Thornbury Castle in South Gloucestershire was begun around 1511 by Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, as a castellated Tudor country house beside the parish church of St Mary. Henry VIII spent ten days here with Anne Boleyn in 1535. Today the Grade I listed building is a hotel and restaurant with 26 rooms, about 19 km north of Bristol.
Staying at Thornbury Castle means sleeping in one of England’s great Tudor houses. Wikipedia stresses that it is not a true fortress but an early Tudor country house with minimal defences; what survives is the symmetrical entrance range with a central gatehouse and octagonal corner towers, plus two less regular side ranges. Expedia lists Tudor-style architecture on three floors.
According to the listing, the rooms are individually furnished with bespoke furniture and offer high-quality and allergy-friendly bedding, blackout curtains, bathrobes and slippers, a private bathroom with bath or shower, designer toiletries, a desk, a kettle with tea and coffee and free mineral water. Some rooms show period touches such as four-poster beds, stone walls and open fireplaces.
The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. The property also offers a bar and lounge, private picnics, private dining for couples, archery, a garden with outdoor furniture and spa treatments including deep-tissue massage, aromatherapy and reflexology. A 24-hour reception, concierge, a wedding service and meeting rooms round off the facilities.
The Duke of Buckingham needed a home to match his rank as the wealthiest noble in England, owner of 11 castles and 124 manors. He chose Thornbury as his main residence: Bristol’s port, where luxury goods arrived, was close, and so were the Welsh Marches, where he held land and was responsible for law and order. The new castle was built of dressed Cotswold stone with ornate, patterned brick chimneys, and had a great hall, a privy kitchen and a large great kitchen for entertaining on a grand scale.
Wikipedia notes that historians remain unsure whether Thornbury was only a luxury home in the fashionable castellated style or also a serious defensive building. It stands next to St Mary’s Church, whose foundation dates back to Norman times, and, according to Wikipedia, it has been a member of the Relais & Châteaux association since November 2021.
The details below come from the Expedia listing (as of 14 Oct 2026); features can vary from room to room.
The castle stands in the market town of Thornbury in South Gloucestershire, beside the parish church of St Mary and about 19 km north of Bristol. The River Severn is only about two miles to the west, and the old Severn Bridge to Wales lies roughly 7 km away. Expedia places Berkeley Castle, the Wye Valley and Chepstow Castle within 20 km.
To the south, Bristol offers the Clifton Suspension Bridge, the SS Great Britain and its cathedral, all about 19 km away; Bath, a UNESCO World Heritage city, is roughly 28 km to the south-east. Nearer at hand are the Tyndale Monument at North Nibley and the wetland reserve of WWT Slimbridge.
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors.
| Thornbury (town centre) | approx. 600 m |
| Severn Bridge | approx. 7.5 km |
| Berkeley Castle | approx. 9.5 km |
| Chepstow Castle | approx. 11 km |
| Tyndale Monument | approx. 12 km |
| WWT Slimbridge | approx. 17 km |
| Bristol | approx. 18 km |
| Clifton Suspension Bridge | approx. 19 km |
| SS Great Britain | approx. 19 km |
| Bath | approx. 28 km |
Distances are calculated as the crow flies from the castle.
approx. 9.5 km
A Grade I listed castle with 11th-century origins, held by the Berkeley family since its 12th-century reconstruction bar a spell of royal ownership. Tradition places the murder of Edward II here in 1327.
Photo: Andrew Hackney, CC BY-SA 2.0
approx. 11 km
Across the Severn in Wales, the oldest surviving post-Roman stone fortification in Britain, begun in 1067 on cliffs above the River Wye by the Norman lord William FitzOsbern.
Photo: Nilfanion, CC BY-SA 4.0
approx. 12 km
A tower on a hill at North Nibley honouring William Tyndale, an early translator of the New Testament into English who was born nearby. It is Grade II* listed.
Photo: Saffron Blaze, CC BY-SA 3.0
approx. 19 km
The suspension bridge across the Avon Gorge in Bristol, opened in 1864 to a design by Barlow and Hawkshaw based on an earlier one by Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
Photo: Gothick, CC BY-SA 3.0
approx. 19 km
Brunel’s museum ship, the largest passenger ship in the world from 1845 to 1853 and the first large ocean-going vessel to combine an iron hull with a screw propeller.
Photo: mattbuck, CC BY-SA 3.0
approx. 28 km
A city named after its Roman-built baths, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987 and one of the “Great Spa Towns of Europe”, in the Avon valley south-east of Bristol.
Photo: Diliff, CC BY 2.5
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View details ›Private dining for two, private picnics, spa treatments and a Tudor setting make it a natural choice for a romantic break.
A castle begun in 1511 for a duke, later visited by Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, and still recognisable in its gatehouse, towers and chimneys.
The listing mentions a wedding service, a banquet hall and meeting rooms for events.
Bristol, Bath, Berkeley Castle and Chepstow are all within about 30 km, making the castle a quiet base for day trips.
Find available dates at Thornbury Castle
Yes. Thornbury Castle operates as a hotel and restaurant and can be booked via Expedia, which describes it as a luxury castle. According to Wikipedia it has 26 rooms.
Dogs are accepted according to Expedia, up to two in total, for a nightly fee per pet. Assistance animals are exempt from the fee.
Check-in is possible from 3 pm onwards, with no closing time given. Check-out is at 11 am.
Yes, free parking is available on site, both self-parking and with a valet service, with limited spaces.
Yes, breakfast cooked to order is served daily from 7.30 to 10.30 am for an extra charge.
Bristol is about 18 km away as the crow flies and the Clifton Suspension Bridge about 19 km; Bath is roughly 28 km away.
Room photos, guest reviews and available dates are all in the Thornbury Castle listing on Expedia.
Fancy a night in a Tudor castle of 1511? Check availability and current prices for Thornbury Castle on Expedia.
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