Skip to main content

Sudeley Castle, home of a Queen

After Scotland my friend June and I headed south to the Cotswolds for three full days of sightseeing and walking. We based ourselves in the beautiful village of Broadway and set off on our explorations from there. The first day we were there we decided to visit the neighbouring town of Winchcombe which was a short bus ride away.

Winchcombe attracts many tourists because of it's location which is on several footpaths as well as Sudeley castle which for a while, was the home of Katherine Parr who was the last wife of King Henry VIII.

We immediately headed to Sudeley Castle.  This castle was built in the 15th century and is currently known for it's fabulous gardens. First we explored the gardens and chapel and then looked at exhibitions in the castle itself.  The castle is privately owned and inhabited so we could not explore the entire place as the state apartments weren't open that day to the public. (that's okay, an excuse to go back some day!)  I throughly enjoyed our visit...here are a few highlights.

The gatehouse to Sudeley Castle
Glorious gardens of Sudeley Castle
This kid was having fun rolling down the small incline.

Scenery around Sudeley castle






Chapel where Queen Katherine Parr is laid to rest

Front view of chapel of St Mary

Katherine Parr's tomb.  She died in 1548 days after giving birth to a daughter.  Her grave was discovered in the ruins of the former chapel and reinterred in 1792.  She was then moved to this tomb in 1817. 

Close up view of the entrance

Interior - Katherine's tomb is at the front by the alter on the left. 
Thought this was a cool shot in b/w!

Ruins of the original chapel

Fantastic scenery around the castle

More of the gardens









My friend June spotted this and told me about the grapes! 








One of the many flowers in the garden



 



Sudeley castle's ownership changed constantly and upon King Henry's VIII's death it was passed to his son Edward.  Edward gave ownership to his uncle Thomas Seymour. Katherine Parr married Thomas Seymour (brother of King Henry VII'Is third wife Jane Seymour)around six months after Henry VIII died in 1547 and the next year gave birth to a daughter Mary on the 30th of August, 1548 at the castle.  Six days later she died of puerperal fever.  Baby daughter Mary was abandoned by her father (who was executed for treason six months later) and raised by a friend of Katherine's.  There is no record of Mary's life past 1550 and it's assumed she died as a very young child.  Then again....there is no evidence such as a gravestone....checking on the internet there are all kinds of theories. 

Despite living there such a short time it is said that the ghost of Katherine Parr haunts Sudeley castle and is known as "The Woman in Green".  she roams the Queen's Garden and looks out a window.

I found Sudeley a very worthwhile and interesting place to visit! 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

A walk along the coffin trail (and a couple of lakes) in the Lake District

While in the Lake District I wanted to do some light walking but not heavy duty hiking where I could easily get lost and my body not found for days partially eaten by hungry...sheep?  Anyway, you get the drift...not too grueling and safe for a solo walker.  I get a bit nervous when I am too far from civilization. There are lots of books about walking in the Lake District but they seem to be all about walking the fells in remote places...neither Thelma nor I fancied that.  While browsing in the post office/shop in Ambleside one day (if you are ever in Ambleside you must go there - a treasure!) I found a stand of walk descriptions on post cards.  And there I found my walk.  After all who could resist a stroll on the "coffin trail" in William Wordsworth country... I took a look and thought hmm...cafe along the route...that works for me. (with at least the security of knowing there was an available "loo" along the way.)  Okay, I may not have totally...

Peeing on fish or a fish out of water

Well this morning we headed off by boat to Siem Reap.  Due to the low water on the Tonie Sap Lake (more like a river until near the end of the trip when it widened considerably) the trip would be an 8 hour one... It was supposed to be boring but ended up as anything but...in no certain order...let's see.... We had a rest stop (turned out to be the only one) along the way and the loo was just a hole over the lake and there were fish circling around underneath.  Yes it was just a hole in the floor...you definitely had someone watch your stuff while you went in or one false move and your camera/purse or whatever would be in the lake.  The fish either like the warm pee coming in or they are pervs and like to see ladies parts.  We were just a few minutes out when all of a sudden there was something flying over me and jumping all over the floor - a little fish!  Guess he wanted to join the tour.  Roger reached down and scooped him up while I hooted and ...

Cowboys and Outlaws in the Big Muddy of Saskatchewan

One of the (very) few advantages of being stuck at home during this pandemic has been an opportunity to see more of my home province of Saskatchewan.  Last summer and fall not only did I do a couple of day trips with friends but I took four day tours with Engelheim transport, a local Regina company.   I have to admit my favourite day out was the "Big Muddy Valley and Outlaws" tour. While I had been to the Big Muddy previously many years back I was eager to revisit and learn more of its history.   So in early October, I hopped on board and off we went.  The bus is only booked to half capacity so it was easy to social distance, hand gel was a must each time we boarded the bus,  masks were required when you got on and off the bus and in any buildings we visited.  I felt totally safe and oh my, it was so good to have an adventure!!  Despite the name the Big Muddy isn't a big huge puddle of mud but a valley of badlands that were formed from a glac...