A castle fit for a king: Historic home once owned by Henry VIII and used for trysts with his mistresses goes up for sale for £2.6million

An historic castle once owned by Henry VIII has been put up for sale for £2.6 million.
The notorious monarch exchanged the stunning Westenhanger Manor in 1523 for other lands with Sir Edward Poynings, who served as a diplomat under Henry VII.
There he entertained guests, held meetings of state, threw lavish feasts and brought his mistresses for weekend breaks, away from the watchful eyes of his six wives.
It remained a royal palace until 1581 when Queen Elizabeth I gave it to her Collector of Customs, Thomas Smythe.
The fortified property dates back as far as 1045 AD when it was occupied by King Canute.

King's rule: Henry VIII exchanged Westenhanger Manor in 1523 for other lands with Sir Edward Poynings, who served as a diplomat under Henry VII

Rich history: Parts of the fortified property date back as far as 1045 AD when it was occupied by King Canute. Under Henry VIII the tower was converted into a dove cote, housing birds for the king to eat

Hunting ground: Henry VIII carried out minimal works to the manor and in 1542 ordered the laying out of a deer park so he could hunt in the castle's grounds

In recent years the Grade I listed home, regarded as one of Kent’s greatest historical houses, became little more than a ruin.
But the current owners, the Forge family, have spent the past 16 years setting about saving Westenhanger Manor.
Graham Forge, 75, who owns the property, said: 'Henry VIII effectively used Westenhanger as his private B&B when visiting the south of England on state affairs.
'He certainly would never have brought any of his wives here but is known to have taken his mistresses to the house instead.
'He made many large improvements to the house because he was concerned about an invasion and wanted a permanent castle on the south coast.'
Very little else is known about what actually happened when Henry VIII visited Westenhanger because next to nothing was written down, said Mr Forge.
'He also developed the gardens for his daughter Mary who he hoped would move in,' he added. 'Although there's no evidence she ever even visited the manor.'
It was Elizabeth instead who used the property, often entertaining more than 300 guests at any one time with lavish feasts that could last for days. But in 1581 she was forced to give the castle up to Thomas Smythe.

In the Royal hands: Henry VIII exchanged other lands for the manor in 1523 and it was held as a Royal palace until his daughter, Elizabeth I, gave it away, probably to cover her debts

Grand courtyard: Under Henry VIII's rule, this part of the gardens would have been a vast courtyard where Henry would have rode into followed by dozens of soldiers as he visited the southern corner of his realm

Fit for a king: This would have been Henry VIII's banquet hall where he entertained guests with lavish feasts of pigeon, deer, boar and lots of wine

'Elizabeth didn't like Smythe at all,' says Mr Forge. 'In fact she was most probably intimidated by him... not least because he stood at a giant 5'7".
'His job was to collect customs in the south of England and raised more than £30,000 - a whopping sum in those days. Given her dislike for Smythe, she most likely gave it to him because she owed him money. What we do know is that no cash ever changed hands between them.'
The Forge family, a family of engineers, bought the castle from the Ministry of Transport and started carrying out millions of pounds of sensitive restorations with the help of English Heritage.
They are now selling Westenhanger Castle with estate agents Jackson-Stops & Staff for £2.6 million.
The house currently comprises three bedrooms, three reception rooms and two bathrooms.
The main reception room has a fine inglenook fireplace and splendid oak beams while a second reception room boasts a brick fireplace and flagstone floor with underfloor heating.
There is also the central living accommodation which is currently incomplete and set over three floors. A replica medieval kitchen is also under construction.

Grandiose: The roof of the hall is built in signature Tudor style. It dates back to around the 15th Century though it was repeatedly refurbished by Henry VIII

Living room: This room would have served as Henry's living room where he relaxed in front of the fire with courtiers, mistresses and entertainers

For £2.6 million, any buyer will also get a wedding venue set in the 14 acres of grounds. This includes an outbuilding with kitchen, bar and toilets joining a large marquee.
But there are significant running costs involved with the upkeep of the grand property, with maintenance costing around £100,000 a year.
However, the manor is a money maker, hosting around 25 weddings each year.

The bridal suite comprises the exquisite bedroom with an exceptionally fine stone mullioned leaded light window believed to date from around 1500.
It has ancient “graffiti” to the inner left side jamb of the window said to depict James II.
The grounds of Westenhanger Manor also boast two remarkable 16th century Grade I list barns which are being offered separately.
One of these has one of the finest hammer beam roof structures in the UK while the other is needs to be restored.
Graham Forge bought the castle from the Department of Transport for £330,000 in 1996.
The DoT had taken possession of it a couple of years earlier when the previous residents had fled. Mr Forge, a retired engineer, has now decided it is time for someone new to take on Westenhanger Manor.

Wedding room: This room, to the front of the house, also served as living quarters. It is now used to hold wedding ceremonies

Party house: Elizabeth I used the property more than Henry, often entertaining more than 300 guests at any one time with lavish feasts that could last for days. But in 1581 she was forced to give the castle up to Thomas Smythe

Grand: These stairs lead up to the bedrooms where Henry held meetings with both his courtiers and his mistresses

He said: 'When we bought it we thought about turning it into a hotel but it is too special for that so we spent 16 years restoring it.
'All the essential work is done, we have never had any archeology work carried out because of the huge cost, instead we saved our pennies for the restoration.
'My wife, who I have been married to for 52 years, loves the property. You try hard not to fall in love with it but it's hard.
'We've had so many special times here from parties and birthdays to family weddings. I think it is the best place in the world but I'm 75 now. It has been a great experience, we love it but it is time to move on.'
The castle was under Henry VIII's ownership from 1523 until his death in 1547 at the age of 55.
During that period the property was extended with separate suites of rooms for the use of royalty and at one point it had 126 rooms.
In 1552, Thomas Smythe, a Collector of Customs, moved into the castle with his wife Alice following their marriage. Queen Elizabeth I visited the castle on a number of occasions and stayed there with her entourage of 300.
It remained a Royal Palace until 1581 when Elizabeth I handed it to Mr Smythe. Customer Smythe, as he became known, died a wealthy man in 1591, owning 12 manors including nearby Leeds Castle in Kent.
Mr Forge has been hosting weddings at the property for eight years, which he describes as 'very successful'.
He added: 'Originally it covered three corners and was three storeys high but in the 18th century it was damaged by a number of fires and they decided to pull a lot of it down, only leaving one corner.
'Henry II kept his mistress here and when King Canute was dying, he drew up a charter to pass the property on to the Archbishop of Canterbury. That charter still hangs in the British library.
'English Heritage value the property enormously and we hope it will find the right owner who can carry on the work.'