Historic Houses

Like all of England, the Cotswolds is an area rich in history with heritage reaching back over thousands of years. Let us guide you around the magnificent English countryside taking in the cream of the Cotswold’s superb castles and historic houses.

Tour highlights can include:

Three of the Cotswold’s finest castles
Stay in exclusive luxury accommodation
One of the Cotswold’s most historic towns
A grand house steeped in Civil War history

What's included...

Day 1 - Warwick Castle

Warwick Castle is one of the most impressive medieval castles in the country whose foundations date all the way back to William the Conqueror in 1068. On a VIP tour we will discover the secrets and stories from 1100 years of history as we venture deep behind the scenes with an expert guide who will take us to areas which remain closed to the public. Our visit to Warwick Castle will continue after sunset as we spend the night in one of the castle’s luxury tower suites.

Day 2 - Tewkesbury Heritage

Tewkesbury is a fascinating medieval market town with a lovely riverside location. We’ll start our day here by visiting the Tewkesbury Town Museum to learn about the town’s extraordinary history. The museum is housed in an unspoilt 17th century building and houses collections from Roman artefacts right up to the Second World War. In the afternoon we’ll visit Tewkesbury Abbey which is world-renowned for being one of the UK’s greatest examples of medieval architecture. Its striking Norman tower, one of the largest and finest Romanesque towers in the country, has dominated the Tewkesbury skyline for nearly 900 years.

Day 3 - Berkeley Castle

This castle has been home to the Berkeley family for eight and a half centuries and is probably the oldest lived-in castle in the country. This beautiful Norman keep contains several fine medieval rooms including a Great Hall and Dining Room where magnificent family portraits and other paintings and tapestries are on display. Berkeley has a sensational history; visitors can enter the King’s Room where Edward II was held prisoner and cruelly murdered in 1327. The Castle is surrounded by 8 acres of grounds, including the Elizabethan terraces and bowling lawn, the 8th Earl’s swimming pool now an ornamental lily pond with fountain, sweeping lawns, the old tennis court and the woodland grove, all of which can be explored at your leisure. An added attraction is the estate’s tropical butterfly house.

Day 4 - Chavenage House

Chavenage House is an Elizabethan era manor built in Cotswolds stone which has many associations with the English Civil War and is regularly used as a filming location for BBC period dramas such as Poldark, Tess of the D'Urbervilles, and Lark Rise to Candleford. We will take an intimate tour of the house given by the current owner, David Lowsley-Williams, who may tell us about the ghosts who allegedly stalk the corridors. As well as hearing ghost stories on our tour we will also get to see the rooms where Oliver Cromwell and his General, Ireton, stayed in 1648. After learning about Chavenage’s astonishing history, you can relax in the grounds and escape into the peaceful surroundings of a Cotswold manor which has remained virtually unchanged for 400 years.

Day 5 - Sudeley Castle

Located in the heart of the Cotswolds, Sudeley Castle & Gardens has played an important role in England’s history for over 1,000 years. The castle’s stunning exterior is matched by its rooms which are richly decorated and full of fascinating objects. Outside, the castle is surrounded by a breath-taking 1,200 acre estate and ten award-winning gardens. The centrepiece is the Queens Garden, so named because four of England’s queens – Anne Boleyn, Katherine Parr, Lady Jane Grey and Elizabeth I – once walked upon the original Tudor Parterre. Sudeley Castle & Gardens is also the only private castle in England to have a queen buried within its grounds – Katherine Parr, the last of Henry VIII’s six wives and today visitors can explore the beautiful 15th century church where she lies entombed. There is no better way to end our historic journey around the Cotswolds than with this truly magnificent castle.