Best castle in the south east say Beautiful South judges

December 06 2018 | Attractions Castle

Staff at Hever Castle are celebrating after scooping bronze at the Beautiful South awards; making it the “best Castle in the south east.”

The historic attraction received a bronze award in the Large Visitor Attraction of the Year category.

Fishers Adventure Farm in West Sussex gained silver and the Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth was awarded gold.

As well as Hever Castle being named as best castle in the south east, Bombay Sapphire Distillery in Hampshire, British Airways i360 in Brighton and Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire were highly commended.

Seventy four businesses received trophies at the black tie event at The Grand Hotel in Brighton on Wednesday 5 December.

Run by Tourism South East in partnership with Services for Tourism Ltd, the awards recognise achievement in the tourism industry over the last 18 months.

This year the prestigious evening was compered by TV and radio presenter Mark Jones.

As well as a detailed awards application those putting themselves forward in each category underwent a mystery shopper visit plus a judging panel in order to be named as a finalist.

This year Hever Castle & Gardens was named best castle in the south east, last year’s Beautiful South awards saw Hever Castle’s bed and breakfast win gold in the Boutique Accommodation of the Year category.

Sarah Cole Marketing & Communications Manager said: “It is the first time Hever Castle & Gardens has entered the Large Visitor Attraction of the Year category at the Beautiful South awards so to receive bronze is a huge achievement.

“To be named as one of the top three tourist destinations in the south east is testament to the hard work of all the teams in striving to provide the best experience for our visitors.”

Nigel Smith, Chief Executive of Tourism South East, said: “Achieving excellence isn’t easy – it takes vision, years of commitment and a lot of hard work from talented people. All of the finalists have got these qualities in abundance.

“They can be proud of what they have achieved and the example they are setting for others. I was blown away last night by the sheer quality of tourism businesses we have got in the South East and how their numbers are increasing every year. Many of the winners are truly world class.”