- Tudor Era: Castle with beautiful grounds and a 500-year-old vineyard.
- Luxury B&B: Combines period features with modern comforts.
- Activities: Private massages, fine dining, and outdoor activities available.
- Most Notable Former Guests: King Henry VIII & Anne Boleyn.
- Enter your dates and check prices here
Thornbury Castle Hotel is a true luxury B&B retreat at the edge of the South Gloucestershire Cotswolds, and one of the finest examples in England of a genuine, immaculately preserved, Tudor castle.
You can soak up history with a stroll through the castle itself and its beautifully tended grounds which include, surprisingly enough, a 500-year-old vineyard.
Treat yourself too, to a massage in the privacy of your own bedchamber and some of the Cotswold’s very best food at the castle restaurant.
What are the rooms like?
- Total rooms: 27 rooms including superior and deluxe suites plus a two-bedroom annex cottage.
- Period features: Four-poster and coronet beds with fireplaces and luxurious bathrooms.
- Modern comforts: All rooms include contemporary amenities for a comfortable stay.
- See each room in detail here on the booking page
The castle has 27 rooms in total ranging from classic baronial style bedchambers to some quite lovely superior and deluxe rooms and suites, as well as a cute two-bedroom annex cottage in the castle yard.
Most of the beds are four poster or coronet in style and you’ll find period features throughout, including, in some rooms, an old-style fireplace. Their bathrooms are suitably luxurious too and all in all no modern comforts are spared.
And what about food, facilities….things to do?
- Common areas: Opulent sitting rooms and an excellent restaurant.
- Outdoor activities: Croquet, archery, falconry, and clay-pigeon shooting.
- Wellness: Massage and holistic therapies in-room or at nearby center.
- Vineyard & garden: 500-year-old vineyard and traditional kitchen garden provide fresh ingredients.
The castle has plenty of common areas; opulent old-style sitting rooms and of course a very fine restaurant. All rooms at Thornbury are B&B and the excellent breakfast can be taken in the restaurant or delivered to your room.
The grounds and the gardens are magnificent and perfect for evening strolls. There is the added interest of having a 500-year-old vineyard within castle walls from where the hotel makes its own Thornbury Castle wines.
There is also a traditional kitchen garden from where the chefs get some of the ingredients for their highly rated food.
There is a croquet lawn and archery facility at the hotel and, with a bit of prior notice, you can arrange another traditional medieval sport; falconry, as well as the more modern pursuit of clay-pigeon shooting.
A range of massage and well-being therapies can be arranged in your room or at the nearby affiliated holistic center, including reflexology, deep tissue massage, and aromatherapy.
Note: The hotel is listed in the family-friendly category though only children above the age of 8 can be accommodated!
How is the location? And how do I get there?
- Proximity: Near Bristol and the South Gloucestershire Cotswolds with rolling hills and charming villages.
- Town vibe: Thornbury has a quaint village-like feel despite a busy high street.
- Historical significance: Mentioned in the Domesday Book and near the Church of St. Mary the Virgin.
Near the city of Bristol, the South Gloucestershire Cotswolds are among England’s most beautiful rural areas, with rolling green hills and some charming villages and towns.
Thornbury is one such town at the edge of the Cotswolds which, though having a population of about 12,000 and a busy high street with quite a few shops, restaurants, and pubs, has something of a quaint, village-like feel.
It has plenty of history too; the Domesday Book noted it as “Turneberie” a manor settlement of 103 people belonging to William the Conqueror‘s wife (and the the mother of William II and Henry I), Matilda of Flanders.
It is also the site (right beside Thornbury Castle in fact) of the still standing Church of St.Mary the Virgin a now Anglican church which was built in the later Norman period, 1340 to be exact.
Any interesting history I should know about?
- Construction: Commissioned in 1511 by Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham.
- Castle status: Technically a manor house, not a fortress.
- Historical events: King Henry VIII stayed here with Anne Boleyn and the property was confiscated.
- Renovation: Restored by the Howard family in 1824.
Work was commissioned for the current building in 1511 by the 3rd Duke of Buckingham, Edward Stafford, though it is believed to have been the site of a manor house back as far as 930.
It is referred to as a castle and is very much castle-like in many ways, though technically it is not a castle, as it never had the defensive/fortress-like capabilities to be termed as such.
It is, rather, a very fine example of an early Tudor manor house.
The Duke didn’t really have much time to enjoy his new residence though before being beheaded for treason by his distant cousin King Henry VIII in 1521.
The King then confiscated the property for his own use, as you do, though there is only one official record of him actually staying there, when in 1535 he came to spend ten days with his Queen Anne Boleyn, who was later, more famously, to receive the same fate as the Duke.
The castle remained unused for centuries after the English Civil War (1642–1651) and it only became a home again in 1824, when the Howard Family undertook a major renovation.
Some Guest Reviews:
“Brilliant location, scenery around the castle is beautiful. Our room was lovely, really comfy bed, nice bathroom and the view from our room was gorgeous. Staff were great. Friendly and couldn’t do enough for you. Really enjoyed finding out about the history of the castle and walking in the gardens….”
“The experience of staying in the castle is really unforgettable. The lounge and the library with open fires have a truly historic feeling with fantastic stone mullioned windows. The staff were very attentive and went out of their way to make the stay most memorable. The dinner and breakfast were brilliant in a wood paneled dining room. A stay is highly recommended. You will not be disappointed….”
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