Castle Hotel, Taunton

Last updated

Castle Hotel
Castle Hotel, Taunton.JPG
Castle Hotel
Somerset UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location within Somerset
General information
Town or city Taunton
Country England
Coordinates 51°00′55″N3°06′14″W / 51.0152°N 3.1038°W / 51.0152; -3.1038 Coordinates: 51°00′55″N3°06′14″W / 51.0152°N 3.1038°W / 51.0152; -3.1038
Completed18th century

The Castle Hotel at Taunton is a hotel with two restaurants, Castle Bow Restaurant and BRAZZ, located in the centre of Taunton, Somerset, England. The business is located in a Grade II listed 18th-century reconstruction of the former 12th-century Norman fortress, Taunton Castle.

Contents

Building

In 1685 the Duke of Monmouth used Taunton Castle as a base before his troop's defeat by King James II at Sedgemoor. Judge Jeffreys then held his Bloody Assizes in the Great Hall of the Castle.

The main building today, which was at one time known as Clarke's Hotel, was built in the late 18th century, and is Grade II listed. [1] The building was then added in the 20th century, with a top floor addition.

The building incorporates Castle Bow a Grade I listed building which originally formed the east gate to the Castle precincts. It still has 13th century chamfered arches, and corner buttresses with setoffs. [2]

Hotel and restaurant

The Chapman family have been running the hotel for more than 70 years. Catering is available in the hotel's signature restaurant, Castle Bow Restaurant and in BRAZZ brasserie. Head Chefs have included Christopher Oakes, Gary Rhodes, Phil Vickery. [3] and Richard Guest. While Christopher Oakes was head chef the restaurant gained a Michelin star, but this was lost in 2008. [4] The current head chef is Andrew Swann. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

Taunton County town of Somerset, England

Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the Bishops of Winchester. Parts of the inner ward house were turned into the Museum of Somerset and Somerset Military Museum. For the Second Cornish uprising of 1497, Perkin Warbeck brought an army of 6,000; most surrendered to Henry VII on 4 October 1497. On 20 June 1685 the Duke of Monmouth crowned himself King of England here in a rebellion defeated at the Battle of Sedgemoor. Judge Jeffreys led the Bloody Assizes in the Castle's Great Hall. The Grand Western Canal reached Taunton in 1839 and the Bristol and Exeter Railway in 1842. Today it hosts Musgrove Park Hospital, Somerset County Cricket Club, is the base of 40 Commando, Royal Marines, and is home to T he United Kingdom Hydrographic Office on Admiralty Way. The popular Taunton flower show has been held in Vivary Park since 1866, and on 13 March 2022, St Mary Magdalene parish church was elevated to the status of Taunton Minster.

Dunster Human settlement in England

Dunster is a village, civil parish and former manor within the English county of Somerset, today just within the north-eastern boundary of the Exmoor National Park. It lies on the Bristol Channel coast 2.5 miles (4 km) south-southeast of Minehead and 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Taunton. The United Kingdom Census of 2011 recorded a parish population of 817.

Farleigh Hungerford is a village within the civil parish of Norton St Philip in the Mendip district, in Somerset, England, 9 miles southeast of Bath, 3½ miles west of Trowbridge on A366, between Trowbridge and Radstock in the valley of the River Frome.

Bishops Hull Human settlement in England

Bishop's Hull is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated in the western suburbs of Taunton in the Somerset West and Taunton district. It includes the areas of Rumwell, Rumwell Park, Roughmoor and Longaller and is close to the River Tone. The parish, which includes the hamlet of Netherclay, has a population of 2,975 in total.

Brockley, Somerset Human settlement in England

Brockley is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. The parish is within the unitary authority of North Somerset, about 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Nailsea, and includes the village of Chelvey. According to the 2011 census it had a population of 277.

Wick St. Lawrence Human settlement in England

Wick St. Lawrence is a civil parish and village in Somerset, England. It falls within the unitary authority of North Somerset. The population of the parish, which includes Bourton, Icelton and Ebdon, in the 2011 census was 1,331.

Wookey Hole Human settlement in England

Wookey Hole is a village in Somerset, England. It is the location of the Wookey Hole show caves.

Grade I listed buildings in Somerset Buildings of exceptional interest in Somerset

The Grade I listed buildings in Somerset, England, demonstrate the history and diversity of its architecture. The ceremonial county of Somerset consists of a non-metropolitan county, administered by Somerset County Council, which is divided into five districts, and two unitary authorities. The districts of Somerset are West Somerset, South Somerset, Taunton Deane, Mendip and Sedgemoor. The two administratively independent unitary authorities, which were established on 1 April 1996 following the breakup of the county of Avon, are North Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset. These unitary authorities include areas that were once part of Somerset before the creation of Avon in 1974.

Taunton Deane is a local government district with borough status in the English county of Somerset. In the United Kingdom, the term listed building refers to a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural, historical or cultural significance; Grade I structures are those considered to be "buildings of exceptional interest". Listing was begun by a provision in the Town and Country Planning Act 1947. Once listed, severe restrictions are imposed on the modifications allowed to a building's structure or its fittings. In England, the authority for listing under the Planning Act 1990 rests with Historic England, a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport; local authorities have a responsibility to regulate and enforce the planning regulations.

St Augustines Church, West Monkton Church in Somerset, England

The Church of St Augustine in West Monkton, Somerset, England, dates from the 13th century and has been designated as a Grade I listed building.

St Michaels Church, Creech St Michael Church in Somerset, England

The Church of St Michael, which stands next to the River Tone in Creech St Michael, Somerset, England dates from the 13th century and has been designated as a Grade I listed building.

St Georges Church, Ruishton Church in Somerset, England

The Church of St George in Ruishton, Somerset, England was built in the 14th to 16th centuries and has been designated as a grade I listed building.

Cothelstone Manor

Cothelstone Manor in Cothelstone, Somerset, England was built in the mid-16th century, largely demolished by the parliamentary troops in 1646 and rebuilt by E.J. Esdaile in 1855–56.

No 18, Fore Street, Taunton

No 18, Fore Street, Taunton, Somerset, England, has a colourwashed Victorian front, to an earlier building. It has been designated as a Grade II* listed building for the interiors. The interior has enriched plaster ceilings and friezes, one of which is dated 1627.

Luttrell Arms

The Luttrell Arms in Dunster, Somerset, England was built in the late 15th century and is located in the centre of the medieval town of Dunster. The building has been designated as a Grade II* listed building since 22 May 1969. The original building has been enlarged over the years by addition of further wings. It is now used as a hotel.

The Chester Grosvenor Hotel

The Chester Grosvenor Hotel is a hotel in Chester, Cheshire, England. The Grade II listed building was built between 1863 and 1865 and is owned by the Duke of Westminster. The long-standing establishment features an on-site restaurant that was previously awarded a Michelin star since 1990, however the restaurant failed to retain it's Michelin Star in 2022's Michelin Guide following an extended period of closure due to COVID-19 and the departure of executive chef Simon Radley

River Avill River in Somerset, England

The River Avill is a small river on Exmoor in Somerset, England.

Somerset Cricket Museum

Somerset Cricket Museum in Taunton, Somerset, England, is a small museum housing exhibits on the history of cricket with a particular emphasis on the history of Somerset County Cricket Club.

Fitzhead Court and The Manor

Fitzhead Court and The Manor in Fitzhead, Somerset, England was built in the late 16th century and has now been split into two buildings. It is a Grade II* listed building.

References

  1. "Castle Hotel". historicengland.org.uk. English Heritage. Retrieved 1 May 2009.
  2. "Castle Bow". historicengland.org.uk. English Heritage. Retrieved 1 May 2009.
  3. Wells, John (27 March 1994). "EATING OUT / Fortress of new English food: The Castle Hotel, Taunton, Somerset". The Independent. Retrieved 6 September 2009.
  4. 1 2 "Morning Coffee with Richard Guest". Somerset Food. Archived from the original on 27 November 2010. Retrieved 28 May 2010.