Farleigh Hungerford Castle

A ruin with a long family story

Farleigh Hungerford Castle stands a few miles from Bath, above the River Frome. English Heritage runs it, and it was the home of the Hungerford family for more than 300 years. Sir Thomas Hungerford, recorded as England’s first Speaker of the House of Commons, founded it in the 1370s. His son Walter, who fought at Agincourt, expanded it with an outer court.

English Heritage says the castle witnessed wealth, ambition, scandal and even murder. Two corner towers survive from the original quadrangular castle.

The chapel and the crypt

The chapel is the main reason to come. Walter Hungerford enclosed the former parish church as the castle chapel, and it still has medieval wall paintings and family monuments. Below it is a crypt of lead coffins, some of them with human-shaped faces, which English Heritage describes as rare.

The Priests’ House and the audio tour

Displays in the Priests’ House cover the Hungerfords’ story, with artefacts found on site and some suits of armour. The audio tour is included with admission. There is also a reading room with a book box, activity sheets and a bow and arrow with targets in front of the shop, all aimed at younger visitors.

Practical details

The grounds are mostly lawn, with a Walled Garden and a Chapel Garden planted for the seasons. You can picnic in the Walled Garden, the outer moat or on the lawn. There is a shop, and toilets with baby changing. For food and drink, a vending machine sells hot and cold drinks and snacks, and local pubs and shops are nearby.

Opening days and times vary, so check the English Heritage castle page before you set off. English Heritage lists Nunney Castle as its nearest other site, if you want a second ruin on the same day. For a castle that became a family home, see Dunster Castle, where the Luttrell family lived for around 600 years.