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Primary Roads to Thornbury

Thornbury, 10 miles north of Bristol

Map for walking in central Thornbury

Walking map of Thornbury

Alternatively, Bristol City Council maintains a tourist information site giving information on accommodation in a wide area around Bristol, bear in mind that Thornbury is 15 miles to the north of the Bristol city centre when searching the database. www.visitbristol.co.uk

DIRECTIONS

Thornbury is situated some 10 miles to the north of Bristol, just off the A38 Bristol to Gloucester road. Motorway access to the A38 from the south is from M5 J16 (which is accessible from the M4 Almondsbury interchange J20). From the north, access is from the the M5 J14 at Falfield.

Tourist Information

The Tourist Office in the Town Hall in Thornbury High Street has comprehensive lists of accommodation in the Thornbury and Severn Vale area.

Call the Tourist Information Office 01454 281638 to request a copy of the current "Where to stay" leaflet.

THORNBURY - Historic Market Town

Thornbury is an historic old town whose origins can be traced back to the 10th Century. The town was granted Borough status in 1252 by Richard de Clare, Earl of Gloucestershire and Lord of the Manor of Thornbury. Thornbury became the market centre for the region and has developed into a thriving community of some 15,000 with recognisable medieval features around the High Street/Castle Street Conservation Area and convenient local shopping, surrounded by leafy estates of modern housing.

A well signposted 3 mile heritage trail may be walked in a couple of hours, a leaflet available from the Tourist Office explains the features of the route and amplifies the historical information available at each key site.

Thornbury Castle, situated next to St Mary's Parish Church, is now a luxury private hotel. It was built as a fortified manor house for Edward Stafford 3rd Duke of Buckingham; work commenced in 1511. The Duke's lands were confiscated in 1521 after he was found guilty of treason and executed. Henry VIII retained the Castle for 33 years and stayed there with Anne Boleyn for 10 days in 1535 and Mary Tudor lived in the Castle for some years before becoming Queen.

Thornbury museum, adjacent to the main Festival complex, has a range of information books and leaflets on historic Thornbury, it has regular exhibitions of rural life in times past and can assist with searches for local family histories.

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