Just over an hour’s drive from central Bristol, Sudeley Castle and Gardens is a Cotswold gem all year round but a new immersive 'bird song garden' makes it even more of a must-visit this summer. Created by acoustic ecologist and conservationist Cosmo Sheldrake, the new attraction is open until October 31.
It sits alongside the already popular Sudeley Sculpture Safari, a trail of almost 30 naturally-made, life-size animal sculptures that celebrates conservation and peaceful coexistence with nature. For the bird song garden, visitors to the castle enter a dedicated safari-style hut within a brand-new garden.
They then experience a beautiful musical composition featuring birds native to Sudeley, including owls, robins, blackbirds and waterfowl in a full-fledged dawn chorus.
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Sudeley Castle and Gardens is one of Gloucestershire’s most loved and top-rated historical sites. With a royal history spanning over 1,000 years, it is rated among the top attractions for ‘things to do in the Cotswolds’, and is pitched as the perfect location for a summer’s day out.
Sudeley Castle remains the only private castle in England to have a queen buried within its grounds - Queen Katherine Parr, the last and surviving wife of King Henry VIII, lived and died in the castle. Henry himself, Anne Boleyn, Lady Jane Grey, Queen Elizabeth I and Richard III have all played a part in Sudeley’s story.
King Charles I found refuge there during the Civil War, when his nephew Prince Rupert established headquarters at the Castle. 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. Several celebrity weddings have taken place at the castle including Elizabeth Hurley’s in 2007.
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