Farleigh Hungerford Castle lies in a rural area in Somerset that is just 9 miles from Bath. The site is currently cared for by the English Heritage and admission fees do apply (Car Park is free).
The site has informative notice boards and you take a free audio tour of the grounds which we found very useful and gave an intriguing taste of both the castle and its owners history (at times murderous and gruesome past!).
Sir Thomas Hungerford built Farleigh Hungerford Castle in a quadrangular design in the late 14th century after he was elected the first formally recorded Speaker of the House of Commons. The Castle remained in the Hungerford family until Sir Edward Hungerford IV (1632-1711), due to his extravagant lifestyle he was forced to sell the castle to pay his debts in 1686. Click here to read more on Farleigh Hungerford Castle’s history.
The castle is now in ruins, inside the inner court most of the castle buildings foundations remain, along with the shells of the south-west and south-east towers.
The site also offers a crypt, Chapel and Priest’s House to explore along with river views. The Priest’s House is filled with further information on the Castle and a model reconstruction of how the Castle once looked. The Chapel is intact with wonderful stained glass windows and the tomb’s of the early Hungerford family. Beneath the Chapel lies a crypt with human shaped coffins, very creepy!
The majority of the castle ruins are now stone earthworks but the information on the Castle’s intriguing history and layout and the audio tour really helped to bring to life how the castle once was. We spent approximately 1.5 hours exploring and thoroughly enjoyed our visit.
Postcode BA2 7RS
Click below to explore Farleigh Hungerford with us and discover the history.
Thx