels in Oxford.
156
00:10:30,000 --> 00:10:33,400
He left Leeds Castle
under the command of his wife Margaret.
157
00:10:33,800 --> 00:10:36,360
Once again, a woman was in control.
158
00:10:37,280 --> 00:10:38,920
The King responded immediately.
159
00:10:39,320 --> 00:10:42,560
But curiously,
instead of handling the matter himself,
160
00:10:42,760 --> 00:10:46,480
he sent his wife, Queen Isabella,
to do his dirty work.
161
00:10:47,120 --> 00:10:49,640
A devious plan was underway.
162
00:10:52,680 --> 00:10:54,640
Early October 1321,
163
00:10:54,800 --> 00:10:58,120
Queen Isabella rode up to the gates
of Leeds Castle
164
00:10:58,360 --> 00:11:01,400
and asked Margaret Badlesmere
to let her in.
165
00:11:07,360 --> 00:11:11,440
She said she'd been on pilgrimage
to Canterbury just down the road,
166
00:11:11,760 --> 00:11:13,480
and she needed somewhere to rest.
167
00:11:14,320 --> 00:11:17,800
But Margaret only had to take one look
to see that that wasn't true.
168
00:11:18,320 --> 00:11:23,000
For a start, Isabella was backed up by
a posse of heavily armed Royal soldiers.
169
00:11:23,080 --> 00:11:26,200
She hadn't exactly popped around
for tea and biscuits.
170
00:11:31,040 --> 00:11:34,200
Since Margaret's husband
was in rebellion against the King
171
00:11:34,480 --> 00:11:38,640
and he told her to keep the castle safe,
she refused to let the Queen in.
172
00:11:38,720 --> 00:11:41,480
It must've been a very tense standoff.
173
00:11:43,120 --> 00:11:46,480
Then, in the heat of the moment,
the soldiers within the castle
174
00:11:46,680 --> 00:11:49,160
started shooting a volley of arrows.
175
00:11:51,760 --> 00:11:55,560
In the skirmish that followed,
several of the Queen's men were killed.
176
00:11:59,560 --> 00:12:01,360
Now, this looked very bad,
177
00:12:01,520 --> 00:12:05,160
but actually, it's what Edward II
had wanted all along.
178
00:12:05,680 --> 00:12:07,960
"Shooting arrows at my wife!"
179
00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:13,480
Now he had the perfect excuse to
humiliate Badlesmere for abandoning him.
180
00:12:15,920 --> 00:12:18,760
On the 23rd of October 1321,
181
00:12:18,880 --> 00:12:21,720
Edward sent an army
to besiege Leeds Castle.
182
00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:25,160
And, this time,
the King led the siege himself.
183
00:12:26,160 --> 00:12:31,000
Faced with overwhelming odds, it took just
a week for Leeds Castle to cave in.
184
00:12:31,800 --> 00:12:34,520
Margaret surrendered hoping for mercy.
185
00:12:35,080 --> 00:12:37,720
But Edward II wasn't feeling merciful.
186
00:12:38,480 --> 00:12:41,360
He put 13 of the castle's garrison
to death.
187
00:12:41,920 --> 00:12:45,280
Margaret and her children were all
packed off to the Tower of London
188
00:12:45,360 --> 00:12:48,360
to be imprisoned at the King's pleasure.
189
00:12:48,440 --> 00:12:52,360
In April 1322,
Badlesmere himself was captured.
190
00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:56,360
He was dragged through
the streets of Canterbury behind a horse.
191
00:12:56,960 --> 00:12:59,800
Then he was hanged and finally beheaded
192
00:13:00,040 --> 00:13:02,760
with his head displayed
over one of the city's gates,
193
00:13:02,920 --> 00:13:05,840
as a warning to other would-be rebels.
194
00:13:09,160 --> 00:13:12,160
With Badlesmere dead
and his wife Margaret in the Tower,
195
00:13:12,240 --> 00:13:15,080
Leeds Castle was confiscated by the Crown.
196
00:13:15,360 --> 00:13:18,440
But, ultimately, it wouldn't be
Edward II who enjoyed it.
197
00:13:18,680 --> 00:13:21,760
It would be the woman whose
deviousness had helped capture it,
198
00:13:22,080 --> 00:13:23,240
Queen Isabella.
199
00:13:27,800 --> 00:13:32,600
By 1326, England was fed up
to the back teeth with Edward II.
200
00:13:32,680 --> 00:13:36,320
He'd made enemies of almost everyone,
including his wife.
201
00:13:37,600 --> 00:13:40,560
Along with her lover,
a Baron called Rodger Mortimer
202
00:13:40,800 --> 00:13:44,440
Queen Isabella raised an army
against her useless husband.
203
00:13:44,640 --> 00:13:47,840
She captured him
and forced him to abdicate the crown,
204
00:13:48,120 --> 00:13:49,840
and eventually had him murdered.
205
00:13:50,360 --> 00:13:52,280
Along with her new found power,
206
00:13:52,400 --> 00:13:55,160
Royal records from the 1320s showed that
207
00:13:55,240 --> 00:13:59,040
Queen Isabella now began building up
her property portfolio,
208
00:13:59,280 --> 00:14:02,040
and her dower, effectively her pension.
209
00:14:02,600 --> 00:14:06,680
It says here she's increasing her dower
from 4,500 marks
210
00:14:06,840 --> 00:14:08,200
to 20,000 marks.
211
00:14:08,600 --> 00:14:10,320
That's a huge increase.
212
00:14:10,920 --> 00:14:14,840
It's like going from
£2,000,000 to £10,000,000 today.
213
00:14:15,280 --> 00:14:18,840
And she's laying claim to lands
and castles in Norfolk,
214
00:14:18,920 --> 00:14:20,400
Suffolk, Leicestershire,
215
00:14:21,080 --> 00:14:24,840
and we can see here
the Castle and Manor of Leeds.
216
00:14:28,640 --> 00:14:32,040
Isabella's links with Leeds would last
for the rest of her life.
217
00:14:32,520 --> 00:14:36,320
She was still holding the castle
on her death in 1358.
218
00:14:36,440 --> 00:14:37,840
Aged 66.
219
00:14:38,480 --> 00:14:42,160
It was a fitting home
for a woman who toppled a king.
220
00:14:49,680 --> 00:14:54,360
In all, some six Queens of England
have claimed or been gifted Leeds Castle.
221
00:14:54,760 --> 00:14:59,400
At the end of the 14th century, Richard II
gave it to his wife Anne of Bohemia.
222
00:15:00,040 --> 00:15:03,640
A few years later,
King Henry IV gave it to his second wife,
223
00:15:03,920 --> 00:15:05,840
the French Duchess Joan of Navarre.
224
00:15:06,560 --> 00:15:10,240
But for Joan, Leeds Castle
would not only be her home,
225
00:15:10,720 --> 00:15:12,400
it would also be her prison.
226
00:15:16,400 --> 00:15:21,000
Joan of Navarre was the wealthiest woman
in England, but she had one big problem.
227
00:15:21,320 --> 00:15:23,840
Her stepson King Henry V.
228
00:15:24,440 --> 00:15:29,520
Henry spent his whole reign fighting
a ruinously expensive war against France.
229
00:15:29,800 --> 00:15:33,880
And when it came to raising war funds
no one was off limits.
230
00:15:34,680 --> 00:15:39,160
So, in 1419, he accused
his wealthy stepmother of witchcraft,
231
00:15:39,640 --> 00:15:42,000
confiscated her lands and possessions,
232
00:15:42,080 --> 00:15:44,840
and had her imprisoned
in a series of castles,
233
00:15:44,920 --> 00:15:47,960
including her own home, here at Leeds.
234
00:15:49,680 --> 00:15:52,880
Joan was accused of using sorcery
and necromancy,
235
00:15:53,080 --> 00:15:56,080
which meant using magic
and communicating with the dead.
236
00:15:57,000 --> 00:15:59,440
As it turned out,
she was never even tried.
237
00:15:59,520 --> 00:16:02,320
It would have been a royal scandal
if she were found guilty,
238
00:16:02,480 --> 00:16:05,680
and acquittal would have forced Henry
to return her money,
239
00:16:05,760 --> 00:16:07,640
so he just kept her locked up.
240
00:16:08,200 --> 00:16:12,640
For four years,
Joan was kept here as the royal witch.
241
00:16:13,880 --> 00:16:17,240
If you want some kind of proof,
that all this was basically a sham
242
00:16:17,320 --> 00:16:19,720
to help pay for the King's wars in France,
243
00:16:20,160 --> 00:16:23,760
you just have to look at the accounts
for Joan's imprisonment.
244
00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:27,200
She had a stable, horses, 19 grooms.
245
00:16:27,560 --> 00:16:29,120
She had a constant stream of guests.
246
00:16:29,680 --> 00:16:33,160
One of them even stayed for nine months,
and there were bills for a bird cage,
247
00:16:33,360 --> 00:16:35,160
and the repair of a harp.
248
00:16:35,480 --> 00:16:37,560
It wasn't easy being a witch.
249
00:16:40,960 --> 00:16:44,360
Eventually, Henry had his stepmother
released quietly.
250
00:16:44,840 --> 00:16:47,280
It was as if the entire episode
had never happened.
251
00:16:47,600 --> 00:16:51,360
But Joan wasn't the only witch
to be imprisoned in Leeds Castle.
252
00:16:51,840 --> 00:16:56,240
Within 20 years this place would be
a prison for a much more devious
253
00:16:56,320 --> 00:17:00,200
and cunning woman who was married
to an eminent Duke.
254
00:17:00,280 --> 00:17:02,360
Her name was Eleanor Cobham.
255
00:17:02,880 --> 00:17:07,680
For me, Eleanor Cobham was one of the most
intriguing women in British history.
256
00:17:08,400 --> 00:17:10,720
Her husband was Humphrey,
Duke of Gloucester.
257
00:17:10,920 --> 00:17:14,840
Uncle to the useless and idiotic king
Henry VI.
258
00:17:15,520 --> 00:17:19,360
Humphrey was the power behind the throne,
but more importantly
259
00:17:19,440 --> 00:17:23,680
while Henry was childless,
Humphrey was also his heir.
260
00:17:24,480 --> 00:17:28,760
If anything should happen to Henry,
Humphrey would become King
261
00:17:29,280 --> 00:17:31,680
and Eleanor would become Queen.
262
00:17:31,920 --> 00:17:36,480
And it's that fact that got Eleanor
into so much trouble.
263
00:17:40,320 --> 00:17:44,640
In the summer of 1440, Eleanor decided
to have her fortune told.
264
00:17:46,880 --> 00:17:49,360
She went to the best astrologers
of the day,
265
00:17:49,520 --> 00:17:52,040
her personal physician Thomas Southwell
266
00:17:52,120 --> 00:17:55,440
and a brilliant Oxford scholar
called Roger Bolingbroke.
267
00:17:57,280 --> 00:17:59,640
The reading they gave her was explosive.
268
00:17:59,880 --> 00:18:04,120
According to the horoscope,
the King was due to fall ill and die
269
00:18:04,200 --> 00:18:06,320
in July or August of the next year.
270
00:18:06,960 --> 00:18:11,200
Eleanor's husband would inherit the throne
and she would be Queen.
271
00:18:14,640 --> 00:18:17,000
It was such a breathtaking prediction
272
00:18:17,080 --> 00:18:20,440
that news of it began to spread
around the country.
273
00:18:24,480 --> 00:18:27,480
When news of Eleanor's fortune telling
reached the king
274
00:18:27,560 --> 00:18:29,720
he was deeply troubled.
275
00:18:29,800 --> 00:18:32,720
This fatal illness was due to strike
within months.
276
00:18:34,800 --> 00:18:37,840
The king's advisors then commissioned
a second horoscope
277
00:18:37,920 --> 00:18:40,960
that conveniently rubbished
Eleanor's claims.
278
00:18:42,040 --> 00:18:44,880
Then they had her
and her astrologers arrested,
279
00:18:44,960 --> 00:18:47,480
locked up in Leeds Castle and questioned.
280
00:18:49,160 --> 00:18:53,960
She had messed with the most important man
in the land, the King himself.
281
00:18:54,680 --> 00:18:58,120
While she was here the charges
kept on mounting up.
282
00:18:58,280 --> 00:19:02,640
She was accused of having consulted
a witch called Margery Jourdemayne,
283
00:19:02,720 --> 00:19:06,080
who had given her a potion to help her
conceive a child.
284
00:19:06,760 --> 00:19:09,640
Things weren't looking good
for Eleanor Cobham.
285
00:19:12,400 --> 00:19:16,600
Ronald Hutton is one of Britain's leading
experts in witchcraft and folklore.
286
00:19:17,400 --> 00:19:22,600
Ronald, today we think about horoscopes
as mumbo jumbo.
287
00:19:22,680 --> 00:19:24,280
It's at best a bit of fun.
288
00:19:24,880 --> 00:19:26,400
Was it like that in the 15th century?
289
00:19:26,600 --> 00:19:28,920
In the 15th century,
horoscopes looked like
290
00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:32,320
the science of the future,
so top astrologers
291
00:19:32,400 --> 00:19:34,240
were rather like nuclear physicists
292
00:19:34,320 --> 00:19:37,200
in the 1930s, they could really
have been on to something.
293
00:19:37,520 --> 00:19:40,240
Eleanor was supposed to
have been involved in,
294
00:19:40,320 --> 00:19:43,040
on the one hand, astrology,
divining the future,
295
00:19:43,200 --> 00:19:47,560
but on the other hand she was accused
of trying to procure love potions.
296
00:19:47,640 --> 00:19:52,560
Can you give me an example of a spell
or an incantation from the time.
297
00:19:52,640 --> 00:19:57,000
This is a spell to Venus that's why it's
an effigy in green wax.
298
00:19:57,840 --> 00:20:01,040
It's actually you because it's got
your hair in it.
299
00:20:01,120 --> 00:20:04,560
It's to enable you
to be more attractive to audiences
300
00:20:04,640 --> 00:20:07,080
which I think most presenters would wish.
301
00:20:07,160 --> 00:20:10,880
Venus, known as the lady,
nourishing one, gorgeous one,
302
00:20:10,960 --> 00:20:14,920
queen of beauty, giver of sweet madness,
treasure made flesh.
303
00:20:15,200 --> 00:20:19,680
Bless this man.
Hear him. Heal him. Hold him.
304
00:20:20,160 --> 00:20:21,640
I feel better already.
305
00:20:21,720 --> 00:20:23,480
-You look it.
-Thank you.
306
00:20:29,400 --> 00:20:32,160
Even if Eleanor Cobham
was guilty, we'll never know.
307
00:20:32,560 --> 00:20:37,000
Framing political opponents
by charging them with working magic
308
00:20:37,080 --> 00:20:40,920
is a favorite trick of the French
and English Royal families,
309
00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:42,760
on either side of 1400.
310
00:20:46,560 --> 00:20:51,400
Eleanor Cobham was charged
with 18 counts of treasonable necromancy.
311
00:20:51,720 --> 00:20:55,520
Conjuring up the spirits of the dead
in order to influence future events.
312
00:20:56,160 --> 00:20:59,560
And she was imprisoned in Leeds Castle
to await her trial.
313
00:21:02,920 --> 00:21:04,680
Eleanor must've been terrified
314
00:21:04,760 --> 00:21:08,000
by the dreadful punishments
handed out to her accomplices.
315
00:21:08,880 --> 00:21:12,160
Rodger Bolingbroke,
a highly respected academic
316
00:21:12,240 --> 00:21:14,200
was hanged, drawn and quartered.
317
00:21:14,800 --> 00:21:18,440
The physician, Southwell, was lucky
to die in the Tower of London,
318
00:21:18,520 --> 00:21:20,080
before meeting the same fate.
319
00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:25,160
And the witch, Margery Jourdemayne,
was sentenced to be burned alive.
320
00:21:25,600 --> 00:21:28,120
This was a particularly ghastly way to go.
321
00:21:28,360 --> 00:21:31,720
Tied to a stake, and surrounded
by wood and fuel
322
00:21:31,800 --> 00:21:33,280
which was then set alight.
323
00:21:37,640 --> 00:21:40,800
Eleanor herself was spared but humiliated.
324
00:21:41,240 --> 00:21:43,640
She was forcibly
divorced from her husband.
325
00:21:44,200 --> 00:21:47,520
She was made to walk barefoot through
the crowded streets of London
326
00:21:47,720 --> 00:21:50,720
carrying a lighted taper
to signify her penance.
327
00:21:51,200 --> 00:21:54,000
A ritual usually reserved
for common prostitutes.
328
00:21:54,840 --> 00:21:57,920
And then she was sentenced
to life imprisonment,
329
00:21:58,440 --> 00:22:02,840
finally ending up 300 miles away
at Beaumaris Castle in Wales
330
00:22:03,320 --> 00:22:04,480
where she would die.
331
00:22:04,720 --> 00:22:08,000
Her life, and her reputation,
utterly destroyed.
332
00:22:11,960 --> 00:22:14,880
Fortunately, not everyone's experience
in Leeds Castle
333
00:22:14,960 --> 00:22:16,640
was as harrowing as Eleanor's.
334
00:22:16,960 --> 00:22:21,160
In fact, the 16th century
would see the castle transformed
335
00:22:21,360 --> 00:22:23,960
for the arrival of
Britain's most famous King,
336
00:22:24,200 --> 00:22:27,240
on his way to the
Tudor version of a rock festival.
337
00:22:27,720 --> 00:22:31,520
When Henry VIII stopped by,
he came with an entourage of thousands,
338
00:22:31,840 --> 00:22:34,160
and Leeds Castle would have to be ready.
339
00:22:39,240 --> 00:22:42,320
During the Middle Ages, a succession
of English Queens had turned
340
00:22:42,400 --> 00:22:47,760
Leeds Castle in Kent into an impressive
and well maintained royal residence
341
00:22:47,840 --> 00:22:49,960
and an occasional prison.
342
00:22:50,040 --> 00:22:55,240
But, by the 16th century, the castle
had been ignored by the Crown for decades
343
00:22:55,320 --> 00:22:57,040
and had fallen into disrepair.
344
00:22:58,840 --> 00:23:01,760
The arrival of the Tudor Dynasty
signaled a revival
345
00:23:01,840 --> 00:23:03,600
in the fortunes of Leeds Castle,
346
00:23:03,680 --> 00:23:09,480
which is apt, because the Tudor royal line
may literally have been conceived here.
347
00:23:12,520 --> 00:23:15,800
The Tudors are the most famous
and notorious dynasty
348
00:23:15,880 --> 00:23:18,160
in British royal history,
349
00:23:18,240 --> 00:23:21,840
including big names like
Henry VIII and Elizabeth I.
350
00:23:22,560 --> 00:23:27,280
But this family actually had quite humble
and very illicit beginnings.
351
00:23:27,800 --> 00:23:29,680
Probably in this castle.
352
00:23:36,600 --> 00:23:39,480
Those beginnings go back to one
of the many queens
353
00:23:39,560 --> 00:23:41,200
to occupy Leeds Castle.
354
00:23:41,280 --> 00:23:45,600
Catherine de Valois,
the wife of King Henry V.
355
00:23:45,880 --> 00:23:49,320
When Henry V died of dysentery in 1422,
356
00:23:49,400 --> 00:23:53,040
he left Catherine a widow
at the age of 20.
357
00:23:53,120 --> 00:23:58,000
Their only child, the son and heir
to the throne, was just nine months old.
358
00:23:58,400 --> 00:24:02,400
Catherine's main responsibility
was to raise the infant king,
359
00:24:02,480 --> 00:24:05,080
but that didn't take up all her time.
360
00:24:07,600 --> 00:24:10,600
One member of the queen's household
particularly caught her eye.
361
00:24:10,680 --> 00:24:15,880
He was a dashing Welsh squire by the name
of Owain ap Maredudd ap Tewdwr
362
00:24:16,040 --> 00:24:17,520
or Owen Tudor.
363
00:24:18,200 --> 00:24:22,400
Catherine and Owen began an affair
which produced at least three sons.
364
00:24:23,040 --> 00:24:26,120
To prevent this scandal
from becoming public knowledge
365
00:24:26,200 --> 00:24:30,880
they spent their time away from the court
at London in more discreet castles,
366
00:24:30,960 --> 00:24:33,000
like this one in Leeds.
367
00:24:35,720 --> 00:24:38,560
After all,
where better than an island fortress
368
00:24:38,640 --> 00:24:40,400
in the Kent countryside
369
00:24:40,480 --> 00:24:43,680
to keep a scandalous liaison
from public gaze.
370
00:24:45,160 --> 00:24:49,040
Owen and Catherine's marriage might have
been a guilty secret at the time,
371
00:24:49,120 --> 00:24:51,920
but it would go on to shape
British history
372
00:24:52,120 --> 00:24:57,800
because their eldest son was the father
of Henry VII, the first Tudor King,
373
00:24:57,880 --> 00:25:01,040
and the man who established
the Tudor Royal dynasty.
374
00:25:05,640 --> 00:25:08,280
In 1520, the secret lovers,
375
00:25:08,360 --> 00:25:12,800
Catherine and Owen's great grandson,
King Henry VIII,
376
00:25:12,880 --> 00:25:17,440
planned a historic meeting
with the French King Francis I.
377
00:25:20,400 --> 00:25:23,800
And as part of this road trip,
the King and his Queen
378
00:25:23,880 --> 00:25:27,920
Catherine of Aragon would be stopping off
at Leeds Castle,
379
00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:30,640
a kind of medieval motorways services.
380
00:25:31,160 --> 00:25:33,000
But it would be no ordinary stay.
381
00:25:35,960 --> 00:25:40,200
Henry's ultimate destination was France
for an event that would be a bit
382
00:25:40,280 --> 00:25:43,800
like the Olympics crossed
with a G20 Summit,
383
00:25:43,880 --> 00:25:45,760
crossed with Glastonbury.
384
00:25:46,520 --> 00:25:50,400
The idea was that Henry
and the French King Francis I
385
00:25:50,480 --> 00:25:54,160
would gather together their diplomatic
corps and their whole courts
386
00:25:54,320 --> 00:25:58,920
and have a party
featuring pageantry, music, and sport.
387
00:25:59,320 --> 00:26:03,280
Most famously, Henry and Francis
had a personal wrestling match,
388
00:26:03,440 --> 00:26:05,280
which Francis actually won.
389
00:26:06,000 --> 00:26:10,560
These were two of the greatest Kings
in Europe trying to outdo each other.
390
00:26:10,720 --> 00:26:14,160
And all camping under tents made
of gold cloth.
391
00:26:14,720 --> 00:26:19,040
Hence the name given to this gathering,
The Field of the Cloth of Gold.
392
00:26:23,600 --> 00:26:26,880
Now, obviously, Henry and his court
needed to get there,
393
00:26:26,960 --> 00:26:31,200
and this painting on display
at the banqueting hall in Leeds Castle
394
00:26:31,280 --> 00:26:35,120
gives you a sense of the scale
of the traveling circus.
395
00:26:35,880 --> 00:26:41,320
It's showing Henry's ships leaving Dover.
I think there are about 27 of them.
396
00:26:41,680 --> 00:26:44,200
And right in the middle
is Henry's flagship.
397
00:26:44,280 --> 00:26:48,800
That's the ship that Henry and his Queen,
Catherine of Aragon, would've traveled on.
398
00:26:49,520 --> 00:26:52,640
But more than that you've got a sense
of the sheer numbers
399
00:26:52,720 --> 00:26:55,120
of people bustling around.
400
00:26:55,720 --> 00:26:59,000
Most of those people would have stayed
right here at Leeds Castle.
401
00:26:59,160 --> 00:27:01,080
More than 5,000 of them.
402
00:27:06,840 --> 00:27:12,000
Since 1517, Henry had been ordering
major works on Leeds Castle,
403
00:27:12,080 --> 00:27:18,280
making it the perfect palatial pit stop
for a king and queen en-route to France.
404
00:27:18,720 --> 00:27:23,200
An upper story was added to the small
gloriette, with new apartments
405
00:27:23,280 --> 00:27:25,800
including a bed chamber and a bathroom.
406
00:27:26,560 --> 00:27:30,360
This new floor was exclusively reserved
for the Queen
407
00:27:30,440 --> 00:27:32,840
and her closest household staff.
408
00:27:33,320 --> 00:27:35,720
The Maiden's Tower was built especially
409
00:27:35,800 --> 00:27:38,040
to accommodate
the Queen's ladies in waiting.
410
00:27:38,760 --> 00:27:45,000
Catherine's total entourage added
up to 1,200 staff and 800 horses.
411
00:27:48,040 --> 00:27:49,080
The more I look at this painting,
412
00:27:49,160 --> 00:27:53,360
the more I feel almost overwhelmed
by the opulence of Henry's court.
413
00:27:53,440 --> 00:27:58,080
The ships, money,
the people, the fine clothes.
414
00:27:58,320 --> 00:28:01,720
I think more than anything else,
it tells you about the sheer extravagance
415
00:28:01,800 --> 00:28:04,120
of kingship in the 16th century.
416
00:28:08,680 --> 00:28:11,160
Maybe it's thanks
to paintings like this one
417
00:28:11,320 --> 00:28:15,360
that the Tudor's are remembered
for their conspicuous consumption.
418
00:28:15,800 --> 00:28:18,400
Good old Henry liked his dinner.
419
00:28:18,840 --> 00:28:25,440
A feast fit for this king included soup,
herring, cod, pike, salmon, haddock,
420
00:28:25,520 --> 00:28:30,400
porpoise, seal, lobster, custard tart,
fritters, and fruits.
421
00:28:30,480 --> 00:28:32,200
And that was just the first course.
422
00:28:37,480 --> 00:28:42,200
At Hampton Court Palace, there's a replica
of the massive wine fountain
423
00:28:42,280 --> 00:28:44,800
Henry took to the Field of Cloth of Gold.
424
00:28:48,360 --> 00:28:50,480
They also have a working Tudor kitchen.
425
00:28:53,400 --> 00:28:57,760
I've come here to meet an expert
in Tudor cooking, Marc Meltonville.
426
00:28:58,480 --> 00:29:01,880
So we know when a Tudor court came
to Leeds Castle
427
00:29:01,960 --> 00:29:05,360
that there were 100s, 1,000s of people,
428
00:29:05,440 --> 00:29:07,800
and they got through
a huge amount of food.
429
00:29:08,320 --> 00:29:09,600
Was this typical of the Tudor court?
430
00:29:09,760 --> 00:29:13,240
That's the whole point.
The court consumes conspicuously.
431
00:29:13,440 --> 00:29:17,040
What you do is everything
on a large scale. You are the king.
432
00:29:17,280 --> 00:29:19,040
You are the whole country moving.
433
00:29:19,240 --> 00:29:22,200
So everything that you do has to be
fantastic, the best of the best.
434
00:29:22,560 --> 00:29:25,760
So you bring in spices,
you bring in things from everywhere.
435
00:29:25,880 --> 00:29:28,000
Food miles are really important
in Tudor diets,
436
00:29:28,080 --> 00:29:29,280
the further the better.
437
00:29:29,360 --> 00:29:32,240
And there's a kind of showiness
about food at the Tudor court.
438
00:29:32,320 --> 00:29:34,200
Well, you do not get much showy
than the peacock there.
439
00:29:34,280 --> 00:29:37,960
An exotic Asian bird which you could have
just roasted or boiled.
440
00:29:38,040 --> 00:29:41,440
No one knows it's peacock if you do that.
How do you let them know it's peacock?
441
00:29:41,720 --> 00:29:44,480
Well, the recipe says to skin it
but don't pluck it first.
442
00:29:44,880 --> 00:29:47,400
So lift the whole skin off feathers
and all.
443
00:29:47,480 --> 00:29:49,880
You slowly roast the bird
and when he's done
444
00:29:49,960 --> 00:29:52,760
on the plate, lay the feathers
and skin back on,
445
00:29:52,840 --> 00:29:54,480
dress it up as if
it looks like it's alive.
446
00:29:54,560 --> 00:29:55,560
Bring it into the hall.
447
00:29:55,640 --> 00:29:58,000
It's all about having the things
that other people can't.
448
00:29:58,080 --> 00:30:00,200
At the end of the day, it tastes
not much different to chicken.
449
00:30:01,560 --> 00:30:05,720
And he's got in the kitchen beef roasting
on a spit just as we've got over here.
450
00:30:05,800 --> 00:30:08,520
Yeah, you don't just boil something
in a pot.
451
00:30:08,640 --> 00:30:11,760
You use a ton of oak just to roast
the meat up for people.
452
00:30:17,280 --> 00:30:19,240
This fire place,
one of Henry's original ones,
453
00:30:19,320 --> 00:30:22,320
just like the ones you see in the
tents in the Field of the Cloth of Gold.
454
00:30:22,400 --> 00:30:24,000
Huge pits covered in meat.
455
00:30:24,640 --> 00:30:26,880
This is the best way
of treating fresh meat.
456
00:30:26,960 --> 00:30:31,680
A good spit turner will turn at the right
speed to keep all the juices in the meat
457
00:30:31,760 --> 00:30:33,040
to make it tender and juicy.
458
00:30:33,120 --> 00:30:36,920
Juice into the meat, I think we
should stop talking and try some of this.
459
00:30:43,200 --> 00:30:45,000
Wow, that looks amazing.
460
00:30:45,080 --> 00:30:47,520
So there we are, Royal Roast Beef.
461
00:30:48,560 --> 00:30:49,880
Smells delicious.
462
00:30:51,520 --> 00:30:52,720
Really good.
463
00:30:53,560 --> 00:30:54,600
Really good, yeah.
464
00:30:56,760 --> 00:30:58,880
It's a little custard tart.
It's got dates in it.
465
00:30:58,960 --> 00:31:01,320
But it's made green with parsley,
and the base of the pastry
466
00:31:01,400 --> 00:31:03,040
is sweetened with marrow bone.
467
00:31:03,120 --> 00:31:04,400
With marrow bone?
468
00:31:05,680 --> 00:31:06,840
Mmm.
469
00:31:08,000 --> 00:31:10,000
It's actually quite sweet,
particularly with the dates, but then
470
00:31:10,080 --> 00:31:13,000
you can really taste the parsley in there,
which is kind of a weird combination.
471
00:31:13,080 --> 00:31:15,320
That actually looks very appetizing.
472
00:31:16,400 --> 00:31:19,400
This... I don't want to offend you.
This is less...
473
00:31:19,800 --> 00:31:21,960
-Pleasant looking. What is this?
-That's, uh...
474
00:31:22,120 --> 00:31:25,440
The name of it in the
recipe book is aboulette or aboulettes.
475
00:31:25,520 --> 00:31:27,560
And it's a cream, and egg, and cheese mix.
476
00:31:27,640 --> 00:31:29,840
It doesn't look very good because
it's split, it's curdled.
477
00:31:31,920 --> 00:31:33,000
Smells cheesy.
478
00:31:35,560 --> 00:31:36,600
But actually...
479
00:31:37,560 --> 00:31:40,440
It's a very strange kind of sensation.
You know it is...
480
00:31:40,760 --> 00:31:42,280
Lumpy and sort of
481
00:31:42,560 --> 00:31:45,520
watery at the same time.
But it tastes quite nice it's got
482
00:31:45,600 --> 00:31:47,520
a depth of flavor, it's quite savory.
483
00:31:47,880 --> 00:31:49,440
Eat that with a big hunk of bread,
a mug of bee,
484
00:31:49,520 --> 00:31:50,680
I think we're going to be okay.
485
00:31:50,760 --> 00:31:53,400
Now I'm sold. Now I'm sold.
You should've done that to start with.
486
00:31:56,440 --> 00:32:01,120
So really all of this isn't just
about eating well, having delicious food.
487
00:32:01,200 --> 00:32:05,280
It's about status. It's about sending
a message that I am the King
488
00:32:05,360 --> 00:32:07,000
and this is my world.
489
00:32:07,280 --> 00:32:09,560
It's more than just the king,
it's a message about your country.
490
00:32:09,680 --> 00:32:11,080
It's "I am England.
491
00:32:11,280 --> 00:32:12,320
"We are great.
492
00:32:12,400 --> 00:32:14,560
"Look at what I provide just for my court.
493
00:32:14,880 --> 00:32:16,200
"It must be so special.
494
00:32:16,440 --> 00:32:17,600
"I must be in charge."
495
00:32:18,280 --> 00:32:19,640
Amazing! Thank you Marc.
496
00:32:26,360 --> 00:32:30,320
As Henry VIII's love life
became increasingly complicated,
497
00:32:30,560 --> 00:32:34,320
the tradition of Leeds Castle
being given to a Queen ended.
498
00:32:36,320 --> 00:32:40,640
In 1552,
after 300 years of royal ownership,
499
00:32:41,000 --> 00:32:45,160
the castle was granted to
a trusted knight, Sir Anthony St. Leger,
500
00:32:45,440 --> 00:32:48,080
for helping to quell
an uprising in Ireland.
501
00:32:48,600 --> 00:32:51,000
Its rent was just £10 per year.
502
00:32:52,040 --> 00:32:57,360
From then on, this perfect, pretty castle
changed hands at least five times,
503
00:32:57,600 --> 00:32:59,600
but remained in private ownership
504
00:33:00,000 --> 00:33:01,760
for better or worse.
505
00:33:02,760 --> 00:33:05,560
Over time, the gloriette fell into ruin.
506
00:33:06,080 --> 00:33:10,000
Most of the medieval buildings
were demolished in the 17th century.
507
00:33:10,720 --> 00:33:15,680
This building, called the New Castle,
only dates from the early 1800s.
508
00:33:18,880 --> 00:33:21,200
This was the era of the stately home
509
00:33:21,280 --> 00:33:24,800
when a castle like Leeds no longer
needed to be a fortress
510
00:33:25,400 --> 00:33:28,600
but a celebration of
aristocracy and wealth.
511
00:33:28,760 --> 00:33:29,840
If you had it.
512
00:33:30,800 --> 00:33:33,360
It goes without saying,
you need vast amounts of money
513
00:33:33,480 --> 00:33:35,160
to maintain a place like this.
514
00:33:35,280 --> 00:33:39,440
Leeds Castle has brought plenty
of families to the brink of bankruptcy.
515
00:33:40,040 --> 00:33:43,440
In the early 1920s,
it was up for sale again,
516
00:33:43,520 --> 00:33:45,680
this time to pay for death taxes.
517
00:33:46,280 --> 00:33:48,200
And it was in a pretty bad state.
518
00:33:48,320 --> 00:33:51,840
Whole sections of the castle
were lying empty.
519
00:33:51,920 --> 00:33:55,480
Thousands of acres of park land
were being neglected.
520
00:33:57,960 --> 00:34:02,960
Its heyday as the playground of kings
and queens had become a distant memory.
521
00:34:03,560 --> 00:34:06,120
But another golden age was about to dawn.
522
00:34:10,720 --> 00:34:14,280
The future was new money
from the new world.
523
00:34:14,360 --> 00:34:16,000
American dollars.
524
00:34:17,200 --> 00:34:19,400
Leeds Castle had found
what it always needed,
525
00:34:19,480 --> 00:34:23,520
another strong lady,
a wealthy Anglo-American heiress
526
00:34:23,600 --> 00:34:25,920
looking for the ultimate fixer upper.
527
00:34:26,600 --> 00:34:29,280
She decided this would probably do.
528
00:34:30,880 --> 00:34:33,240
Her name was Olive Paget.
529
00:34:33,320 --> 00:34:37,640
Though by her third marriage, she gained
the more glamorous title, Lady Baillie.
530
00:34:38,560 --> 00:34:42,920
Under her ownership Leeds Castle would be
back to its magnificent best.
531
00:34:44,080 --> 00:34:46,640
Darker times were also on the horizon,
532
00:34:46,720 --> 00:34:51,000
as the castle took on a key role
in Britain's fight against the Nazis
533
00:34:51,080 --> 00:34:55,800
in a mission straight out of the pages
of a James Bond story.
534
00:35:00,680 --> 00:35:04,040
Leeds Castle had been a playground
for medieval queens,
535
00:35:04,120 --> 00:35:06,560
an occasional prison and a pleasure palace
536
00:35:06,640 --> 00:35:08,920
for the great Tudor monarch, Henry VIII.
537
00:35:09,760 --> 00:35:14,280
In the 20th century, it was transformed
again under a new owner,
538
00:35:14,560 --> 00:35:17,800
the wealthy Anglo-American heiress,
Olive Paget,
539
00:35:17,880 --> 00:35:20,560
or as she became known, Lady Baillie.
540
00:35:22,520 --> 00:35:26,440
You know, the more I learn
about Olive Paget, the more I like her.
541
00:35:26,760 --> 00:35:29,560
She was born in America,
educated in Paris,
542
00:35:29,640 --> 00:35:32,440
and volunteered as a nurse
during the First World War.
543
00:35:33,160 --> 00:35:35,760
She married a war hero
and had two daughters
544
00:35:35,840 --> 00:35:36,880
then divorced.
545
00:35:37,200 --> 00:35:39,440
She married again the same year.
546
00:35:39,520 --> 00:35:42,040
And the happy couple bought Leeds Castle.
547
00:35:42,520 --> 00:35:45,840
Now, she divorced again,
but she kept the castle.
548
00:35:47,000 --> 00:35:50,520
After that divorce,
she married Sir Adrian Baillie.
549
00:35:50,640 --> 00:35:53,440
Which gained her the title "Lady Baillie."
550
00:35:54,000 --> 00:35:56,280
She turned what had been
a tumbled down wreck
551
00:35:56,600 --> 00:35:58,760
into a fairy tale stately home.
552
00:35:59,120 --> 00:36:00,760
She didn't just have the taste,
553
00:36:01,200 --> 00:36:02,440
she had the money.
554
00:36:04,560 --> 00:36:08,920
She'd buy exotic birds on her travels
and fly them home first class.
555
00:36:09,240 --> 00:36:13,960
Llamas and zebras were bought and allowed
to roam freely around the grounds.
556
00:36:14,320 --> 00:36:17,080
It was all simply marvelous.
557
00:36:18,920 --> 00:36:23,720
Lady Baillie worked closely with a famous
interior designer, Stephan Budan.
558
00:36:24,080 --> 00:36:26,840
Who went on to create the
French rooms at the White House
559
00:36:26,920 --> 00:36:29,440
for Jacqueline Kennedy during the 1960s.
560
00:36:30,760 --> 00:36:33,480
In the 50 years that Lady Baillie
owned this place,
561
00:36:33,640 --> 00:36:36,800
Leeds became one of the greatest
castles in Britain.
562
00:36:37,000 --> 00:36:39,080
And she was renowned for her parties.
563
00:36:39,160 --> 00:36:43,800
The guest lists included politicians
and diplomats, actors and musicians,
564
00:36:44,000 --> 00:36:47,320
socialites, and royalty
from across Europe.
565
00:36:48,080 --> 00:36:51,200
Lady Baillie employed
a permanent staff of 40
566
00:36:51,280 --> 00:36:53,920
to maintain the daily life of her castle.
567
00:36:54,280 --> 00:36:58,280
Not as many as the 5,000 that followed
Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon,
568
00:36:58,360 --> 00:37:00,320
but still pretty impressive.
569
00:37:00,560 --> 00:37:03,760
She also developed friendships
with powerful political figures
570
00:37:03,840 --> 00:37:06,840
like future prime ministers
Winston Churchill
571
00:37:06,960 --> 00:37:11,440
and Anthony Eden, ambassadors,
and high ranking civil servants.
572
00:37:12,080 --> 00:37:15,600
A reputation as a discreet
and charming hostess
573
00:37:15,800 --> 00:37:19,240
meant she frequently had the ear
and the undivided attention
574
00:37:19,320 --> 00:37:20,360
of important men.
575
00:37:21,080 --> 00:37:26,920
Then, in 1939, World War II broke out
and the parties stopped.
576
00:37:28,520 --> 00:37:31,160
Leeds Castle had to adapt to the times.
577
00:37:43,320 --> 00:37:46,400
Lady Baillie moved her whole family
and her household
578
00:37:46,480 --> 00:37:48,680
here into the Gloriette.
579
00:37:48,760 --> 00:37:53,320
Outside, the moat was drained to prevent
reflection on the water
580
00:37:53,400 --> 00:37:55,680
from attracting the Luftwaffe's bombs.
581
00:38:00,240 --> 00:38:05,120
Then Lady Baillie did something unexpected
and incredibly patriotic.
582
00:38:05,440 --> 00:38:07,760
She gave over Leeds to the War Effort.
583
00:38:08,400 --> 00:38:12,880
The New Castle, her own home,
became an emergency hospital.
584
00:38:16,000 --> 00:38:19,480
The Battle of Britain began
in the summer of 1940.
585
00:38:19,560 --> 00:38:23,480
And much of the fighting took place
in these skies above Kent.
586
00:38:24,160 --> 00:38:28,120
Now here's a quote from Pauline, one of
Lady Baillie's daughters. She said,
587
00:38:28,440 --> 00:38:33,840
"We could watch dog fights in the air
and sometimes we'd search for Nazi pilots
588
00:38:33,920 --> 00:38:35,160
"who'd been shot down.
589
00:38:35,640 --> 00:38:40,200
"I remember I'd take a pitchfork
and wondered what in the world I'd do
590
00:38:40,280 --> 00:38:41,680
"if I ever found one."
591
00:38:49,440 --> 00:38:51,120
We shall fight on the beaches.
592
00:38:51,840 --> 00:38:53,720
We shall fight on the landing grounds.
593
00:38:54,360 --> 00:38:55,880
We shall fight in the fields.
594
00:38:56,480 --> 00:38:57,920
And in the streets.
595
00:38:58,000 --> 00:38:59,520
We shall fight in the hills.
596
00:39:00,520 --> 00:39:01,880
We shall never surrender.
597
00:39:08,880 --> 00:39:13,400
To help deal with casualties, the castle
was taken over by the Army Medical Corps.
598
00:39:13,480 --> 00:39:17,120
They used this room as
an operating theater for the wounded.
599
00:39:17,520 --> 00:39:22,440
The castle was also used for
the rehabilitation of badly burned airmen
600
00:39:22,520 --> 00:39:26,680
who were treated by the pioneering
plastic surgeon, Archie McIndoe.
601
00:39:26,920 --> 00:39:31,520
He saved the lives of countless pilots,
and those who benefited from his skills
602
00:39:31,600 --> 00:39:34,680
and his treatments were known
as the Guinea Pig Club.
603
00:39:34,880 --> 00:39:38,520
By the end of the war,
there were 649 members.
604
00:39:49,160 --> 00:39:53,680
But Leeds Castle was much more
than just a makeshift hospital.
605
00:39:53,840 --> 00:39:57,560
Among Lady Baillie's collection
of famous and powerful friends
606
00:39:57,640 --> 00:40:00,800
were David Margesson,
the Secretary of State for War
607
00:40:00,960 --> 00:40:04,640
and Geoffrey Lloyd, the head of
the Petroleum Warfare Department,
608
00:40:05,240 --> 00:40:09,000
a secret government agency set up
to develop deadly new weapons
609
00:40:09,080 --> 00:40:12,040
to defend Britain from Nazi invasion.
610
00:40:20,480 --> 00:40:24,280
Because they were such good friends,
and probably because Geoffrey Lloyd
611
00:40:24,360 --> 00:40:30,080
knew he could trust Lady Baillie's
absolute loyalty and discretion,
612
00:40:30,240 --> 00:40:36,280
she allowed him to test petroleum
warfare weapons on the castle lawns.
613
00:40:45,840 --> 00:40:49,760
Petroleum warfare was very new
and very deadly.
614
00:40:50,000 --> 00:40:54,880
Weapons range from burning roadblocks
to raging seas full of burning oil,
615
00:40:54,960 --> 00:40:59,400
to simply hand held flame throwers
that could be fired down fox holes,
616
00:40:59,720 --> 00:41:03,000
into trenches or directly at troops.
617
00:41:03,080 --> 00:41:06,320
When these were demonstrated,
to admirals and generals,
618
00:41:06,400 --> 00:41:09,960
they were usually as appalled
as they were amazed.
619
00:41:12,400 --> 00:41:16,000
But Churchill was impressed
and he wrote as much in a letter
620
00:41:16,080 --> 00:41:17,320
to the team at Leeds.
621
00:41:18,040 --> 00:41:22,560
"There must be no faltering
in the drive to nurturing British people
622
00:41:22,680 --> 00:41:27,840
"by all possible means.
The virtues of skills and inventiveness,
623
00:41:27,920 --> 00:41:34,120
"these are the true characteristics of
a virile nation in a technological age."
624
00:41:47,560 --> 00:41:50,680
The castle survived the war without
being damaged,
625
00:41:50,760 --> 00:41:53,640
although bombs were dropped
on the castle grounds,
626
00:41:53,880 --> 00:41:56,920
apparently killing
one of Lady Baillie's llamas.
627
00:41:57,800 --> 00:42:03,840
In 1974, Lady Baillie died, but she wanted
Leeds Castle to live on.
628
00:42:04,440 --> 00:42:09,280
And she left behind a trust
and £1,400,000 to make sure
629
00:42:09,360 --> 00:42:12,080
it remained a living, vibrant castle.
630
00:42:15,720 --> 00:42:19,440
Calling Leeds Castle the loveliest castle
in England
631
00:42:19,560 --> 00:42:22,160
actually does it a major disservice
632
00:42:22,240 --> 00:42:24,880
because beneath that undoubted beauty
633
00:42:25,000 --> 00:42:28,320
there's a core
as hard as those stone walls.
634
00:42:28,520 --> 00:42:31,960
This is a castle that has been shaped
by strong women
635
00:42:32,240 --> 00:42:35,560
and it's played a full and fearsome role
636
00:42:35,640 --> 00:43:46,475
in the political and military history
of our nation.
57237
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get subtitles in any language from opensubtitles.com, and translate them here.