thumb|right|Thornbury Castle, west front

Thornbury Castle is a Tudor castle in the town of Thornbury, in Gloucestershire, England, erected next to the parish church of St Mary. Construction was begun in 1511 as a further residence for Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham (1478–1521), of Stafford Castle in Staffordshire. It is not a true military fortress but rather an early example of a Tudor country house, with minimal defensive attributes.

As at Richmond Palace in Surrey, the main ranges of Thornbury framed courts, of which the symmetrical entrance range, with central gatehouse and octagonal corner towers, survives, together with two less regular side ranges with many irregular projecting features and towers. It is now a Grade I listed building and MasterChef New Zealand judge Simon Gault early in their culinary careers.

The property had been a member of the Relais & Châteaux association since November 2021.

Locomotive

There was a GWR Castle class 4-6-0 locomotive in preservation named 7027 Thornbury Castle. In August 2022 the future of Thornbury Castle was called into question when the Great Western Society's 4709 Group bought the locomotive with the intention of donating the boiler to its project to re-create a GWR 4700 Class. Thornbury Castle's chassis and other components were to be used to recreate a GWR Star class locomotive.

Images

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|thumb|The Castle seen from the top of St Mary's Church tower

|thumb|Detail of Castle chimneys

|thumb|Thornbury Castle chimney detail, brickwork built in 1514

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See also

  • Castles in Great Britain and Ireland
  • List of castles in England

References

  • Stephen Edgar's furniture and interiors at Thornbury Castle, archived in 2014