Sudeley was once a royal residence, closely associated with some of the most famous English monarchs, including Edward IV, Richard III, Henry VIII, Lady Jane Grey, Katherine Parr, Elizabeth I and Charles I.
The Castle was even home to a secret Queen of England, Eleanor Boteler, whose royal status was unknown for centuries.
Modern-day visitors can explore the original 15th century west wing of the Castle and its fascinating exhibition rooms, before visiting the east wing which is home to a number of stunning rooms, still occasionally in use by the family today.
The South Hall contains a sweeping staircase as well as fine panels of Dutch painted glass, one section dated 1580 and the other 1620. At the top of the stairs is an iconic Elizabethan painting – The Allegory of the Tudor Succession. The renowned artwork was created by Flemish artist, Lucas de Heere, and depicts Henry VIII, his three children, and Queen Mary’s husband, Phillip of Spain. It was commissioned in 1572 and celebrates the harmony established by Queen Elizabeth.
The artwork was purchased by former Sudeley Castle owner, John Coucher Dent, at the sale of the collection of Horace Walpole at Strawberry Hill in 1842, but it has been in the care of the National Museum of Wales since 1991. This important piece of Elizabethan history has now returned to Sudeley, and is on display in South Hall.
The Morning Room
This sunny room was a favourite of Mary Dent-Brocklehurst, the present owner’s mother-in-law. On the wall hangs A View of Stourhead by Turner (1775-1851), and other pieces of art, including a bronze sculpture of Brock, the family’s pet badger in the late 60s and early 70s.
The Library
The library houses more than 1,000 delicate books, some over 400 years old. On the wall is one of Sudeley’s greatest treasures, a rare, 16th century Sheldon tapestry, reputed to have been woven in the 1650s and depicting the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise. A portrait of Rubens by Anthony Van Dyck (1599-1641) is also on display here, along with various treasures and collectibles gathered by the family over many years.
The Chandos Bedroom
This is the principle bedroom in the castle, named after the family who owned Sudeley during the Civil War.
Visitors can admire the enormous four-poster bed in the centre of the room, which is said to have been slept in by Charles I. It was discovered in a local farmhouse and restored by the Dents.Parts of it are thought to be Tudor and other sections date from Stuart times.
The Major’s Dressing Room
Between the two World Wars, Major Jack Dent-Brocklehurst would dress for dinner every evening in black tie or tails, with the help of his valet. As was custom of the times, the Major also used his dressing room as a bedroom, whilst his wife, Mary, slept undisturbed in the much grander Chandos bedroom next door.
Katherine Parr’s Anterooms
Known as ’cabinets’, these are two of the oldest rooms in the castle and would have served as anterooms to the state apartments which lay beyond.
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There is always something going on at Sudeley…