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Thornbury Castle is a Tudor era 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 era 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 listed building building that is operated as a hotel.
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. Letters & Papers Henry VIII, vol. 8, (1885), no. 989, the King's Gestes (advance plan) 5 July 1535; correspondence of Cromwell & his servants at Thornbury, vol. 9 (1886), nos. 114, 155, 124, 157. In 1554 Queen Mary, who had visited Thornbury in 1525,Melita Thomas, The King's Pearl: Henry VIII and his daughter Mary (Amberley, 2017), p. 81. granted the castle and manor to Henry Stafford, 1st Baron Stafford. Following the Civil War, the castle fell into disrepair, but was renovated in 1824 by the Howard family.
The property had been a member of the Relais & Châteaux association since November 2021.
Today
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 Toast: The Story of a Boy's Hunger, Fourth Estate Ltd, (, 2003) or HarperPerennial (, 2004) and MasterChef New Zealand judge Simon Gault early in their culinary careers.
Locomotive
There was a GWR Castle class 4-6-0 locomotive in preservation named 7027 Thornbury Castle. In August 2022 the future of Thornbury Castle was called into question when the Great Western Society's 4709 Group bought the locomotive with the intention of donating the boiler to its project to re-create a GWR 4700 Class. Thornbury Castle's chassis and other components were to be used to recreate a GWR Star class locomotive.
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External links
Categories: Official Website, Houses Completed In The 16th Century, Castles In Gloucestershire, Buildings And Structures In South Gloucestershire District, Grade I Listed Buildings In Gloucestershire, Grade I Listed Castles, Restaurants In Gloucestershire, Hotels In Gloucestershire, Thornbury, Gloucestershire
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