Description

On Thursday the 11th of December 2025 we head off to our very popular Christmas lunch at Hever Castle.

IMPORTANT. Please advise your menu choice in the notes section. Without your input I will assume your meal is the Carvery and the Christmas pudding.

THIS IS OUR CANVEY , BENFLEET, PITSEA , BASILDON ROUTE 

The menu :

Carvery of roast turkey with vegetables  (potatoes, parsnips, carrots and sprouts).

Vegetarian option available. GF option available.

Desert is Christmas pudding or lemon tart. 

Tea, Coffee, Bread Roll.

They also offer us a glass of mulled wine or some hot spiced apple juice.

PLEASE ADVISE YOUR CHOICES IN THE NOTES SECTION WHEN BOOKING.

Please advise any diet requests in the notes section when booking, thank you.

Spanning more than 600 years, the history of Hever Castle is rich and varied. The original medieval defensive castle, with its gatehouse and walled bailey, was built in 1383. In the 15^th and 16^th centuries it was the home of one of the most powerful families in the country, the Boleyns, who modernised the existing dwelling within the walls.

The Castle was to become the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, King Henry VIII’s second wife, who became Queen of England for just 1,000 days. It was Henry’s love for Anne and her insistence that she became his wife rather than his mistress that led to the King splitting from the Church in Rome and creating the Church of England, forever altering the course of English and European history.

Hever later passed into the ownership of another of Henry VIII’s wives, Anne of Cleves, and from 1557 onwards it was owned by a number of families including the Waldegraves, the Humphreys and the Meade Waldos.

Gradually it fell into decline before William Waldorf Astor invested time, money and imagination in restoring the Castle. He commissioned the ’Tudor Village’, now called the ‘Astor Wing’ and the construction of the magnificent gardens and lake. At Hever, his wealth and vision enabled him to create a lavish family home that also indulged his passion for history.

The fantastic Yew Maze is open during daylight hours, weather permitting.

The late Karen Keating is buried in the nearby church.

After lunch , we have time for a wander around the Castle and the gardens. There are gift shops available and a cafe for a drink before we depart at 5pm.

PLEASE NOTE:-

The venue have advised – there is a walk from where the coach drops us – we have to walk over the main road from the coach parking entrance (15minutes).

The bar will be open on the day.

Lunch will be available in the Pavilion Restaurant at 1.30pm , which is the larger restaurant next to the lake. I would allow 10 – 15 minutes to walk from the Castle to the restaurant. Although they have a golf buggy which can seat approximately 5 people at a time which takes visitors up and down our drive, it cannot go any further into the grounds than the information hut. Visitors will need to walk from there to the restaurant, those with walkers, wheelchairs or less mobile will all need to be advised about this. 

Once walked to the restaurant you will then need to walk back into the grounds.

Approximate distances for walking, 

From the main ticket huts to the information hut, shop and Moat Café 225 metres (golf buggy available for this distance if required)

From the Information Hut to the Castle Forecourt 95 metres

From the Castle Forecourt to the Pavilion Restaurant 360 metres

These distances then need to be walked back when leaving. 

Estimated times we travel, always confirmed 3-4 weeks prior to the event, subject to change.

CANVEY ISLAND, THE PADDOCKS – BUS STOP OPPOSITE THE HAYSTACK 10.30AM

CANVEY ISLAND, JONES CORNER 10.35AM

BENFLEET , BENFLEET STATION (CANVEY SIDE) 10.45AM

BENFLEET JUNIOR SCHOOL 10.55AM

BENFLEET, SADLERS  11.05AM

PITSEA, MCDONALDS/ PETS AT HOME BUS STOP 11.20AM

FIVE BELLS BASILDON 11.30AM

We should arrive around 1pm (traffic pending) – Our lunch is reserved for 1.30pm.    Lights can be seen from the grounds from around 4pm .. we are departing at 5pm.