Farleigh Hungerford Castle

A stunning example of a medieval castle and surrounding area. The castle itself is not in a fully built state so be prepared for that. Some of the surrounding buildings are fully intact though and the history of the place and wonderful English heritage staff made it a delight to visit.

Quiet little site, well worth taking a little side trip if visiting the city of Bath.Some castle towers and the gatehouse survive to a good height, the rest of the site is clearly defined by its footprint. There is also an intact chapel within the site which is worth viewing.Pleasant views of the surrounding countryside, a nice place to relax for a little while. There are a few picnic tables scattered near the entrance but no café facility here.Allow 60-90 minutes for a good look round. A small but adequate car park is available. The ticket office is situated within a small gift shop.There is an admission charge to enter the site for those who are not English Heritage members.

Has the oldest wall painting very rare. Has an interesting crypt and some tombs in the chapel. Toilets and gift shop. They have a brilliant audio tour and signage which was very interesting. The setting is beautiful and the remaining ruins are gorgeous. Staff very friendly. We spent longer here than we expected and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Not much of the castle buildings are standing. Only two of four towers remain, and they are tall ruins. Can't blame Cromwell for this one, as the castle owners were on his side. The stones were taken by the owners to build a modern home and locals took what they could too. The chapel and the crypt are still intact, with original wall paintings in the chapel. The foundations of the castle ruins are all visible and will give you an idea just how magnificent it had been.

We were expecting just a castle ruin but found also there were other buildings to visit with exhibition of information/artefacts - and there is a loo! We used the audio tour (at no extra charge) and found it entertaining & informative and easy to use. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit.

A medieval castle, the castle was built in two phases, the inner court was constructed between 1377 and 1383 by Sir Thomas Hungerford, who made his fortune as steward to John of Gaunt. The castle was built to a quadrangular design, already slightly old-fashioned, on the site of an existing manor house overlooking the River Frome. A deer park was attached to the castle, requiring the destruction of the nearby village. Sir Thomas's son, Sir Walter Hungerford, a knight and leading courtier to Henry V, became rich during the Hundred Years War with France and extended the castle with an additional, outer court, enclosing the parish church in the process. By Walter's death in 1449, the substantial castle was richly appointed, and its chapel decorated with murals.A number of lead, anthropomorphic coffins, some with moulded faces or death masks, were laid down in the crypt in the mid- to late-17th century. Four men, two women and two children were embalmed in the castle in this way, probably including Edward and Margaret, as well as the final Sir Edward Hungerford, his wife, son and daughter-in-law. Such lead coffins were extremely expensive during the period and reserved for the wealthiest in society. Originally the lead coffins would have been encased in wood, but this outer casing has since been lost.Great with the audio tour, not a massive place, free with Cadw membership, for parking you drive through the castle, a good couple of hours.

Fantastic castle, the chapel being a particular highlight. I’d highly recommend the audio tour. Be aware that the car park is through the castle gate, you’ll then need to walk back to get tickets.

Went here on a weekend with friends. Really nice historic place that was a great experience to see. I'd recommend this for anyone in the area or looking to see castle ruins that are still in great condition

Nice place to visit. Free parking inside the castle grounds. The staff is very friendly. There is no cafe but you can buy ice creams. There are toilet facilities on site. Overall an interesting place to stop by for an hour or more.