Hever Castle, the former home of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII, is involved in an ongoing planning situation regarding wardrobes inside the property.
纵然城堡在肯特郡的官员已经申请planning permissionto remove built-in wardrobes in Anne Boleyn's former bedroom to improve understanding of the stately property’s rich history.
The castle’s current owner, John Guthrie, believes relocating the wardrobes would make the home more like "as it would have been during Tudor times”.
Why is planning permission required for the changes?
Hever Castle is statutorily listed at Grade I, while the grounds and gardens are a Grade I Registered Park and Garden, and the Italian Sculpture Garden is separately listed at Grade II.
Grade I listed buildings are notoriously difficult to make any changes to and most, even slight moderations, require planning approval.
In the early 20th century William Waldorf Astor purchased the castle and carried out extensive works including the restoration of the castle, the creation of what is now referred to as the Astor Wing, and redevelopment of the grounds to create formal gardens and the lake under the auspices of the architect Frank Loughborough Pearson.
The structure was built as a fortified farmhouse by the de Hever family in the 13th and 14th centuries.
The medieval castle was renovated with contemporary features
William Waldorf Astor was one of the very wealthy Astor family of New York City and moved to Britain in 1891, became a British subject in 1899, and was made Viscount Astor in 1917 for his contributions to war charities.
He used his massive fortune to restore and extend the castle in the early 20th century and create a separateself buildcalled the Astor Wing.
This was done by the family asrenovating a houseas big as Hever Castle would be difficult, and the family wanted a separate home to reside in.
Why do the wardrobes need to be moved?
Gatheringlisted building consentis difficult at the best of time but in this case gaining permission has proven particularly difficult.
The planning application states the aim is to “remove modern wardrobes (c1970) within Anne Boleyn’s bedroom (‘The Small Chamber’) to return the room to its original proportions and thus better reveal the significance of the heritage asset”.
The summary of pre-application advice from Sevenoaks District Council concluded that: “Upon reviewing the principal of the proposed development (it) is generally accepted however there are concerns/issues, which will need to be re-considered/ addressed before an application is submitted in order to receive a favourable outcome.”
What will the final home look like?
The current owners have also chosen to make changes in other areas of the house, includingrenovating a bathroom.
The planning application states: “The unexpected, vibrant pink, bathroom installed by Lady Irene Astor in the 1970s and occasionally seen on ‘Hidden Hever’ tours, is to be relocated to another building on the estate in due course.
“This will leave the shell of a Tudor room behind that will become the final room of the proposed Boleyn suite, presented as the Boleyn’s Closet.
“Tudor Closets were multi-purpose private rooms of business, study and devotion. It can be made into the culmination of the suite.
“The contorted access means that in high season this would be more of a glimpse in, but in less busy times visitor as could enter and look from a roped-off section.”
The plans would "relocate the fittings to a suite within the proposed reconstructed part of the Astor Wing" and the current owners feel this would leave the room "as it would have been during Tudor times”.
The website forHever Castle & Gardensdescribes the property as “what every child wants a castle to be: crenellated, moated and haunted” and the planned changes could make the castle even closer to this description.
A final decision has yet to be reached on the planning application for the property.
