Thornbury Castle

Thornbury Castle

Thornbury Castle's chimney is dated 1514, older than the ones at Hampton Court, rising over stone walls that once sheltered Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn during a brief retreat here, before the king seized the property from its builder, Edward Stafford, whom he had convicted of treason for daring to rival his wealth. That authenticity is why production crews for 90 Day Fiancé, Ghost Hunters and Good Morning Britain have all filmed inside its 27 rooms and three floors, drawn to what the castle itself calls an atmospheric historic setting with exquisite interiors and acres of land. The hotel, a Relais & Châteaux member in Thornbury, Gloucestershire, sits a kilometre from town and twenty minutes from Bristol by car, near Thornbury Golf Centre. It is adults only, so families with children should book elsewhere, while the quiet suits couples and anyone travelling with a dog, which stays for a flat 25 pounds per stay. Dinner in the 3AA Rosette restaurant runs from 6.30pm to 8.30pm, with a six-course tasting menu drawing on produce grown in the castle's own kitchen garden and picked that morning; afternoon tea, in the tradition the Duchess of Bedford began in the 1830s, is served in the lounges daily from one until four. Rooms carry indoor fireplaces and bathrobes as standard, with bathtubs in some categories. There is a spa, archery, golf nearby, and a 24-hour desk staffed in multiple languages. What no other castle hotel nearby can claim is that Henry VIII himself walked these rooms with Anne Boleyn before taking the place by force; five centuries on, guests still sleep inside that history rather than a copy of it. Thornbury Castle's 1514 chimney predates Hampton Court's, and its walls once sheltered Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn before the king seized the place from its builder. It's adults only, Relais & Châteaux affiliated, and built around a 3AA Rosette restaurant. Dogs stay for 25 pounds.