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City & Village Tours: 0845 812 5000 info@cityandvillagetours.com
ONE TO DO ON YOUR OWN
The Royal Cotswolds
Set against the backdrop of the Cotswolds Hills Sudeley
Castle was once home to Queen Katherine Parr, last and
surviving wife of King Henry VIII. Following the Civil
War it fell into ruins and lay neglected for 200 years.
In the 19
th
century it was restored by the Dent family
who’d made their money in the glove trade and it is still
lived in by Dents to this day. It’s 10 miles from J9, M5.
2012 is the quincentenary of the birth of Katherine Parr
who lies buried in the church within the castle grounds
(the only private house in England to have buried a
Queen). A new exhibition includes access to two of
Katherine’s private rooms, her love letters, a tooth,
a lock of hair, a painting from the National Portrait
Gallery, two of her books (she was the first queen to be
published under her own name), and a welcoming video
by Dr David Starkey, the Tudor historian.
The castle is open daily from 1 April to 28 October
from 10.30am to 5.30pm. On an ordinary group visit
(Adults £10.00, Seniors £9.00.) you see the exhibition,
the extensive gardens and the west wing. Scheduled
Connoisseur tours of the Castle apartments (Tuesdays to
Thursdays at 11.00am, 1.00pm and 3.00pm, £15.00, no
concessions but includes ordinary admission) cannot be
block-booked by groups. However you can book an
exclusive tour before or after a scheduled tour for a
maximum 16 people at a time. Historic Garden Tours
are available to groups of 25 people, last 90 minutes and
cost £12.00 per person including ordinary admission.
If you want to take a larger group one option is to book
an introduction to Sudeley’s rich and varied history,
given by a senior guide in St Mary’s Church. The talk
lasts for approximately 30 minutes and may be booked
between 10.30am and 4.30pm. Talks can be designed to
focus on specific historic periods if required and cost
£50 per group (max 80 people) not including admission.
Making A Day of It
Make a day of it with a morning and lunch in either
Winchcombe (one mile away) or Cheltenham (10 miles
away) and an afternoon and tea at the castle.
Set above the River Isbourne,
Winchcombe
is arguably
the hidden jewel in the Cotswold crown. The town grew
prosperous due to the presence of one of the largest
Benedictine Abbeys in England as well as from the
wool and tobacco trades.
Cheltenham
From humble market town beginnings Cheltenham
became one of the most fashionable health resorts in
the country. In 1716, in a meadow outside the town,
pigeons were found to be pecking at what turned out to
be salt crystals at a spring which led to the growth of the
town as a Spa. King George III visited in 1788 making
the town instantly fashionable. Rows of Regency houses
began to spring up and the town now known as
"Cheltenham Spa" was born. Visitors can still sample
the Spa Waters at the beautiful Pitville Pump Room
and enjoy a stroll along The Promenade which is
considered to be one of the most beautiful thoroughfares
in the country, with its tree
lined avenue flanked by
smart shops and cafés.
Cheltenham is where Zara
Phillips and her husband
Mike Tindall have made
their home.
More Information: