*** Special Offer: For a £5 discount on Historic Houses membership use code STEW05 ***
Historic Houses has several fine properties in Gloucestershire with Sudeley Castle & Gardens being one of the most interesting.
Sudeley Castle
Visitors to Sudeley Castle & Gardens can tour some of the rooms in the Castle as well as visiting the extensive gardens and St Mary’s Church, the final resting place of Katherine Parr.
We have recently reviewed another Gloucestershire Historic Houses’ property, Berkeley Castle, and described its turbulent history. Similarly Sudeley Castle has a complex and fascinating history.
The Castle, which is situated about seven miles north-east of Cheltenham, dates back to 1443, but soon after being built it was seized by the Crown. Several monarchs stayed at the Castle including Henry VIII with Anne Boleyn. Katherine Parr lived in the Castle towards the end of her life with her fourth husband, Thomas Seymour.
Tithe Barn Ruins by the Reflection Pool
During the English Civil War, the Castle was a Royalist base resulting in it being largely destroyed by Cromwell at the end of the war. For almost 200 years the Castle lay in ruins.
In 1837 the property was purchased by the Dent family, who restored most of the main Castle building, but left some picturesque ruins including the Banqueting Hall and the Tithe Barn.
The Castle is now owned and occupied by members of the Dent-Brocklehurst family.
Sudeley Castle Tour
Henry VIII and his Six Wives
A tour of Sudeley Castle commences with a series of exhibitions set on three floors. These provide in great detail the history of the castle with several videos along the way and displays, including one of Henry VIII’s six wives in fine dresses.
All very interesting, but we found that there was far too much information to take in on one visit. A good reason to return.
A few attractively decorated rooms inside the currently lived-in part of the Castle are also accessible to the public.
The Queen’s Privy
The tour route passes from a small entrance room into a library with a 16th Century Sheldon tapestry and an impressive stone fireplace.
The route continues upstairs to a small sitting room and on to the elaborate Chandos Bedroom, with a four poster bed which was reputedly used by Charles I.
Passing two bathrooms, leads to the Major’s Dressing Room, with another fine four poster bed. An ornate velvet clad Queen’s Privy is a curiosity in a little side room.
Finally the route returns down stairs and out into the gardens.
Gardens and St Mary’s Church
Queen’s Garden by St Mary’s Church
Sudeley Castle has total of ten gardens. When we visited on a rainy October day, the gardens were hardly at their best. However, we were particularly impressed with the Knot Garden and the Queen’s Garden with its central fountain.
The White Garden, as its name implies, is planted with many white flowers including clematis and roses and serves as a tribute to Katherine Parr.
St Mary’s Church in the middle of the gardens dates back to about 1460, but was in ruins for a couple of hundred years, with only a small side chapel being useable.
Katharine Parr’s Tomb
Katherine Parr was buried in the side chapel, but then in 1817 her remains were placed in stone vault. After restoration of the church in 1863, her remains were moved to their current resting place, a neo-Gothic tomb near the front of the church.
We were intrigued as we wandered around the gardens by coming across life-sized elephant sculptures. Apparently there are about thirty in the grounds. They were made in India from the invasive plant Lantana camara and are displayed as part of the The Great Elephant Migration coexistence project.
Life-sized Elephant Sculptures
Entry to Sudeley Castle & Gardens is £23 for adults and £10 for children.
However if you take up annual membership with Historic Houses, you will get free entry, plus free entry to 300 other heritage sites, including some of the top sites in the country such as Hever Castle and Harewood House. Enter our unique code STEW05 at ‘Add discount code’ and new members will receive a £5 discount. This also applies if you wish to give annual membership as a gift.
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Historic Houses Gloucestershire: Sudeley Castle & Gardens
*** Special Offer: For a £5 discount on Historic Houses membership use code STEW05 ***
Historic Houses has several fine properties in Gloucestershire with Sudeley Castle & Gardens being one of the most interesting.
Visitors to Sudeley Castle & Gardens can tour some of the rooms in the Castle as well as visiting the extensive gardens and St Mary’s Church, the final resting place of Katherine Parr.
We have recently reviewed another Gloucestershire Historic Houses’ property, Berkeley Castle, and described its turbulent history. Similarly Sudeley Castle has a complex and fascinating history.
The Castle, which is situated about seven miles north-east of Cheltenham, dates back to 1443, but soon after being built it was seized by the Crown. Several monarchs stayed at the Castle including Henry VIII with Anne Boleyn. Katherine Parr lived in the Castle towards the end of her life with her fourth husband, Thomas Seymour.
During the English Civil War, the Castle was a Royalist base resulting in it being largely destroyed by Cromwell at the end of the war. For almost 200 years the Castle lay in ruins.
In 1837 the property was purchased by the Dent family, who restored most of the main Castle building, but left some picturesque ruins including the Banqueting Hall and the Tithe Barn.
The Castle is now owned and occupied by members of the Dent-Brocklehurst family.
Sudeley Castle Tour
A tour of Sudeley Castle commences with a series of exhibitions set on three floors. These provide in great detail the history of the castle with several videos along the way and displays, including one of Henry VIII’s six wives in fine dresses.
All very interesting, but we found that there was far too much information to take in on one visit. A good reason to return.
A few attractively decorated rooms inside the currently lived-in part of the Castle are also accessible to the public.
The tour route passes from a small entrance room into a library with a 16th Century Sheldon tapestry and an impressive stone fireplace.
The route continues upstairs to a small sitting room and on to the elaborate Chandos Bedroom, with a four poster bed which was reputedly used by Charles I.
Passing two bathrooms, leads to the Major’s Dressing Room, with another fine four poster bed. An ornate velvet clad Queen’s Privy is a curiosity in a little side room.
Finally the route returns down stairs and out into the gardens.
Gardens and St Mary’s Church
Sudeley Castle has total of ten gardens. When we visited on a rainy October day, the gardens were hardly at their best. However, we were particularly impressed with the Knot Garden and the Queen’s Garden with its central fountain.
The White Garden, as its name implies, is planted with many white flowers including clematis and roses and serves as a tribute to Katherine Parr.
St Mary’s Church in the middle of the gardens dates back to about 1460, but was in ruins for a couple of hundred years, with only a small side chapel being useable.
Katherine Parr was buried in the side chapel, but then in 1817 her remains were placed in stone vault. After restoration of the church in 1863, her remains were moved to their current resting place, a neo-Gothic tomb near the front of the church.
We were intrigued as we wandered around the gardens by coming across life-sized elephant sculptures. Apparently there are about thirty in the grounds. They were made in India from the invasive plant Lantana camara and are displayed as part of the The Great Elephant Migration coexistence project.
Entry to Sudeley Castle & Gardens is £23 for adults and £10 for children.
However if you take up annual membership with Historic Houses, you will get free entry, plus free entry to 300 other heritage sites, including some of the top sites in the country such as Hever Castle and Harewood House. Enter our unique code STEW05 at ‘Add discount code’ and new members will receive a £5 discount. This also applies if you wish to give annual membership as a gift.
We have reviewed several other properties under Historic Houses and see also Historic Houses versus National Trust – Which to join?
POSTED 28th OCTOBER 2025 by STEVE HANSON. The photographs were taken by BARBARA HANSON.