Thornbury Castle
‘It feels like you’re walking through the pages of a history book’ at this 16th-century castle, where everything from the bee skeps in the herb-scented goodly garden to canopied four-posters is redolent of Tudor England. More
Good Hotel Guide Review
‘It feels like you’re walking through the pages of a history book’ at this 16th-century castle, where everything from the bee skeps in the goodly garden to canopied four-posters is redolent of Tudor England. Built for Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, it has ‘some truly palatial parts’, with oriel windows, acres of wood panelling and enormous fireplaces. Henry VIII stayed in 1535 with Anne Boleyn after he had sent Buckingham to the scaffold and swiped the property. Fresh from a multi-million pound facelift it ‘now adds contemporary comfort to a historic stay’. Your ‘bedchamber’ might have arrow-slit windows in the bathroom along with a walk-in power shower. The 77-step spiral staircase to the Catherine of Aragon suite is ‘worth the climb for a magnificent bed big enough for Henry and several wives, and enormous bathroom, but even standard rooms are special’. Pre-dinner drinks are served in the double-height drawing room before an ‘elaborate dinner’ in the ‘atmospheric restaurant’. There was ‘good pea and wild garlic risotto, perfectly cooked fillet of beef’ but ‘you’ll need Henry’s appetite to finish six courses’. (JK)
Hotel details
Address
Castle Street
THORNBURY
Gloucestershire
BS35 1HH
England
Telephone
01454 281182
Bedrooms
27. Some across courtyard. 2 on ground floor suitable for disabled.
Open
all year.
Facilities
lounge, library, dining rooms (vegetarian menu), in-room TV, treatment room, civil wedding licence, 15-acre grounds, helipad, partially wheelchair accessible, adapted toilets.
Background music
classical in public rooms.
Children
aged 8 and over welcomed, no charge for extra bed.
Dogs
allowed in some bedrooms (£15 per night), public areas, not dining rooms.
Credit cards
Amex, MC, Visa.
Prices
B&B doubles from £229, singles from £214. À la carte £62, tasting menus £72. 1-night stays sometimes refused at peak times.