Throwback Thursday: Late 19th Century

Late 19th Century
September 26 2019 | Castle History

Late 19th Century

This photograph was taken in the late 19th century and shows the rear of Hever Castle before the Astor Wing and covered bridge across the moat were constructed. The north east corner of the castle (to the left of the bridge) had recently collapsed under the weight of four huge chimneys, and this photograph shows the newly built corner with the addition of two smaller chimneys. These chimneys were later removed 1898.

The Long Gallery windows on the rear wall had been bricked-up to avoid the window tax. This tax was first introduced in 1696, but did not really begin to bite until 1789, when it was increased to 1/- (1 shilling) per window, with an extra tax on houses with more than ten windows. In 1797 the tax was tripled. All the windows were reopened by Captain Sebright in 1898.

To find out more about Hever Castle’s interesting history, please see our archives.