Castles · West Midlands
Thornbury Castle
Thornbury Castle — Grade I listed castle in South Gloucestershire, United Kingdom.
Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 1.5 h–3 h
- Nearest railway station
- Pilning · 9.3 km
- Family-friendly
- Limited wheelchair access
About
Thornbury Castle is a castle in the United Kingdom — fortified architecture from the medieval, Tudor, or Victorian-revival period. Wikidata describes it as: "Grade I listed castle in South Gloucestershire, United Kingdom". Coordinates: 51.6142°, -2.5303°.
Photo gallery
Protected designations
- Site of Special Scientific Interest: Severn Estuary SSSI
- Ramsar wetland: Severn Estuary
Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.
From the Wikipedia article
Thornbury Castle is a Tudor castle in the town of Thornbury, in Gloucestershire, England, erected next to the parish church of St Mary. Construction was begun in 1511 as a further residence for Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham (1478–1521), of Stafford Castle in Staffordshire. It is not a true military fortress but rather an early example of a Tudor country house, with minimal defensive attributes. As at Richmond Palace in Surrey, the main ranges of Thornbury framed courts, of which the symmetrical entrance range, with central gatehouse and octagonal corner towers, survives, together with two less regular side ranges with many irregular projecting features and towers. It is now a Grade I listed building that is operated as a hotel.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
History
The site was occupied by a manor house in 930. Jasper Tudor, Duke of Bedford and Earl of Pembroke, died there in 1495, when part of the original plans for a very grand residence were "well advanced", with a licence to crenellate being granted in 1508. Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham's household was one of the largest in Tudor England, and in 1507–1508 there were typically around 200 staff in attendance at mealtimes at Thornbury Castle. The 3rd Duke of Buckingham was beheaded for treason in 1521, by order of King Henry VIII. Following the 3rd Duke's death, Thornbury was confiscated by Henry, who stayed there for ten days in August 1535 with Queen Anne Boleyn. In 1554 Queen Mary, who…
Visiting
The castle is now a 26-room luxury hotel and restaurant, and a venue for weddings. Between 1966 and 1986 the castle was operated as one of the UK's top restaurants by Kenneth Bell with staff including food writer Nigel Slater and MasterChef New Zealand judge Simon Gault early in their culinary careers. The property had been a member of the Relais & Châteaux association since November 2021.
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 51.6142, -2.5303
- District
- South Gloucestershire
- Parish
- Thornbury
- Postcode
- BS35 1HH
- Parliamentary constituency
- Thornbury and Yate
- Nearest railway station
- Pilning — 9.3 km
Sources
- wikidata: Q7796332 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Thornbury Castle (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- commons: Thornbury Castle - 1.jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Thornbury Castle?
- Thornbury Castle is in the West Midlands, United Kingdom (postcode BS35 1HH), in the parish of Thornbury.
- Is Thornbury Castle a protected site?
- Yes — Thornbury Castle is part of the Severn Estuary SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest and the Severn Estuary Ramsar wetland.
- Does Thornbury Castle charge admission?
- Thornbury Castle typically charges admission. Check the official site for current ticket prices and opening hours.
- How do I get to Thornbury Castle?
- Drivers can navigate to postcode BS35 1HH. It sits within the Thornbury and Yate parliamentary constituency.