Sudeley Castle

Sudeley Castle stands in the Cotswold hills near Winchcombe in Gloucestershire. Built on the site of a 12th-century manor, the present castle began in 1443 for Ralph Boteler, Lord High Treasurer of England. It passed to King Edward IV and later Richard III, who added the grand banqueting hall. Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn stayed there in 1535, and Catherine Parr made it her home and final resting place. The castle sits within a 1,200-acre estate that includes ten notable gardens covering 15 acres. The castle’s history includes visits by Queen Elizabeth I, who celebrated the Armada’s defeat with a three-day party. During the First English Civil War it served as a royalist base before being besieged and slighted by Parliament. Left in ruins for centuries, it was restored in the 19th century by the Dent family. Sudeley is the only privately owned castle in the world with a Queen of England buried in its grounds. Its Great Hall, once used by Richard III, now forms part of a rose garden. Visitors find the restored castle and its gardens set among the Cotswold hills. The banqueting hall’s ruins have been planted with climbing roses and ivy. The parish church contains Catherine Parr’s tomb, marked by a white marble chest. The inner courtyard still shows Ralph Boteler’s double-courtyard plan. The outer courtyard was once used by servants and men-at-arms. The surrounding estate offers long walks through deer park and woodland.