A NEW exhibition exploring the history of Thornbury Castle and its creator has promised to shed new light on the famous building.

The display in Thornbury Museum, by local historian Meg Wise, focuses on the egotistical nature of Edward Stafford, the third Duke of Buckingham, and how his lifestyle may have impacted his untimely death in 1521 at the hands of Henry VIII’s executioner.

Entitled “Curious Works and Stately Lodgings: The art of Thornbury Castle”, the exhibition also discusses the “romantic ruin” was first marketed as a tourist destination in 1634 and its sympathetic restoration in the mid-1850s.

Having researched the castle as part of her studies into the history of the town for the past 20 years, Meg said that the inspiration for the exhibition came after she was presented with a decorated floor tile from the castle’s original build – what she suggests was a “stepping stone” to the bigger project.

“I started learning more about the heraldry and symbolism that are evident all over the castle, and began to notice that the same was present all over Stafford’s clothes as well.

“He was a peacock and he was clearly determined to present himself as being of royal blood, which he had more of than Henry, whose father had usurped the throne.

“As England would not have wanted a queen in that era, I believe that he was pushing to surpass Mary as Henry’s heir to the throne. The only way back then to get any kind of power was to show it off.

“With the castle, he had a manor house, but he wanted a palace, so that is exactly what he built himself.”

A popular topic with many local historians as well as all the schools in the town, Meg said that she hoped the display would interest anyone who has ever worked on a class project about the castle, which is now run as a luxury hotel.

She said: “There are aspects of the castle that have not been circulated before and even local people are bound to find out something new.”

Curious Works and Stately Lodgings: The art of Thornbury Castle will be on display in Thornbury Museum from now until December.