Exclusive-use castle
Bickleigh Castle
Bickleigh, near Tiverton, Devon
Level 2 Castle Estate StayLevel 2: a Norman castle site with a Grade I listed gatehouse. Guests sleep in cottages and thatched buildings on the estate, not inside the historic fortifications.
Rooms outside the historic walls
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Bickleigh Castle is a castle estate stay near Tiverton, Devon, built on the site of a Norman motte and bailey with a Grade I listed 12th-century gatehouse. Guests sleep in cottages and thatched buildings on the estate rather than inside the historic gatehouse, Old Court or chapel, which are used for tours, weddings and events. It suits wedding parties and groups booking the whole estate rather than individual rooms.
Quick facts
- Castle Authenticity Scale
- Level 2: Castle Estate Stay
- Where you sleep
- Rooms outside the historic walls
- Built
- Norman motte and bailey from around 1080, with a 15th-century fortified manor house added by the Courtenay family
- Architecture
- Norman castle remains, a Grade I listed early 12th-century gatehouse, and a chapel with Saxon origins
- Heritage status
- Grade I listed gatehouse, Grade II* listed chapel and Old Court, Grade II listed North Range
- Rooms
- 18
- Sleeps
- 40
- Bedrooms
- 18
- Catering
- Self-catered, part-catered or fully-catered
- Dogs
- Listed as allowed on Booking.com; check the rules
- Weddings
- Yes (hotel website)
- Exclusive use
- Yes (hotel website)
- Listed on Booking.com
- Parking, Free wifi, Kitchen
- Last checked
- September 2026
The story
The story of Bickleigh Castle
Bickleigh Castle stands on the site of a Norman motte and bailey raised around 1080, according to the castle's own history page and the Historic England listing record for its buildings. The De Redvers family held it from the 1080s, followed by the Courtenays from 1292, who remodelled it into a fortified manor house in the 15th century under Lord Thomas and Lady Margaret Carew.
In 1646, Parliamentarian troops under Sir Thomas Fairfax attacked and slighted the castle, destroying the main manor house and inner keep, and an Act of Parliament then blocked its rebuilding. What survives today includes a gatehouse (Grade I listed, designated 1987), the Old Court, a Grade II listed North Range, and a chapel with origins the castle's own site traces to around AD 600, restored in 1929 and reconsecrated in 1933.
Later owners included the Carew family until 1924, followed by the Henson, Berkeley-Owen and Boxall families, with the current owners since 2002. Historic England's listing notes that Queen Henrietta Maria stayed at the castle in 1644 during the English Civil War, and that her daughter, Princess Henrietta Anne Stuart, was born there.
The sleep
Rooms at Bickleigh Castle
The estate's own website describes guest accommodation as bed and breakfast and self-catering stays in renovated cottages and thatched buildings on the grounds, overlooking the courtyard and the historic castle rather than inside it. In total the estate offers 18 bedrooms and suites, sleeping up to 40 people, which can be booked together for exclusive-use house parties and weddings.
Anyone wanting to sleep inside the Grade I listed gatehouse or the medieval Old Court should note that these historic buildings are used for tours, ceremonies and events rather than as guest bedrooms, based on the castle's own site.
The table
Eating at Bickleigh Castle
Catering for groups can be self-catered, part-catered or fully-catered, according to the estate's own site. Wedding breakfasts and receptions are offered with a customisable menu, and the Great Hall and chapel both host ceremonies.
The grounds
Around Bickleigh Castle
The estate sits on the River Exe near Bickleigh, about 20 minutes from the M5 and close to Tiverton Parkway and Exeter St Davids stations, according to its own website. Grounds include the chapel, the Old Court, a Great Hall with a minstrels' gallery, and the remains of the Norman castle defences.
What we'd flag
What we'd flag
- Guest bedrooms are in cottages and thatched buildings on the estate, not inside the historic gatehouse or Old Court. If you want to see the medieval buildings, that comes through touring or holding an event there rather than sleeping in them.
- The estate is usually booked as a whole, for weddings or group house parties, rather than by the individual room.
Who it's for
Who Bickleigh Castle suits
Bickleigh Castle suits wedding parties and groups of up to 40 who want to hire an entire historic estate, including a medieval gatehouse and chapel, for a private event. It is not well suited to a couple wanting a single hotel room inside a castle, since accommodation is in cottages on the grounds and the property is typically booked in full.
Where Bickleigh Castle is.
Map tiles from OpenStreetMap.
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Bickleigh Castle: questions
Is Bickleigh Castle a real castle?
Yes. It began as a Norman motte and bailey around 1080, and its gatehouse, dating from the early 12th century, is Grade I listed. Most of the medieval manor house was destroyed in 1646, and today guests sleep in cottages on the estate rather than inside the surviving historic buildings.
Do guests sleep inside Bickleigh Castle itself?
No. According to the estate's own website, overnight accommodation is in renovated cottages and thatched buildings on the grounds. The historic gatehouse, Old Court and chapel are used for tours, weddings and events rather than as bedrooms.
Can you get married at Bickleigh Castle?
Yes. Civil ceremonies can be held in the Great Hall for up to 120 guests or outdoors by the River Exe, and the estate's Saxon-origin chapel is also used for blessings and ceremonies, according to the estate's own site.
How many people does Bickleigh Castle sleep?
The estate has 18 bedrooms and suites across its cottages and thatched buildings, sleeping up to 40 people, according to its own website, and is typically booked as a whole for weddings or group stays.
Sources and checks
Last checked: September 2026. We checked these sources for this page. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
- en.wikipedia.org: listed building grades and designation dates, Civil War history, ownership timeline (used alongside the castle's own history page, which confirms the same broad outline)
- bickleighcastle.com: Saxon chapel origins, Norman fortress date, ownership families, Civil War slighting, chapel restoration dates
- bickleighcastle.com: 18 bedrooms, sleeps 40, weddings, Great Hall capacity, location
- bickleighcastle.com: cottages and thatched buildings as guest accommodation, catering options