Devizes Castle for sale: historic gem in Wiltshire with a grand royal history is for sale for £3.25m

The historic nine-bedroom pile has overlooked the town of Devizes since the 11th century.

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Aneira Davies28 August 2019

A castle that was owned by generations of royals including Henry VIII and his Spanish queen, Catherine of Aragon, is for sale in Wiltshire.

Devizes Castle, in royal ownership for 500 years, was fought over by King Stephen and Empress Matilda during the 12th century. Now the principal part of the Grade I-listed building could be yours for £3.25 million.

Used as a prison by Henry II and Henry III, the castle was traditionally the property of the Queens of England and has been visited by many royals throughout its history, including King John and Edward I.

Perhaps most impressive of all, Devizes Castle was once owned by Henry VIII and was given to the first of his six wives, Catherine of Aragon, when they married, but taken back after their divorce.

The castle occupies a dramatic position just outside Devizes, and is understood to have given the market town its name. The turreted building overlooks rolling countryside to one side and landscaped gardens to the other.

Built in the 11th century by Bishop Osmund of Salisbury, Devizes Castle takes its name from the Latin for “the castle at the boundaries”, since it stood centrally between three manors in the area.

Now only one tower remains of the original castle - the rest of the building having been destroyed during the Civil War when Oliver Cromwell’s troops invaded. The current castle, which dates back to the 1830s, was built around the surviving tower. Its impressive Georgian-style proportions, castellations and turrets are a stark contrast to recently added contemporary interiors.

Historic detailing meets modern design at Devizes Castle

The nine-bedroom, six-bathroom property boasts circular rooms. Guests are greeted by a pair of throne-style chairs in the grand stone entrance hall, while upstairs, a lengthy gallery-style hallway leads to a library featuring bookcase-lined walls and stone-mullioned windows, plus a separate dining room with long dining table.

At the other end of the long hallway is a spacious drawing room with oak flooring and a grand fireplace. This room also has a striking panelled ceiling decorated with carved and gilded bosses.

The fernery, a curved room with windows overlooking the vast gardens

A door leads from the drawing room to a curved fernery, with windows all around, intricate ceiling, stone walls and flagstone tiles on the floor. The fernery has its own kitchen and doors leading out to the gardens. A small turreted room with stairs up to the third floor and a compact bedroom completes this level.

A further eight bedrooms are spread across the second and third floors, including two bedrooms in one of the turrets.

Two master bedrooms can be found on the second floor, one of which has its own chapel and en suite bathroom, while the other has its own dressing room and large bathroom with twin baths.

Listed with Savills, agent for the property George Nares says Devizes Castle could attract a number of buyers, including international interest. “In England, you have very few properties that come to market that have the historical connection,” he says. “There’s a fun element to that, but the castle also has a family element to it.”

Close to both Bristol and Swindon, direct trains to London from nearby Pewsey and Chippenham take about an hour. Devizes Castle is also close to excellent schools.

Devizes Castle is on the market for £3.25m. Through Savills.