The Editor of PA Life enjoyed a stay at Leeds Castle in Kent – ‘the loveliest castle in the world’ – as the former royal residence has been referred to. It was easy to see why as the castle is chocolate box beautiful and surrounded by a gleaming moat within its 500-acre estate of rolling countryside…
Today, Leeds Castle is much in demand as an events venue serving discerning corporate and private clients who want to impress their guests with historic splendour enriched with high end modern amenities. The castle has been the residence of no less than six queens, including Catherine of Aragon. Extensive works were carried our to entertain European royals, politicians and film stars by Lady Baillie, an Anglo-American heiress who owned the castle from 1925 until her death in 1974. She left the property to the Leeds Castle Foundation, the current owner.
The castle is conveniently located just outside Maidstone in Kent, around an hour from London. We arrived by car, but travel by train is an even easier option with a fast service from London Bridge taking around 50 minutes. As soon as we drove through the castle gates we felt as if we’ve arrived in a film set of a period drama. There were the pretty stone cottages surrounding the entrance to the castle. The guest reception is conveniently by the guest car park at the front of the staple yard. After checking in we decided to walk through the lovely geometrically laid out garden to reach our room at the Maiden’s Tower on the main castle island. You can opt for a ride on a golf buggy if you prefer.
Event spaces and accommodation options at Leeds Castle:
The Castle
The Castle holds the most magnificent dining and meeting spaces. You can take over the whole castle and enjoy the fabulous spaces in complete privacy.ย The Grand Salon is an art deco inspired space made to impress. When you want to dine in style, the Dining Room is a great choice and seats up to 100 guests. Options to hold formal receptions or smaller dinners are catered perfectly at The Library. All spaces are fully flexible and for you to make work for your event with the guidance of the expert events team at the castle.
There are also 19 bedrooms available when you hire an event space in the main castle. The Castle State rooms are nothing short of majestic, and the slightly smaller Battlement guestrooms are very grand too. Both offer an unique opportunity for guests to immerse in the rich history in these opulent rooms and feel like royalty for a night.
There is plenty of other accommodation available on the estate, including Maiden’s Tower, The Cottages, Stable Courtyard, Battel Hall and also four Lakeside Lodges. Whatever your accommodation needs are the event team are keen to make sure they can cater for these with conveniently located options.
Maidenโs Tower at Leeds Castle
We stayed at one of the five bedrooms at the 16th century Maidenโs Tower, which is located next to the castle on the Castle Island. The rooms come with breathtaking views across the historic castle grounds and the moat. It really was a unique experience to stay at the tower, with the solid wooden shutters protecting the windows adding to the fort-like atmosphere. The spacious rooms are updated with contemporary en-suite bathrooms.
Maidenโs Tower has a rich history and was allegedly used by Katherine of Aragonโs Maid of Honour during her wedding to King Henry VIII.
The wonderful Long Gallery, Tudor Hall and the tower’s own secluded garden offer great alternative meetings and celebration spaces within the Maiden’s Tower.
Battel Hall
You can also hire the luxurious manor house, Battel Hall for exclusive use. This picturesque house is perfect for all year round stays with fireplaces to create a lovely warm atmosphere in winter. The private garden delights all year round too.
There are five bedrooms and space for up to 14 people to stay.
All stays within the castle accommodation include complimentary daytime entry to the Castle (subject to availability) and out-of-hours access to the grounds.
Marquee Lawns
If you rather host an occasion on the castle lawns then you can choose from two options. The Cedar Lawn can host up to 500 people and the Pavilion Lawn up to 200.
Fairfax Barn
A large space, ideal for dinners and celebrations housing up to 180 seated guests. The Castle View Restaurant, with a great view over the castle as you’ve probably guessed, also has a large terrace facing the castle. The area offers a good option for BBQs or summer drinks receptions. The restaurant also serves breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner.
We enjoyed a delicious three-course dinner at this charmingly rustic barn. I started with Kentish honey whipped goats cheese served with pickled beetroot on a focaccia crostini. My guest loved the hot smoked Scottish salmon pave serviced fennel, pickled cucumber and horseradish creme. For mains I chose the pan roasted south coast seabass filet served with cauliflower puree and spinach gnocchi, artichokes and warm lemon and chive vinaigrette. What a delightful dish. Another mouthwatering main to recommend was the maple roasted duck breast that came with potato gratin, roasted carrot puree and mulled plum jus. For pudding, we shared a white chocolate and passion fruit cheesecake, which was a heavenly sweet treat to finish the superb dinner.
Breakfast was an impressive feast too with a continental buffet and great cooked classics to order from the ala carte menu. I’d recommend the eggs benedict – the best I’ve had for a very long time.
Team-building activities
The vast grounds are ideal for outdoor activities. You can choose from Segway tours and golf on the 9-hole course, to archery and Go-Ape high ropes, even a lesson on falconry and much more. There are also options for getting active indoors should the weather play havoc on your visit.
Find out more about hosting meetings, events and team-building days at Leeds Castle.
We were thrilled to have Leeds Castle take part at PA Life Leaving Venues of London Showcase event on 29 April.ย We hope to welcome their events team back for the autumn Showcase on 7 October 2025.
