Staking its claim as the only Tudor castle in England that’s open as a hotel, Thornbury Castle sits pretty in its picturesque South Gloucestershire setting. The 27-room hotel has proudly embraced its heritage, offering function rooms with plenty of old English character. The high-ceilinged Tudor Hall – a stone-walled room, complete with suits of armour, tapestries and a huge fireplace – will accommodate 75 delegates theatre style, and 70 for an atmospheric banquet.
The second of two event spaces on offer is the first-floor Baron’s Sitting Room, which overlooks the hotel’s vineyard and gardens, and works particularly well for board meetings of up to 20 delegates. There’s plenty of natural daylight in both spaces and free Wi-Fi throughout. For a smaller event like a meeting, The Library can accomodate up to 16 boardroom style, and is furnished with tartan seating and grand portraits on the walls.
Thornbury’s 15 acres of grounds have plenty of space for activities like archery, croquet and falconry. On a rainy day, groups can get stuck into a murder mystery activity around the castle.
For some context about the castle's history, a house has occupied the site since 930 and in 1495 Jasper Tudor, Henry VIII’s uncle, died there. The castle’s present form was planned and built for Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham. His wealth and status made him a powerful figure at court, and while this initially meant he found favour with Henry VIII, he was eventually executed for treason in 1521. After confiscating the castle, Henry stayed there for his honeymoon with Anne Boleyn in 1535, handing it down to his children after he died. It fell into disrepair after the English Civil War, before being passed to the Howard family by marriage in 1640, ancestors of Catherine Howard, Henry VIII’s fifth wife.