Hever Castle

Hever Castle, near where we were staying, was the seat of the Boleyn, originally 'Bullen' family. It began as a country house, built in the 13th century and converted into a manor in 1462 by Geoffrey Boleyn, who served as Lord Mayor of the City of London.

courtyard

The original country house timber remains can still be seen within the stone walls of the fortification. Some time after 1505, the Boleyn family moved in, and Anne Boleyn, her sister, Mary, and their brother, George, although probably not born here, did grow up here for a time. Anne was eventually sent to the Netherlands and then to the French court for her education from 1513 to 1521. In 1521, she was brought to the court of King Henry VIII and Queen Catherine of Aragon, where she caught Henry's eye and caused a a whole lot of mess. Anne married Henry in 1533, and after several still births and one little girl (Elizabeth I), Henry grew tired of her and having no heir. Charges were trumped up, and Anne and her brother George were executed in 1536. When her her father Thomas Boleyn died in 1539, the property came into the possession of Henry VIII. He bestowed it on Anne of Cleves (wife number 4, if you wanna know) upon the annulment of their marriage (1540), but she probably spent little time there (although she did die there).
In the 1920s, the house was bought and restored to glory by the Astors (it is amazing what a bit of American money can do for an English house). They completely changed most things and so the house you see is really more 1920s than 1520s. But there are some amazing portraits and the gardens are beautiful (and the coy fish in the moat are ginormous).

Will and Kelly, fresh from America

Kelly, Diane, and Will in the yew maze

Triumphant Me in the center of the maze

Dad and Juliette in the water maze--if you stepped on a stone going the wrong path, water shot up. But if you follow spritely Juliette, who is too light to trip the water traps, you still get wet.

The Italian Garden boat dock... and us with lollies

The rose gardens

more of Italian Gardens

Sharing the Fruits of Their Labor

Upon return of the gorging that took place at the fruit farm, Will, Caroline, Fiona, Jen, and Diane came back and shared their fruits of their labor with the rest of us. We did hold back some strawberries, as they were a necessary ingredient for the wedding refreshments (Pimms cups for everyone!), but for the most part, we all indulged in the deliciousness that is English Strawberries.

Not grown to sit around and ripen in the grocery store, you really have to pick and eat these as soon as they are ripe. Otherwise, you are making lots of strawberry jam...

So, that is precisely what Annabelle and Juliette and Grandmother did: eat the best tasting strawberries ever.

Weigh In

Very near to where we were staying in Etchingham, there was a farm. This farm is no doubt Fiona's favorite kind of farm, as it is a pick-your-own strawberries, cherries, and gooseberries. Will accompanied Diane, Jen, Caroline, and Fiona to the self-filling adventure. As Will says (quoting his mother), "They don't weigh *you* on the way in or out..."

And as Fiona and Caroline and Jen pointed out: the farm owners *really* needed them to be there to pick the abundance of fruit, mainly strawberries and raspberries, as the cherries were not quite ready yet.

Fiona, with her basket (which she won't admit she ate half of so she could refill).

Will, deciding on which to eat next: strawberry or raspberry (the answer: both, at the same time)

Jen, hiding behind the raspberries, eating her way into bliss

Caroline, gathering fruit for her kids (she claimed, but her mouth and fingers were stained...)

Diane, showing us how you do it: pick 'em, and eat 'em, and smile!

The Great Steam Ride

The Sunday after our wedding, the Cunninghams went on a steam engine train ride on the Kent & East Sussex Railway. The train runs between the village of Tenterden to Bodiam and back. It used to be connected to the main rail lines (and there is an attempt to get them hooked back up because then even the small villages have public transport), but now isn't. It is run by train enthusiasts, who offer tea and sandwiches on the weekends to folks riding the rails as they did in the 19th and 20th centuries.

One watches the small villages of Tenterden, Rolvenden, Wittersham Road, Northiam, and Bodiam roll by: beautiful farms, cows, hops, and of course Bodiam Castle. We had a lovely lunch and tea. And of course, lollies. It was a fun way to spend the end of a wonderful wedding weekend.

The first class car on one of the other trains.

Will and Andrew

Apparently these train loos are not like my wedding loos

the wooden paneling of the cars

the steam puffing out

The engine was unhooked and moved to the front of the train to takes us back

St. Nicholas Church (our church) from the train!

My husband.... I like writing that.

Andrew and Lori laughing at how we are hung over

Lucas eating a lolly

Oscar and Jack, waiting for the train to pull away again from the train station The hot fire of the coal and the steam in the engine--the heat was instense

Cousin James, also suffering from too much wedding fun from the night before

Bodiam Castle

It wasn't all wedding all the time when we were in England. We did manage some sight seeing. My parents, Aunt Matie, Chloe, and Brando went to Bodiam Castle. It is a romantic ruin of a medieval castle near the Lodge, complete with moat, portcullis, and towers.

Bodiam Castle is near the River Rother in East Sussex and was built in the late 14th century by a veteran of King Edward III's wars with France, originally as a coastal defense. In 1385, Sir Edward Dalyngrygge was given permission to fortify his house against invasion from France, but then decided to build a new stone castle a short distance away from the house. Dalyngrygge was also elected Mayor of London in 1392.

Built with all the latest defense mechanisms, including murder holes, the castle was also built with the latest modern comforts. It was first all a home for the Dalyngrygge family and second a fortress, as the moat is really shallow and easily drained; there are too many windows in the towers; and the walls are not that thick.

Through the years, the castle was raided and fell into disrepair, only to be purchased and saved by Lord George Curzon in the 1920s. However, because it was on a main train line (which doesn't really run anymore except as a tourist attraction itself, more on that later), it has been a tourist attraction in the 1800s.

Rehearsal Dinner/Wedding Feast

Edward & Sylvia hosted an nontraditional rehearsal dinner. Nontraditional in the sense that it was mainly the bride's family... and that the bride and groom were already married, since the civil ceremony was that afternoon. However, it was a very fun evening, highlighted by Edward's toast about William the Conquerer and his love, Mathilda, who had a cat who only loved her. Edward can give an excellent toast and this was no exception.

Churchly Blessed

On Saturday, Will and I then walked down the aisle together for a church blessing at St. Nicholas Church in Sandhurst, Kent. This was the day that we wore our fancy clothes, had our flower girls & ring bearers, our bridesmaids and bell ringers. It was another gloriously sunny day and the climax of a fairy tale wedding. The lady vicar was lovely, the readings by our brothers lovely, and the music... sorta lovely. The "choir" of two ladies and one man really didn't help with the congregation's voices. But the organist was outstanding. We walked into Handel's Water Music Suite and out to the Prince of Denmark's Trumpet Voluntary, both of which sounded amazing on the organ. The flower girls carried sweet peas; the bridesmaids carried peonies from Sylvia's garden, Will's buttonhole was a rose from King John's Lodge; I carried sweet peas, peonies, sweet williams, and an iris.

After the ceremony, we went back to the Lodge for drinks, dinner, and lots of dancing. It was a spectacular day and very relaxed. Everyone got to talk to everyone else. The kids got to play in the pool, or fall into the ha-ha. And all were amazed at the fabulous porter-a-loos, complete with burled wood panelling, sinks, James Bond and Steve McQueen photos. They were quite fancy.

These are only some of the photos of the day that I have managed to collect. I am sure that there will be more...