The Castle at Taunton – Our Story

The Castle at Taunton is a unique and historic family-owned hotel. For the Chapman family, good hospitality is a very personal engagement between host and guest. This makes The Castle Hotel a one-off, not a link in a chain. It is our livelihood, our passion.

The Chapman family has run this wisteria-cloaked Grade 2 listed landmark in the centre of Taunton for over seventy years, through good times and some more challenging periods. Throughout this time, a simple ethos has underpinned us – to give the warmest of welcomes, the utmost personal attention and exemplary service to each and every one of our guests.

Peter and Etty Chapman arrived in Taunton in 1950 to find the hotel a sad post-war wreck. They painstakingly restored the historic building, later adding a third floor. Their son, Kit, returned to the family business in 1976, with a particular drive to build the hotel’s reputation for a great kitchen, while his wife Louise set about transforming the interiors. In 1998 Brazz was born, a concept which has evolved into the much talked about award-winning restaurant of today.

Now Nicholas and Annabel Chapman are the third generation to lead the business, who with the support of Director & General Manager Ronan Hunter and the wider team, are coaxing the hotel back to life after the difficult and unforeseen challenge of the Covid-19 pandemic. Among many other things, the enforced closure of the hotel caused a disappointing delay to a planned refurbishment of some bedrooms and the larger public spaces but, overseen by Annabel, work has now re-started. January 2022 saw our iconic Garden & Wisteria Rooms transformed, whilst our main kitchen benefitted from a major investment. A bespoke English manufactured Induction Suite was installed, assisting our goal towards more sustainable working practices.

Unlike so many of today’s hotels, The Castle’s rooms are individually designed and decorated.

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