英國桑伯里古堡酒店
Thornbury Castle
www.thornburycastle.co.uk
桑伯里城堡酒店
逃遁到亨利八世的愛恨情仇中
桑伯里城堡氣度不凡，位處布里斯托以北的桑伯里市鎮，是英國唯一一座由都鐸城堡改建而來的酒店。森然肅立的炮塔，陡峭的螺旋式石頭樓梯，美得清爽利落的凸窗……復寫出深沉博大的歷史感。遙遠的時光中，在這里怡然小住的亨利八世安娜波蓮和瑪麗一世留下閑庭信步的身影。
酒店由Luxury Family Hotels持有，店里特色鮮明的“家外之家”服務正是該酒店集團的拿手好戲。最近，桑伯里城堡被評為全球十大度蜜月城堡之一，古堡恢弘壯麗，格調不凡，卻也舒適而悠然，歷經500年的歷史歲月洗禮，本色不退。1535年，亨利八世與安娜波蓮卿卿我我度蜜月時，到格羅斯特郡的桑伯里城堡小住十日。然時日不久之后，他們不再如膠似漆，關系迸裂惡化。盡管如此，桑伯里仍舊是皇家愛侶的浪漫去處，聲名經久不衰。
直到19世紀30年代，諾?？斯艏易宓幕羧A德家族接管城堡，南翼得以修繕，家族一部分家人居住于此。1966年，南翼被售予餐飲大亨和Porlethen的泰勒男爵—肯尼思貝爾。其他區域則改頭換顏，蛻變而為如今的城堡酒店，古雅而大方。
溫馨的休息區松弛身心，28間客房各自設計得氣象萬千。都鐸及斯塔福德客房的狹長窗戶瑪麗一世客房的美麗凸窗博亨與公爵客房的八角豪華客房，都是真實不做作的筆觸。有的客房憑四柱床或王冠床博人眼球；有的則畫風迥異：硬朗而帶質感的石墻富麗堂皇的掛毯熊熊燃燒的壁爐火焰精雕細琢的華麗天花，皆是美得大氣磅礴。踱步到窗邊看出去，不遠處，有一爿看似帶有年代感的花園，再遠些，賽汶河水汩汩流淌，永不知疲倦。
令人難以置信的是，人們可以選擇下榻“公爵客房”，正是當年亨利八世和安娜波蓮住過的房間；這間八角形客房與城堡原有的圓形石樓梯相通，也是當年亨利八世攜妻回房就寢而必走的樓梯。拾階而上，和衣而臥，錯覺每個角落里藏身的五百年前的威嚴皇儀，似乎還揮之不去。
若要過一把真正皇家范兒的癮，塔樓套房是首選。塔樓套房盤踞城堡最高處，配有堪稱全英最大的四柱床，床約10英尺寬，滿鋪薄如蟬翼的絲綢錦緞，如出身帝王將相之門。有的客房對年輕人投其所好，配置采用原汁原味都鐸風格設計的特殊腳輪床，也是走心之舉。
2016年4月，城堡新添兩套套房：愛德華和伊麗莎白。愛德華套房含一間大臥室，臥室自帶獨立休息區，讓人忍不住想窩到沙發床上慵懶小憩。伊麗莎白房間闊達，橫梁寫滿歷史滄桑感，將睡眠區與座位區劃分開。
從桑伯里城堡的花園穿行而過，像是在風景畫中徜徉一遭。拘謹的圍墻，畢恭畢敬環伺四邊，草坪青青，引人憐愛。安排門球箭術和狩獵活動，是閑暇之余調劑身心的良藥。附近還能慵懶而專注地垂釣，蹬一蹬四人座自行車熱一熱身。到城堡酒店下榻，出門，任你想要探索英國西南部威爾士邊界和羊毛產地科茨沃爾德，都是說走就走的事兒。
在桑伯里城堡里，不由跟隨亨利八世國王和安娜波蓮王后的腳步，往來穿行。古老的紫杉籬笆花園里，蜂飛蝶繞；高大的壁爐燃起熊熊爐火；駐足石板庭院；流連在英國最古老的都鐸花園……城堡恰位于諾爾曼時期建造的圣瑪麗教堂后面，國王夫婦十天城堡之行，很有可能到教堂里虔誠祈禱過。時光，就這樣在桑伯里城堡里逆流而去。
Thornbury Castle
Escape Into Henry VIII’s Love And Hatred
The splendid Thornbury Castle, set in the market town of Thornbury, just north of Bristol, is the only Tudor castle to be open as a hotel in England. Complete with turrets, steep spiral stone staircases and beautiful oriel windows, it has an extraordinary sense of history, with former guests including King Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and Mary I.
It was not until the 1830s when it was owned by the Howard family – the family of the Dukes of Norfolk – that the south wing was renovated and became a home for a branch of that family. In 1966, it was sold to Kenneth Bell, a restaurateur and then to the Baron Taylor of Porlethen. The other wings were then renovated into the beautiful hotel it is today.
With warm, comfortable lounges, a choice of 28 individually designed bedchambers is a catch. Particularly authentic features include the arrowslit windows in The Tudor and Stafford Bedchambers; the beautiful oriel window in Mary I and the octagonal deluxe rooms found in South Wing Tower – Bohun and Duke’s Bedchamber. Most bedchambers feature fourposter or coronet beds, and many have stone walls, tapestries, roaring fires, ornate carved ceilings and views to historic parkland and the River Severn beyond.
What is unbelievable is that visitor’s can choose to stay in the ‘Duke’s Bedchamber’ the exact room that Henry VIII and Queen Anne Boleyn slept in during their visit The octagonal bedchamber is reached via the original circular stone staircase, the exact staircase that King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn would have ascended when retiring for the night.
For a truly royal experience, the Tower Suite, the highest bedchamber in the Castle, boasts the largest four poster bed in the country – measuring some 10 feet across, and covered in beautiful silk damask, it is truly a bed fit for a king. For younger guests, some bedrooms even come complete with special ‘truckle’ beds which have been designed in true Tudor style.
Two new suites were introduced in April 2016; Edward is set in the eaves and comprises a large guest bedroom with a separate lounge （which includes a sofa bed）. While Elizabeth is a very large room with historic beams dividing the sleeping and the seating areas.
The gardens at Thornbury Castle are a pleasure to walk through, with a pretty walled garden and lovely lawns. Activities that can be arranged include croquet, archery and falconry. Fishing, quad biking and other activities are available nearby and the castle is ideally situated for exploring the West Country, the Welsh borders and the Cotswolds.
Like an exercise in time travel, Thornbury Castle allows its visitors to walk in the footsteps of Kings and Queens, to lose themselves in the ancient yewhedged gardens and enjoy the roaring fires. Thornbury also boasts a stone flagged courtyard and the oldest Tudor gardens in England. The Castle is situated behind St. Mary’s Church, dating back to the Norman period. A church that King Henry VIII and Queen Anne Boleyn are likely to have worshipped in during their 10 day stay at the castle.
