LATE 18TH CENTURY

The Hon. Mrs. Filmer, as Lady Baillie then was, in 1926 acquired Leeds Castle, a historic and romantic seat with Royal connections dating back to Saxon times and famously described by the historian Lord Conway as 'the loveliest castle...in the whole world'. Lady Baillie immediately breathed new life into the castle, embarking on extensive refurbishments carried out under the guidance of the legendary French designers Armand-Albert Rateau and Stèphane Boudin of the house of Jansen, creating a celebrated series of revitalized interiors. An informed and educated connoisseur, Lady Baillie was a pioneering collector of the very best French furniture who reached almost iconic status. As a result, in the 1930's Leeds Castle became one of the great society houses of England, with Queen Marie of Romania, Alfonso XIII of Spain and members of the British Royal family frequent visitors alongside stars of stage and screen including Douglas Fairbanks, Errol Flynn and James Stewart. Following her death in 1974, ownership of Leeds Castle passed to the Leeds Castle Foundation, allowing it to be left to the nation in perpetuity.