Leeds Castle, east of Maidstone in Kent, is one of the most spectacular of later medieval fortresses, with three islands in a lake formed by damming the river Len. The castle passed into royal possession in 1272 and Edward I strengthened it considerably in the 1280s. From then until Tudor times it formed part of the queens' dower. It has been heavily restored. Maiden's Tower is Tudor and the main building part of an extensive early 19th-cent. reconstruction. The castle is much used for conferences.