Nottingham Castle

Nottingham Castle is basically the city’s museum, art gallery and tourist attraction rolled into one. The building doesn’t look like a castle, but there’s a very good historical reason for that. What you see today is actually a former stately home, originally belonging to the Dukes of Newcastle. This Ducal mansion was built on the site of the former castle which was destroyed in the English Civil War. The one part of the old castle still standing is the beautiful gatehouse which welcomes you to the site.

In 2021, Nottingham Castle had a £30 million major redevelopment and now boasts a number of additional attractions. The best way to enter them is by heading through the tunnel from the beautiful grounds. You’ll first arrive in a huge space surrounded by screens (pictured above). The screens tell the story of Robin Hood including the myths and legends. It’s done in a really clever way as actors on the small screens all talk to each other across the room. Next up, head behind the screens to the interactive attractions. There’s a great archery game, a dressing up area and the staff fighting simulation (pictured below)in particular is great fun! Our 7 year old absolutely loved it.

There’s also a room on this level with table top interactive games. In one you pretend to be a thief stealing bags of coins from the rich and trying to get out of the city. In another, you attempt to put out fires and save buildings. They’re great fun and once again, we struggled to get our 7 year old to move on as he loved them so much. After this, you can move upstairs to a gallery dedicated to the Rebels of Nottinghamshire. There are exhibitions about three key rebellious moments in Nottingham’s history. The rest of the attraction includes art, portraits and a fantastic pottery exhibition with an interactive pot making game. Outside, there’s also a fantastic new adventure playground for younger visitors too.

Make sure you spend a bit of time in the castle grounds on your visit. The view by the cafe at the far end of the building near the flagpole is amazing! From here, you can see much of south Nottinghamshire including the impressive floodlights at Trent Bridge, Green’s Windmill, the homes of Notts County (the world’s oldest league football club) and Nottingham Forest, the striking design of the old HM Inland Revenue buildings and the luxurious historic houses of the gated community of “The Park” (pictured below).

Nottingham is famous for its caves. The city has them everywhere and the ones under the castle have a history much older and darker than the building above it. If Robin Hood were ever held at the castle, it probably would have been in these caves. Cave tours are not always available, but when they are you see a side to the castle that you will miss out on if you don’t take the tours. There is an extra fee for cave tours. The castle also has a new cafe and shop right by the gatehouse which you can use without paying the entrance fee (pictured below).

Adult admission to Nottingham Castle is now £15 (2024 prices) and children up to 15 are free. This includes repeat admission for 12 months, so if you live nearby this is a real bonus. The ticket also includes access to the nearby Brewhouse Yard cottages. This yard is also where you’ll find Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, reputedly Britain’s oldest pub. The yard is believed to be the old brewery site for the castle itself and the museum is bigger than it looks from Castle Boulevard, as it also goes into the castle rock itself.

LOCATION & CONTACT

Nottingham Castle is on the outskirts of the city centre near to Maid Marian Way, a short walk from the Old Market Square. Nearest car parks are Arndale Centre or St James Street.

Address: Nottingham Castle, Friar Lane, Nottingham NG1 6EL
Tel: +44 (0) 115 876 3100