Elizabeth Lady Ashcombe and her two children Henry and Molly have a deep appreciation for fine art and antiques, with Sudeley Castle & Gardens being their family place of residence for many years now. Elizabeth, Lady Ashcombe has decided to find “new homes” for a small chosen selection from her private collection of treasures, some of which belonged to her late husband Lord Ashcombe, descendant of the the architect Thomas Cubitt.
Sudeley Castle is a grade I listed building in the Cotswolds near Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, England. Sudeley Castle is the most popular tourist destination in the Cotswolds. The building of the castle began in 1443 for Ralph Boteler; the Lord High Treasurer of England. It was later seized by the crown and became the property of King Edward IV and King Richard III, who built its famous banqueting hall. King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn visited the castle in 1535, and later became the home and final resting place of Queen Catherine Parr. Sudeley Castle remains the only private castle in England to have a queen buried within the grounds.
During the First English Civil War, King Charles I found refuge at the castle, when his nephew Prince Rupert established military headquarters there. The castle was later besieged and slighted by parliament at the end of the Civil War, and lay neglected and derelict for nearly 200 years.
In 1837, Sudeley Castle was rescued by the wealthy Worcester glove-makers, brothers John and William Dent, who began an ambitious restoration programme, which was continued by their nephew, John Coucher Dent, when he inherited the castle in 1855. His wife, Emma Brocklehurst, threw herself enthusiastically into Sudeley’s restoration, at the same time forging strong links with the nearby town of Winchcombe. It is the results of Emma’s dedication that are so evident in the gardens and exhibitions at Sudeley today.
Sudeley Castle & Gardens is now the home of Elizabeth, Lady Ashcombe, and her son, daughter and their families. The family is committed to the continued preservation of the castle, its treasures and the ongoing restoration and regeneration of the gardens.
