Castle hotel
Colcombe Castle Hotel
Colyton, Devon
Level 0 Castle in Name OnlyCastle in name only: a Georgian building in the centre of Colyton. The historic Colcombe Castle stood at Colcombe Abbey Farm outside town and was largely destroyed in 1644.
Rooms outside the historic walls
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Colcombe Castle Hotel is a small hotel in the centre of Colyton, Devon, with six bedrooms. Despite its name, the building is Georgian rather than a historic castle. The medieval Colcombe Castle, built for the Courtenay family and largely destroyed during the English Civil War, stood outside the town at what is now Colcombe Abbey Farm. It suits guests who want a small, individually decorated hotel in Colyton rather than anyone expecting to sleep in a real castle.
Quick facts
- Castle Authenticity Scale
- Level 0: Castle in Name Only
- Where you sleep
- Rooms outside the historic walls
- Architecture
- Georgian building
- Rooms
- 6
- Star rating
- Three-star (Booking.com)
- Guest rating
- 9.4 out of 10 on Booking.com (September 2026)
- Restaurant
- Yes (hotel website)
- Listed on Booking.com
- Family rooms
- Last checked
- September 2026
The story
The story of Colcombe Castle Hotel
Colcombe Castle Hotel stands in the centre of Colyton, Devon, in what its own website describes as a Georgian building. It takes its name from the historic Colcombe Castle, which stood outside the town rather than on the hotel's own site.
The original Colcombe Castle was begun in the reign of Edward I by Hugh de Courtenay and later rebuilt on a grand scale by Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter, in the early 16th century, according to a historical account of the site. After Sir William Pole rebuilt the house again around 1618, it was used as a headquarters by Prince Maurice during the English Civil War and was almost completely destroyed in 1644, with only part of the kitchen and a large fireplace surviving.
The site of the original castle is now occupied by Colcombe Abbey Farm outside Colyton, where a single Grade II listed building with a mullioned window and a large fireplace is what remains. The hotel in the town centre is a separate, later building that borrowed the castle's name.
The sleep
Rooms at Colcombe Castle Hotel
The hotel's own website describes six individually designed bedrooms, grouped into Cosy, Classic and Deluxe categories, each a different shape and size.
None of the bedrooms are inside the historic Colcombe Castle, since that building stood at a separate site outside Colyton and survives only as a ruin.
The table
Eating at Colcombe Castle Hotel
The hotel has two dining venues, according to its own website: Restaurant 1685, listed in the Trencherman's Guide, and the Colcombe Castle Brasserie.
The grounds
Around Colcombe Castle Hotel
The hotel stands in the centre of Colyton in East Devon, according to its own website. The ruins of the original Colcombe Castle lie outside the town at Colcombe Abbey Farm.
What we'd flag
What we'd flag
- The hotel is not the historic Colcombe Castle. That building stood outside Colyton and was largely destroyed in 1644; only a single listed structure survives at Colcombe Abbey Farm.
Who it's for
Who Colcombe Castle Hotel suits
Colcombe Castle Hotel suits visitors who want a small, individually decorated hotel with two restaurants in Colyton town centre. It does not suit anyone specifically wanting to sleep inside a real castle, since the historic Colcombe Castle nearby is a ruin and not part of the hotel.
Where Colcombe Castle Hotel is.
Map tiles from OpenStreetMap.
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Colcombe Castle Hotel: questions
Is Colcombe Castle Hotel a real castle?
No. Despite the name, the hotel is a Georgian building in the centre of Colyton. The real, historic Colcombe Castle stood outside the town and was largely destroyed during the English Civil War in 1644.
What happened to the original Colcombe Castle?
It was built from the reign of Edward I onwards for the Courtenay family, rebuilt on a grand scale in the early 16th century, and later used as a Royalist headquarters before being almost completely destroyed in 1644. Its site is now Colcombe Abbey Farm.
How many rooms does Colcombe Castle Hotel have?
Six, according to the hotel's own website, split across Cosy, Classic and Deluxe categories, each individually designed.
Sources and checks
Last checked: September 2026. We checked these sources for this page. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
- en.wikipedia.org: history of the original castle, its destruction in 1644, and the surviving remains at Colcombe Abbey Farm
- colcombecastle.co.uk: hotel building description, number of rooms, room categories, restaurant names