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.
A family affair
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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