The Castle Hotel at Taunton is a

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

with two

restaurant A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...

s, Castle Bow Restaurant and BRAZZ, located in the centre of

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lor ...

, England. The business is located in a Grade II

listed Listed may refer to: * Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm * Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic * Endangered species in biology * Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...

18th-century reconstruction of the former 12th-century Norman fortress, Taunton Castle.

Building

In 1685 the

Duke of Monmouth Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranke ...

used Taunton Castle as a base before his troop's defeat by King James II at

Sedgemoor Sedgemoor is a low-lying area of land in Somerset, England. It lies close to sea level south of the Polden Hills, historically largely marsh (or "moor" in its older sense). The eastern part is known as King's Sedgemoor, and the western part We ...

. Judge Jeffreys then held his

Bloody Assizes The Bloody Assizes were a series of trials started at Winchester on 25 August 1685 in the aftermath of the Battle of Sedgemoor, which ended the Monmouth Rebellion in England. History There were five judges: Sir William Montague (Lord Chief Bar ...

in the Great Hall of the Castle. The main building today, which was at one time known as Clarke's Hotel, was built in the late 18th century, and is Grade II listed. The building was then added in the 20th century, with a top floor addition. The building incorporates Castle Bow a Grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

which originally formed the east gate to the Castle precincts. It still has 13th century chamfered arches, and corner buttresses with setoffs.

Hotel and restaurant

The Chapman family have been running the hotel for more than 70 years. Catering is available in the hotel's signature restaurant, Castle Bow Restaurant and in BRAZZ

brasserie In France, Flanders, and the Francophone world, a brasserie () is a type of French restaurant with a relaxed setting, which serves single dishes and other meals. The word ''brasserie'' is also French for "brewery" and, by extension, "the br ...

Head Chef A chef de cuisine (, French for ''head of kitchen'') or head chef is a chef that leads and manages the kitchen and chefs of a restaurant or hotel. A chef patron (feminine form ''chef patronne'') (French for ''boss chef'') or executive chef i ...

s have included Christopher Oakes,

Gary Rhodes Gary Rhodes (22 April 1960 – 26 November 2019) was an English restaurateur and television chef, known for his love of English cuisine and ingredients and for his distinctive spiked hair style. He fronted shows such as ''MasterChef'', '' Mas ...

, Phil Vickery. and Richard Guest. While Christopher Oakes was head chef the restaurant gained a

Michelin star The Michelin Guides ( ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The acquisition or loss of a ...

, but this was lost in 2008. The current head chef is Andrew Swann.

References

{{reflist

External links

The Castle Hotel website

Taunton Literary Festival 2013: Q&A with best-selling science writer, Marcus Chown

Houses completed in the 13th century Houses completed in the 18th century Buildings and structures in Taunton Hotels in Somerset Restaurants in Somerset Grade I listed buildings in Taunton Deane Grade II listed buildings in Taunton Deane Grade I listed castles Grade II listed hotels

Building

Hotel and restaurant

See also

References

External links