Nestled in the hills of the Cotswolds, near Winchcombe, Sudeley Castle is one of the richest in Tudor history in all England. A queen's castle, it saw Katherine Parr, the sixth and last wife of Henry VIII, live and die — and received Elizabeth I in sumptuous festivities.
Katherine Parr's refuge
Passed to Henry VII after Bosworth, Sudeley was visited by Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn in 1535. But it was with Katherine Parr that the castle entered legend. Widow of Henry VIII, she married Thomas Seymour and came to live at Sudeley, where she gave birth to a daughter before dying there in 1548. She was buried there in the chapel of St Mary — making her the only queen of England buried in a private castle. The young Lady Jane Grey, then in Katherine's service, was chief mourner at her funeral — a few years before knowing herself a tragic destiny.
Elizabeth's splendours
Sudeley also crossed the reign of Elizabeth I, who was received here three times (1574, 1575, 1592). The visit of 1592 was particularly memorable: a three-day festival celebrated the fourth anniversary of the defeat of the Spanish Armada, in a display of splendour that almost ruined the Brydges family, then the owners. To receive the queen was the height of honour — and of financial danger. The castle today keeps the tomb of Katherine Parr, love letters in her hand, and magnificent gardens. To see: the tomb of Katherine Parr in the chapel of St Mary, the ruined banqueting hall, the ten gardens, the collections (including letters of Katherine Parr).
Did you know?
Katherine Parr is the only queen of England to rest in a private castle, and not in a royal abbey or cathedral. Her tomb at Sudeley knew a turbulent destiny: forgotten after the ruin of the chapel, it was rediscovered in the eighteenth century — the opened coffin revealed a remarkably preserved body, before the grave was at last restored in Victorian times.
Notes
Sudeley Castle lies at Winchcombe, Gloucestershire; castle, chapel and gardens open to the public. Seasonal hours to check.
Quiz
- Which queen died and was buried at Sudeley?
- Katherine Parr
- Anne Boleyn
- Mary Stuart
- What is unique about Katherine Parr's grave?
- She is the only queen buried in a private castle
- It is of solid gold
- It is empty
- What did the 1592 festival for Elizabeth I celebrate?
- The anniversary of the defeat of the Armada
- A coronation
- A royal wedding