Road Trip 08/18/2023

August 19, 2023

Today was a drive into history. As I mentioned yesterday, train travel to Hever Castle and Chartwell was not feasible. A three hour trip each way did not allow time to visit either location, so we rented an Audi and had a nice drive through the English countryside to our destination. The drive was about one hour and fifteen minutes each way.

Harry handled the car like a European. Remember, he is driving on the "wrong' side of the road, on the 'wrong' side of the car, shifting gears with the 'wrong' hand.

We chose to go to Chartwell first. The origins of the estate reach back to the 14th century, in 1382, the property then called Well-street was owned by William-at Well. The ownership of the property changed hands several times. In 1836, a brick country manor was built on the property. In 1848 the estate was purchased by John Colquhoun. Mr. Colquhoun's grandson sold the estate to Winston Churchill in 1922. After several construction projects were completed, the Churchills took residence in 1924. This was their primary home until Churchill's death in 1965. They left Chartwell in 1939 and moved to London during the war years. After the war, Churchill had certain financial difficulties where he almost lost the estate. An agreement was made with the National Trust and the trust assumed ownership of Chartwell. After his death, Churchill's wife moved to Kennsington Palace and Chartwell was opened to the public in 1966. This has proved to be the most popular of all the Trust properties. Churchill was a prolific writer and painter. We also visited his art studio at Chartwell. It was said that he always took an easel wherever he traveled. Later in his life he was awarded the Nobel Prize for the totality of his writing. Churchill was a fascinating person, and Chartwell is a fascinating place to visit

After leaving Chartwell, we stopped in the historical village of Edenbridge and had lunch at the "Ye Olde Crown" restaurant. The Romans passed through here on their way to London.

Hever Castle was next on our list. Hever Castle was built in 1383 and the Boleyn's took possession in 1463.This is the childhood home of Anne Boleyn. If you saw the movie "Anne of the Thousand Days", you know her story, and it did not end well for her. King Henry VIII was smitten with Anne and wanted to marry her. The problem was, Henry was already married to Catherine of Aragon. They had been married 24 years. He asked the church to grant a divorce from Catherine so he could marry Anne. The church said no. Anne told the King that he was the king and he did not answer to the church, that he could be the head of the church. Henry broke with Rome and made himself the head of the English Church and then granted his divorce, Henry then married Anne and three years later, instead of divorcing her, he had her beheaded at the Tower of London. Henry's next four wives were a source of problems for the rest of his marital life.

Of interest about the Hever Castle, William Waldorf Astor, the richest man in America was worth about $100,000,000. He said that the United States was no longer a fit place for a gentleman to live, so he moved to England. He bought Hever Castle in 1903 and spent $10,000,000 and restored the castle to its former state.

Decisions made at Hever Castle changed the history of England and these changes are felt today.

Tomorrow we will take the train to Rye. Linda and Amanda said it was a "cute" village we need to visit.