Things to do · Winchcombe
Sudeley Castle and Gardens
A castle on the edge of Winchcombe where Katherine Parr, Henry VIII's last queen, is buried, with gardens, a Tudor history and the Dent family's home.
Family-friendly · Walker-friendly
The castle is worth the visit for one room alone: St Mary's chapel, where Katherine Parr was buried in 1548. The gardens, including the Queen's Garden replanted in 1989, make a half day of it. Note that pet dogs cannot go into the castle or grounds.
- Good: Katherine Parr's tomb in St Mary's chapel
- Good: Ten gardens, including the Queen's Garden and a knot garden
- Good: Free parking, and an adventure playground
- Good: Café open to all without a ticket, dogs welcome
- Worth knowing: No pet dogs in the castle, gardens or playground
- Worth knowing: Closed from early November to mid-March
About
Sudeley Castle stands on the edge of Winchcombe. It was built in the fifteenth century for Ralph Boteler, altered for Lord Chandos around 1572, slighted on Parliament's orders in 1649, and bought by the Dent family, glove makers from Worcester, in 1837. It is still home to Elizabeth, Lady Ashcombe and the Dent-Brocklehurst family. The castle is listed Grade I.
Katherine Parr
Katherine Parr, the last of Henry VIII's six wives, died on 5 September 1548, a week after giving birth to her daughter, and is buried in St Mary's chapel in the castle grounds. Parliamentary troops desecrated the chapel in 1643; George Gilbert Scott restored it in 1854 and 1855, and it was rededicated in 1863. Elizabeth I visited Sudeley three times.
Visiting
In 2026 the castle opened daily from 14 March to 1 November (closed 8 August), from 10am with last admission at 3pm; the castle rooms close at 4pm and the grounds at 5pm. There are ten gardens, among them the Queen's Garden, replanted in 1989, and a knot garden of 1995, as well as the ruins and an adventure playground with a picnic area beside it. Photography is welcome in the grounds, the exhibitions and the church, but not in the Castle Rooms, where the family lives. Guided walking tours of about 45 minutes leave at 11am and 1pm daily, for £5 a head on top of admission (2026). The 2027 season had not been announced when we checked.
Parking is free, and the Pavilion Café by the visitor centre needs no ticket. Pet dogs can come to the café and visitor centre but not into the castle, gardens or playground. The Cotswold Way runs past on its way up to Belas Knap, and buses run to Winchcombe from Cheltenham and Broadway.
Opening hours and season
Closed, opens Mon 9, 10:00
| Mon | Opening | House | Café |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 10:00 to 17:00 | 10:00 to 16:00 | 10:00 to 15:30 |
| Tuesday | 10:00 to 17:00 | 10:00 to 16:00 | 10:00 to 15:30 |
| Wednesday | 10:00 to 17:00 | 10:00 to 16:00 | 10:00 to 15:30 |
| Thursday | 10:00 to 17:00 | 10:00 to 16:00 | 10:00 to 15:30 |
| Friday | 10:00 to 17:00 | 10:00 to 16:00 | 10:00 to 15:30 |
| Saturday | 10:00 to 17:00 | 10:00 to 16:00 | 10:00 to 15:30 |
| Sunday | 10:00 to 17:00 | 10:00 to 16:00 | 10:00 to 15:30 |
House: Castle rooms; last admission to the site 3pm.
Café: Pavilion Café; the castle's site also gives 9.30am to 4.30pm, so check. No ticket needed.
Open daily from mid-March to the start of November (14 March to 1 November in 2026, closed 8 August). Last admission 3pm. The 2027 dates were not published when we checked.
Facilities
- Pavilion CaféIn season; the castle gives both 9.30am to 4.30pm and 10am to 3.30pm, so check. No ticket needed, dogs welcome
- No pet dogs in the castle or gardensWelcome at the visitor centre and café
- Free parkingWith disabled spaces
- Adventure playgroundCloses at 4.45pm, with a picnic area beside and within it
- Manual wheelchairsTwo to book by phone, 01242 604244
The details
- Time to allow
- Half a day
- Features
- Café · Garden or terrace · Play area · Picnic area · Parking · Guided tours · Events and meetings
- History
- Built in the 15th century for Ralph Boteler
- Parking
- Free parking, including disabled spaces. Sat nav GL54 5LP, and enter Sudeley Castle, not Studley Castle.
- Without a car
- Stagecoach W and Pulhams 606 buses run to Winchcombe from Cheltenham and Broadway; Cheltenham Spa is the nearest station. GWSR's Winchcombe station is 35 to 45 minutes' walk.
Photos
The Queen's Garden 
The ruins 
The castle by night 
A peacock in the grounds
Location
Accessibility
- Assistance dogs welcome
Two manual wheelchairs can be booked by phone (01242 604244) and collected at the visitor centre. The castle rooms and exhibition areas are not suitable for wheelchair users, but a circular route round the gardens is, though some visitors may need a companion's help. Disabled parking on site. Assistance dogs are welcome throughout.
Places to stay nearby
-
Sudeley Castle Cottages
Self-catering · Winchcombe
Nineteen holiday cottages on the Sudeley Castle estate at Winchcombe, sleeping three to fourteen, some dog-friendly, with free castle entry in season.
Dog-friendly
Verified Nov 2026
-
The White Hart Inn
Inn · Winchcombe
An inn with sixteen rooms on Winchcombe's High Street, with dog-friendly rooms and a restaurant and bar open all day to non-residents.
Dog-friendly · Wedding venues · Walker-friendly
Verified Nov 2026
-
The Lion Inn
Inn · Winchcombe
A restored fifteenth-century coaching inn on North Street, Winchcombe, with nine rooms, run by Butcombe.
Dog-friendly · Walker-friendly
Verified Oct 2026
Nearby walks, places and things to do
- Sudeley Castle Cottages
- The White Hart Inn 0.2 km away
- Winchcombe Museum 0.2 km away
- The Lion Inn 0.3 km away
Sights nearby
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Dent's Terrace, Winchcombe
Sight · Historic building · Winchcombe
A row of ten almshouses of 1865 on Abbey Terrace, Winchcombe, by Sir George Gilbert Scott and J Drayton Wyatt for John and Emma Dent of Sudeley Castle: cream, yellow and pink stone under stepped gables. Grade II.
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River Isbourne
Sight · River · Winchcombe
The River Isbourne rises at a spring on Cleeve Hill above Winchcombe and runs north past Postlip, Winchcombe, Toddington and Sedgeberrow to join the Avon at Evesham. A waymarked path of some 14 miles, the Isbourne Way, follows it.
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St Peter's Church, Winchcombe
Sight · Church · Winchcombe
St Peter's is Winchcombe's Grade I parish church, built in one campaign in about 1458 to 1468, with some 40 carved grotesques round its walls, a fan-vaulted tower and two stone coffins tied to the St Kenelm story. Usually open daily.
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Vineyard Bridge, Winchcombe
Sight · Bridge · Winchcombe
Vineyard Bridge is the single stone arch of 1891 that carries Vineyard Street over the River Isbourne in Winchcombe, the last work in the town of the architect J. Drayton Wyatt and the way to Sudeley Castle. Listed Grade II.