Leeds Castle is a castle in Kent, England, 5 miles (8 km) southeast of Maidstone. It is built on islands in a lake formed by the River Len to the east of the village of Leeds.
From 857 the site was owned by a Saxon chief called Led or Leed who built a wooden structure on two islands in the middle of the River Len. In 1119 Robert de Crevecoeur rebuilt it in stone as a Norman stronghold and Leeds Castle descended through the de Crevecoeur family until the 1260s. What form this Norman stronghold took is uncertain because it was rebuilt and transformed in the following centuries. Adrian Pettifer speculates that it may have been a motte and bailey.
In the 13th century it came into the hands of King Edward I, for whom it became a favourite residence; in the 16th century, Henry VIII used it as a dwelling for his first wife, Catherine of Aragon.
The present castle dates mostly from the 19th century. Robert Fairfax owned the castle for 46 years until 1793 when it passed to the Wykeham Martins. Sale of the family estates in Virginia released a large sum of money that allowed extensive repair and the remodelling of the castle in a Tudor style, completed in 1823, that resulted in the appearance today.
The castle also hosted the Northern Ireland peace talks held in September 2004 led by Tony Blair.
From 857 the site was owned by a Saxon chief called Led or Leed who built a wooden structure on two islands in the middle of the River Len. In 1119 Robert de Crevecoeur rebuilt it in stone as a Norman stronghold and Leeds Castle descended through the de Crevecoeur family until the 1260s. What form this Norman stronghold took is uncertain because it was rebuilt and transformed in the following centuries. Adrian Pettifer speculates that it may have been a motte and bailey.
In the 13th century it came into the hands of King Edward I, for whom it became a favourite residence; in the 16th century, Henry VIII used it as a dwelling for his first wife, Catherine of Aragon.
The present castle dates mostly from the 19th century. Robert Fairfax owned the castle for 46 years until 1793 when it passed to the Wykeham Martins. Sale of the family estates in Virginia released a large sum of money that allowed extensive repair and the remodelling of the castle in a Tudor style, completed in 1823, that resulted in the appearance today.
The castle also hosted the Northern Ireland peace talks held in September 2004 led by Tony Blair.
@sim
My favorite room too
@lucifargundam Makes me wonder what books it has in store for us. It would be hard to get me out of that room if I lived there. Haha.
@lucifargundam That's a very good question. It's good to hear from somebody else who thinks the same way. I would love my own reading room/library.
@sim @lucifargundam
That reading is neat and organized, your average literacy enjoyer. No real booklover ever has enough space, no matter how big your house (unless you're living hip in an abandoned church or factory) and your bookworld fantasy will fall apart in practice. It is always the same with real booklovers, I've known them on many continents. Too many books, never enough space. What's worse, is now you can't be sure books will survive if you give them away or try to sell them. Books are being destroyed regularly by the "discount" sellers, especially ones without ISBNs. Every old book you save, is a gift to the future.
That reading is neat and organized, your average literacy enjoyer. No real booklover ever has enough space, no matter how big your house (unless you're living hip in an abandoned church or factory) and your bookworld fantasy will fall apart in practice. It is always the same with real booklovers, I've known them on many continents. Too many books, never enough space. What's worse, is now you can't be sure books will survive if you give them away or try to sell them. Books are being destroyed regularly by the "discount" sellers, especially ones without ISBNs. Every old book you save, is a gift to the future.
@polarisera @lucifargundam Yeah. I'm sad that book sellers would destroy books. That should be considered a crime. But yeah, there is not just never enough space but never enough time to get through the backlog you want to read. I want to read the classics... but I also want to read more modern fiction. I get too distracted to really get through it all.
@sim @polarisera
Another reason why I buy pre-1900 era books on eBay and scan/upload them online 
remember to contribute to #librevox If you ever get a chance!
@lucifargundam @polarisera Oh, nice. I didn't know that site existed. I've found others, especially one where copyright has expired which is a nice one.
