The 1535 Progress: Sudeley Castle, Gloucestershire

There is a particular time in the evening when the light is at a certain level… there is this sense of timelessness here; I can’t really explain it, but one merges into it.
Lady Ashcombe

Nestled deep in the Cotswold Hills, close to the ancient town of Winchcombe, lies beautiful Sudeley Castle. Its mere mention evokes images of Henry VIII’s sixth wife, Katherine Parr, who lived through joy and despair within its rooms, which still pulse with the energy of Tudor personalities and intrigues of the past. Lady Jane Grey and Thomas Seymour are among those who’ve called Sudeley home, and Queen Anne Boleyn once roamed its enchanting grounds.

On Wednesday, 21 July 1535, Anne and Henry made the fourteen-mile journey from Langley to Winchcombe in Gloucestershire. There, they lodged at Sudeley Castle with their immediate retinue while the rest of the court stayed at nearby Winchcombe Abbey.

Cromwell Joins the Progress, and the Visitations Begin

Thomas Cromwell joined the court on or near 23 July, and while staying at the Benedictine abbey, he began the process that would eventually lead to the destruction of England’s monasteries.

While under the abbey roof, he met with his agents, known as ‘visitors’, and briefed them on the new injunctions —created in consultation with the King­— that were to be issued to the monks after each abbey inspection. From Winchcombe, Cromwell’s agents fanned out and ‘visited’ several monastic houses while Anne’s disapproving gaze fell on a nearby religious house called Hailes Abbey.

An aerial view of Sudeley Castle showing the beautiful surrounding Cotswold countryside. The image is with the kind permission of Sudeley Castle & Gardens.

According to Anne’s chaplain, William Latymer, the queen, like her husband, fully supported the new campaign. One of the injunctions prohibited the display of ‘relics or feigned miracles’. While staying at Sudeley, she sent her chaplains, Latymer and probably John Hilsey, to the nearby abbey, which lay only two miles to the north-east of Winchcombe. Their mission was to investigate a renowned relic of the Holy Blood of Christ that had transformed the abbey into one of the most popular places of pilgrimage in late medieval England. According to Latymer, Anne:

…mistrusting that which afterwards she approved to be trew, sente thither certeyn of her chappellayns and others, straightly commaunding them truely and faythfully to vewe, searche and examyn by all possible meanes the trueth of this abominable abuse.

What her chaplains reported was that the famous phial said to contain the blood of Christ ‘was nothing els but the bloode of some ducke, or as some saye, red waxe.’ Anne is reported to have gone directly to Henry and requested that the relic be removed, which Latymer claimed it was, although it seems that he was either mistaken or this was only a temporary removal, as it was again at Hailes in 1538. This time, it was found to contain not duck’s blood, as noted by Anne’s chaplain, but rather a gum-like substance.

Apart from sending their representatives, Henry and Anne planned to visit the abbey, although it’s uncertain whether this visit ever took place.

The Tudor Layout of Sudeley Castle

Today’s castle is mostly Elizabethan, built in the late sixteenth century by Baron Chandos and partially restored by the Dent family in the mid-nineteenth century. However, the castle as Anne knew it had been constructed in the mid-fifteenth century by Ralph, Baron Boteler, and in the 1470s by Richard, Duke of Gloucester.

Boteler built a large, double courtyard residence between 1441 and 1458. It was constructed from local, honey-coloured Cotswold Stone. In the early 1460s, he added a private chapel outside the castle’s moat, the shell of which survives today. The detached chapel was connected to the main building via a covered gallery extending from the south side of the church. 

The castle was approached through a gatehouse in the north, initially protected by a moat and drawbridge. The outer court of lodgings and perhaps offices gave way to an inner court, accessed via an internal gatehouse. On the opposite side stood a grand banqueting hall flanked by square residential towers, one of which survives today. The west range of the inner court housed the kitchens, services and offices, while the opposite east range probably housed the living quarters.

The two courts were initially separated by a cross range that no longer exists; however, the two towers that once stood at either end of the range still stand, albeit in a restored state.  

Sudeley Castle ruins and part of the ruined east range – once home to the Sudeley Castle’s privy apartments and used by Katherine Parr. Notice the magnificent first-floor lodgings. Image: Author’s own

Part of Boteler’s outer court, namely the gatehouse and a segment of the outer wall, a section of his inner court, a barn, now in ruins, and the chapel, are all that survive this first phase of construction.

The three ranges that line the outer court today were almost entirely rebuilt in 1572. It seems that the more lavish apartments, where Anne likely stayed, were in the now ruined east range of the inner court. This is thought to have been built by Boteler’s successor, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, to replace the original residential range.

Gloucester’s lavish east range overlooked formal gardens and consisted of a suite of three apartments on the ground floor and first floor, both similar in plan. The rooms were lit by a sequence of magnificent windows glazed with stained glass and warmed by elaborately decorated fireplaces. It is in these sunlit rooms, decorated with fine tapestries and ornate ceilings, that we can imagine Anne spending her time. The long summer evenings would have provided ample opportunity for Anne to walk with her ladies in the formal gardens. Today, the Queens’ Garden occupies the site of the original Tudor parterre.   

The now ruined east range, draped with clematis and roses, is a truly magical place, and you would certainly be forgiven for thinking that Anne might emerge from the ruins at any moment. Sudeley Castle exudes a sense of timelessness that is rarely felt elsewhere. Within its idyllic grounds, its past inhabitants appear almost tangible as the present fades to reveal an intriguing past.

Authors’ Favourites

Sudeley is one of our favourite places in the world because of its serene and magical atmosphere and the many Tudor treasures housed there. To make the most of your day at Sudeley, begin at the Visitor Centre adjacent to the car park and make your way to the ruins of the fifteenth-century tithe barn built by Boteler. The barn is now home to a romantic garden abundant with wild roses, hydrangeas, and wisterias. Breathe in the beautiful scents as you take in the stunning view of the castle.

From here, follow the path to the entrance to the exhibitions in the original fifteenth-century west wing of the castle to learn more about Sudeley’s past residents, in particular Katherine Parr, who, after the death of Henry VIII, lived at Sudeley with her new husband, Thomas Seymour.

Be sure to visit the exhibition space, which houses replica Tudor costumes from David Starkey’s television series, The Six Wives of Henry VIII. The Katherine Parr Exhibition is also a must-see, as it offers a unique opportunity to see personal items belonging to Henry’s sixth queen, like a prayer book, letters and even a lock of her strawberry-blonde hair!

You will also be able to visit rooms that are part of the outer courtyard but include one small closet, decorated lavishly to simulate the kind of luxury its high-status Tudor owners might have enjoyed at Sudeley. However, I am sceptical that this was ever Katherine’s closet, as I believe her private apartments were more likely to be found in a tower block adjacent to the presence and privy chamber which, sadly, no longer survives.

A close-up of the tomb of Katherine Parr. Image: Author’s own; Inside the restored chapel where Katherine Parr is buried, Image courtesy of C.J. Haldeman; Entrance to St. Mary’s Church at Sudeley Castle where Katherine Parr is buried.

Of course, a visit to St Mary’s Chapel is a must.; this was standing at the time of Anne’s visit. Although the church was left in ruins after the Civil War and restored in the nineteenth century, it retains much of its original shell. The church is best known for being the final resting place of Katherine Parr, who died at Sudeley in September 1548 after complications following the birth of her daughter, Mary. The church’s interior, including Katherine’s grand tomb, is Victorian.

Be sure to leave yourself sufficient time to explore the medieval ruins and lose yourself in the numerous stunning gardens, including the Tudor physic garden. We guarantee that Sudeley will remain in your thoughts long after the visit has ended.

To listen to the podcast episode associated with this blog, click here.

THE NEXT STOP ON THE 1535 PROGRESS IS TEWKESBURY ABBEY: CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE.

Visitor Information

For information on how to reach Sudeley Castle and its opening hours, which are seasonal, visit Sudeley Castle’s website here.