[7] In 1582, Bishop John Whitgift signed the paper that allowed William Shakespeare to marry Anne Hathaway.

[8] In 1646, during the First English Civil War, Hartlebury Castle was strongly fortified and held for King Charles I by Captain Sandys and Lord Windsor, with 120 foot soldiers and 20 horse (cavalry troopers), and provisions for twelve months.

Bishop Hurd was visited by King George III, Queen Charlotte, three of the princesses and the Duke of York in 1788.

[5] In the First World War, Hartlebury Castle became a Red Cross Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) Hospital.

In 2010, BBC Midlands News reported that Hartlebury Castle was up for sale and local people were running a campaign to stop it falling into private hands.

It was reported on 17 August 2012 that HCPT had agreed to pay its owners, the Church of England, £2.45 million for the freehold of the buildings, gardens and parks.

In March 2015 HCPT bought Hartlebury Castle and its 43-acre estate, intending to turn it into a visitor attraction with accessible state rooms and a County Museum.

[15] The Castle relies on the income from ticket sales, shop purchases and donations to remain open and continue to share its history with the public.

[18] The Nature Trail takes visitors round the grounds and the Moat Walk, past a sunken garden, orchard terrace, boardwalk and carriage circle.

The grounds include a cider mill and a Transport Gallery that features a fire engine, a hansom cab, bicycles, carts and a collection of Gypsy caravans.