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Belvoir Castle

Property rentals on the Belvoir Estates

The Belvoir Estate has over 320 residential properties available for rent. All the properties are situated within the Vale of Belvoir, which forms part of the counties of Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. The majority of the residential properties are in the villages of Barkestone-le-Vale, Belvoir, Branston, Bottesford, Croxton Kerrial, Knipton, Muston, Redmile, Waltham-on-the-Wolds and Woolsthorpe-by-Belvoir with many also in open countryside.

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The history of the Belvoir Castle

Belvoir Castle enjoys a commanding position with breathtaking views across the Vale of Belvoir. The castle is open to the public during the summer and you can look round the castle itself, or walk through the secluded woodland grounds. Belvoir Castle also hosts a number of events throughout the year such as craft fares, pop concerts, jousting and other medieval occasions. The first Belvoir Castle was built by Robert de Todeni who served as William the Conqueror's Standard Bearer during the Battle of Hastings. Robert de Todeni was also responsible for the construction of a priory adjacent to the castle, and was buried inside the chapel in 1088. The present Castle is the fourth to have stood on the site since Norman times. The existing Castle was completed in the early 19th century after previous buildings suffered complete or partial destruction during the Wars of the Roses, the Civil War and a major fire in 1816.The Castle also contains a notable collection of furniture, porcelain, silks and tapestries, sculptures and paintings. There are examples of fine French furniture,Italian sculpture alongside paintings by Gainsborough, Reynolds, Holbein and Poussin. The life size painting of Henry V111 by Holbein has the shoe that follows you around the room as you look at the painting.

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The Gardens at Belvoir Castle

When Elizabeth (the 5th Duchess) commissioned James Wyatt to build the Castle in 1799 she undertook the design and landscaping of the gardens, park and grounds herself. She saw the entire Vale of Belvoir as her garden and was merely framing the views with her valley gardens. The gardens today are well worth visiting and Elizabeth's design and the feel of the individual gardens has many overtures brought back from the Grand Tour of an Italian terraced garden. The gardens facing Belvoir are a natural amphitheatre left by the moraines of two glaciers, she used this to her advantage. She also designed and built a series of 'root houses' (summer houses), one of which can be seen today in the Duchess's garden. The walks around the gardens are well worth doing, close your eyes and listen to the wonderful sounds of the English countryside, smell the flowers and the trees and you will understand why this is a very special place.