The Cotswolds - Sudeley Castle and Gardens

Today was all about Sudeley Castle and Gardens. We had over an hour’s drive through Cotswold villages to get there. I had not been to this side of the Cotswolds before and had thought the area a bit overrated. Changed my mind today as there are so many beautiful and charming villages.

We arrived at Sudeley in time for a quick coffee then off for a ‘Behind the Scenes’ tour of the Castle which took us through areas not normally accessible to the general public. Not allowed to take photos here which is fair enough as a lot of it is where family members spend time.

We saw a grandson who is in his early twenties and has come home from living in Hawaii to try to manage the estate. There have been quite a few problems in the last twenty years getting three generations of the family to work cooperatively in order to keep the estate viable:-
*The matriarch would like things to stay the same and not host functions which make the most income for the estate.
*Daughter and her arrogant husband have no idea and have airy fairy artistic aspirations.
*Son seems to be on a positive economic track but is thwarted by both mother and sister. They are managing but I suspect quite precariously.

The historical events that have taken place here are noteworthy for such a (relatively) small estate. Significant events involving such things as The War of the Roses; Henry VIII and the dissolution of the monasteries - he spent a week here with Ann Boleyn a year before he had her beheaded; Katherine Parr, Henry’s 6th and last wife died here and her tomb is in the church in Sudeley grounds.

The civil war in the mid 1600’s resulted in looting and damage to the castle. The castle was ordered to be slighted (the roof was removed) and by 1649 the castle was effectively ruined as was the church in Sudeley grounds.

Sudeley Castle was neglected for the next 200 years and much of it fell into further ruin.

In 1837 the Castle and 12,000 acres were purchased by the Dent brothers, William and John who had made their fortune manufacturing gloves. Dents gloves were a good quality item when I was young and they are still around today. They spent huge amounts on the restoration and tried to keep things as authentic as possible. Their descendants still live at the castle today.

In the gardens were ‘lantana sculptures’ of elephants. These are purchased in aid of a charity to help in the survival of elephants. The charity was set up by Mark Shand, nephew of the late husband of Lady Ashcroft and also the late brother of Camilla. Think it is a great use of that horrible weed lantana. By placing elephants in such places it is hoped to raise the awareness of the plight of elephants.

We drove home via a well known and expensive farm shop, the Daylesford Farmshop. I looked at buying a wooden spoon but it was £26 so I decided I didn’t need one.

We purchased some salads, cold meats and cheeses for dinner. Might have been cheaper to go to the pub!Read more