Lovely little hall if a bit outdated now, used to host all sorts of events including comedy gigs…read moreand of course the local give blood donation scheme.

Went to the hall a few years ago to see a comedian, they didn't squash you in, which was good…read more There was quite a good sized car park. The chairs, tables, stage and equipment could do with a bit of updating, I look in the local newspaper quite regularly to see what is going on there, if it had more things to do or go and see there I would definately go. It is next to the Impulse leisure centre in the north side of Grays. I had to phone up the local council to get tickets for the show, the help on the phone was very good and tickets arrived at my house quickly.

Thatcher would be proud…read more Looking around Hever, many would be left with the impression that the owners are enormous fans of Anne Boleyn. The unfortunate wife of Henry VIII is, after all, the main focus of the exhibition and makes an appearance on much of the marketing material. But look a bit closer, and the more astute visitor may notice a different, more 'true blue', streak permeating the house. Yes, Labour voters clutch your pearls, but the proprietors appear to be worshippers of none other than Margaret Thatcher. (More so than Ms Boleyn, I would wager.) In the castle, visitors are treated to a near life-size oil painting of the union basher. And for those lucky enough to stay in the guest house for the price of £300 per night, they will find a letter written by the Iron Lady to thank the castle for her stay that has been framed and hung in one of the hallways. Among the owners personal possessions, I note Ms Boleyn has not received a similar dose of affection. Of interest is also the fact that this castle, its stunning gardens and water maze, owe their amazing condition to our friends across the Atlantic. Most stately homes in Britain are now virtually on their knees, with years of decline and underinvestment in the country reflected in their faded carpets, moth-eaten curtains and peeling paintwork. Hever, however, has avoided this fate for the good reason that it was bought by... gasp... an AMERICAN. Horrifying as it may sound, Mr Astor - who owes his astounding wealth to the rise of New York City - purchased the castle and injected nothing short of a fortune into it in order to create the attraction that we see today. Demonstrating an entrepreneurial spirit so often absent in Britain, he then had the vision to order the construction of a second moat, a lake, a walled Italian garden complete with artefacts from Pompeii, a 'wall waterfall' and to direct the gardeners to shape some bushes like a chess set. I don't think he was involved in the water maze, so loved locally, but its presence reflects Hever's enduring ambitious spirit. Perhaps it was this spirit that so inspired Margaret Thatcher to write of Hever: 'I have seen several castles and large country houses but none as perfect as Hever.'

If you are visiting London, Hever Castle is a must do. Only a 90 minute drive from London hotels,…read morethe trip is well worth the wait upon arrival. From its sprawling vistas to the castle itself this place is a real treat. There is a large lake on site that offers rowing, an area that allows you to try your hand at archery and even a place to see falconry. There are jousting exhibitions and plenty of food from the cafe or restaurant on site. The REAL gem is the castle. Home for Queen Anne Boleyn from 5 years old to 12 one can only imagine the wonder this place brought her. The castle provides an audio tour in several languages so there is no issue there. (The staff are marvelously kind and helpful in the castle and in the dining areas and gift shop.) It's small but chock full of informative history about Anne Boleyn as well as those who lived in the castle after her death. If you are looking for a respite from the concrete jungle and noisy planet that is London, Hever provides you with lots of peace and quiet Tour the rose garden or just sit and enjoy the views and shade from the trees. It's an idyllic setting and a trip that will make your visit to the UK complete.

Came here the night before a friends wedding which was nearby…read more I ordered the Roast (meat that day was gammon). Modest portions but was really really tasty. The only points lacking where that the Yorkshire pudding was a little too well done and so was quite hard. Could have been more gravy too. Otherwise, I couldn't fault it. Solid roast dinner. Wait staff very polite and attentive. I would recommend.

It has sheep grazing across the road! And a lovely garden at…read morethe back! And plenty of parking (which you need because it's not that near the town)... The food isn't the best, but the surroundings are lovely and so is the pub. It's quite old and traditional, with an oak frame, and a lovely fireplace inside for those cold winter days, as well as a nice garden for those warm summer ones.

We had a fantastic day at Leeds Castle! This visit was made possible through a NCL shore excursion…read morefrom the Port of Tilbury. It usually takes about an hour to get there via the M25, but we encountered an accident on our way to the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge. We ended up taking a detour through the Dartford Tunnel instead. Our coach driver was able to make up some time. Our guide was great at pointing out everything she saw of interest along the way. She told our group about the history of Leeds Castle as a preview of what we were about to see. Once we arrived, she walked us up to the admission area and gift shop. We received our wrist bands. We also bought 2 bags of bird feed based on her recommendation. Do not leave this store without buying some. The families of birds at Leeds Castle will be extremely happy to see you. I'm not going to get into the age of the castle, nor its history. It's way too much information. Just know that it's something you must see. The interior was last updated in the Art Deco style of the 1930s by Lady Baillie and her French designer Stéphane Boudin. All of her staterooms were beautifully restored. Another cool part of the castle is the Eleanor of Castile exhibit that features a life size AI avatar of the Queen. Ask her a question and she will reply with either an answer or a stern dismissal. It's certainly a challenge to anyone who dares to ask her anything. The garden and grounds of the property are the biggest highlight here. There's so much beauty all around this castle. I wish we could have stayed longer. We were totally amazed by all the birds, ducks, coots, geese, and swans. The flowers in the many gardens are even more spectacular during the springtime. There are so many attractions including a maze, grotto, dog collar museum, birds of prey center, and playgrounds for the kids. There are many activities as well as scheduled falconry displays throughout the day. You can even book a stay at one of the lodges and cottages as well as the Maiden Tower. How lovely is that? It's also popular as a wedding venue. The Castle View Restaurant is available for tourists and guests, and there are some fast food options as well. I could definitely spend a whole weekend here. The owls at the Birds of Prey Center were particularly interesting. I really enjoyed seeing Zorro the Spectacled Owl. I would have stayed for the falconry demonstration, but there just wasn't enough time to see it all. Do plan to stay all day if you have the time. It's so worth the drive from London.

There has been a castle on this site since 857 AD although the current castle, in its current form,…read moredates primarily to the early 19th century when it was extensively renovated. The castle actually sits on an island created by the local river. It is a fairly long walk from the Visitor's Center to the castle itself but they offer transportation via a "land train", which, unfortunately for us, couldn't navigate up the hill due to wet conditions on the day we visited. So, we walked about 1/2 mile to entry but were able to take the land-train back to the visitor's center. This is a beautiful medival castle that was occupied, at various times, by a succesion of kings and queens. Allow yourself at least an hour to tour the inside of the castle and at least another hour to see the grounds. This is a "must-see" site. It's a bit of a ride outside London but is well worth the ride.

Fantastic venue and I had my wedding here in July 2015!…read more In the beginning we didn't have any contact from the people there until about 3 months before our wedding when I was starting to go crazy and fretting a lot. We finally tracked down some people and made sure they will help us deal with the wedding. The nicest thing about this venue is it's like an all in one everything gets done for you. The caterers here are amazing. The food will definitely be worth it and all your guests will go home stuffed to the brim. They also have preferred chair cover hires, draping, DJ, toastmaster all thrown in. Which is fantastic and gives you less things to stress over your wedding. The location is fantastic. There are huge ponds and bridges and grass and forestry outside and you will see mini rabbits and ducks and random wildlife. Even though it rained on my actual wedding day the indoors were large enough to cater for over 100 guests. They really let you use most of the rooms at the venue that weren't booked out. We changed our reception room last minute and decorated our main dining area the night before. Beware that the accommodation here used to be catered for university students so you don't really get a honeymoon suite or anything, but it's a short walk to the venue itself. One word of warning: Our coffee/teas got charged to us in the morning of the venue hire for some reason. Noone told me they weren't included!

Fab. Went there for a party last week. Great stuff! Friendly Staff, good prices, nice building and…read moregreat facilities. It's not only a party venue either, also a great dance studio too. Highly recommended! Joe.

Went here for a departmental Christmas lunch a couple of years ago. It is a French restaurant based…read morein a listed building shared with a dance studio upstairs. The bar area was a bit shabby but the restaurant bit was quite nicely decorated and had a nice atmosphere. The menu was limited but most Christmas menus are but the food was quite good from what I can remember!

I really looked forward to the re-opening of the Tudor Barn. We went there today and it was quite…read moredisappointing. There are not so many nice places where you can go and have great food in a nice location in Eltham. So I thought this place will make a difference for Eltham. I was wrong. It's such a nice location in a park with a nice outside area, so I am dissapointed that it isn't used better. I was quite shocked when we saw the food menue: 5 sorts of baguettes with chips and salad for 5 Pounds. That's all. We went there 2 days after they re-opened. Wow, the service has room for improvement, to say it nicely. The barrista had to asked me 4 times what I want to order. They told us that the baguettes are sold out but that they offer sandwiches instead. Sandwiches for 5 Pounds! We got a refund at the end but anyway if you just offer baguettes you should make sure that you have enough of them. We had to wait for ages till we got everything and the quality was poor. I am not a salty eater, but even I had to add salt to my food. There were several guests in a wheelchair when we were there. The manager told one of the guests that they don't have disabled facilities. How can this be when they refurbished everything? Because it was two days after they opened I gave them 2 stars, otherwise it would be one. I will try them in another six month. I hope their service has improved by then. Otherwise, I am sure, there will be a new owner again.

This place does not feel like Eltham, it feels like it's in civilisation. It's a real restaurant…read morecontrary to what some other reviews are saying. We went here for dinner, a group of four. The menu was full of tempting dishes, there was a huge slab of cow on the specials which we decided to share between the four of us. As it was so huge we skipped starters. This was a bad move because the cow took well over an hour to show up. We asked after it a few times, and were told it was coming in a way that gave us no confidence whatsoever. The staff were friendly but slightly devious in this way. When the food arrived, it was worth the wait. Really worth the wait. Beautifully cooked. Desserts were similarly excellent, as was the wine. I would give this place top marks if it were not for the waiting.

The Ashdown Park Hotel exceeded my expectations in terms of customer service. I traveled with a…read moredisabled friend, and the concierges went out of their way to ensure she was able to travel the grounds as needed. We were given a beautiful ground floor suite that included a large jacuzzi bathtub. The dinner restaurant was a bit fancy so we opted for room service, ordering the hamburger option. Our meals were wonderful, and they included perfectly crisp French fries. The price was reasonable. For relaxation, we made our way over to the calming spa area and swam in the indoor pool. We met lovely guests and had a fantastic day. The jacuzzi was small though, only holding four to six comfortably. Early morning I strolled through the stunning property and located the secret garden. Making my way through the black and golden gate, I was greeted with a rainbow arching over the mossy fountain. I sat for a few minutes of solitude. Vibrant, interesting stained glass windows and arches can be found all over the property. We were told the property was a converted convent. Downside, the rooms are old and the one we stayed in did not have air conditioning. Perhaps some rooms do have it. They did provide a fan and with our open windows, we were comfortable. I would definitely recommend this hotel and would stay here again. Special thanks to Paul and Paul, our concierges.

A well presented hotel in a stunning location. We were…read morestaying for 2 nights due my sister getting married there. On the first night I was dissapointed when the head waiter had a hissy fit when we turned up for dinner without a dinner jacket. Considering the price we were paying I felt this was slightly unreasonable.