Today sees the exciting moment that Nottingham City Council reopens the gates of Nottingham Castle to the public – helped by Robin Hood and his merry band.
The council has announced a new general admission price of £12 per adult, allowing people to return as many times as they like for a year, along with free entry for up to three accompanied kids aged 15 and under.
The occasion will be marked by Robin Hood and a merry band of local schoolchildren storming the gates, to reclaim the castle for Nottingham people from the Sheriff of Nottingham. Up to 1,000 people benefited from a special £1 ticket for the opening day today.
Bringing new things to Nottingham from day one, Nottingham Castle will launch a new temporary gallery and experiences, not yet seen by visitors within the Nottingham Castle site since its redevelopment. It includes the newly reinvigorated Brewhouse Yard that showcases life of Nottingham through the ages from the 1500s to 1900s, and as part of the 75th anniversary of Windrush Day, the launch of ‘70 Objeks & Tings,’ brought to one of the Museum’s temporary galleries by Museumand (The National Caribbean Heritage Museum) working with Nottingham City Museums that will be available to the end of October too. There will also be a series of artist commissions and interventions on display around the museum, by Jemisha Maadhavji and Tim Fowler.
Following the site’s £31m redevelopment, the castle boasts a new visitor centre and café at the entrance, a Hood’s Hideout adventure playground in the dry moat, as well as interpretative signage around the grounds to discover the site of the lost medieval castle. Inside the Museum & Galleries, the galleries offer modern, interactive experiences, including the Robin Hood Adventures and Rebellion Galleries and redesigned galleries for permanent collections of local art, crafts, and collections, alongside temporary or touring exhibitions. The Land Train will also operate between Brewhouse Yard and the colonnaded castle entrance at the top of castle rock.
The council will continue offering two fascinating cave tours – Mortimer’s Hole and King David’s Dungeon – at £5 per person – due to be available throughout the summer. The new Land Train will operate at weekends and during the peak holiday season. The council will develop a programme of events, exhibitions, gallery talks and school visits, and offer the site for events such as weddings and corporate functions.
The City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Culture and Planning, Cllr Pavlos Kotsonis, said: “We are thrilled to reopen Nottingham Castle to the people of Nottingham and visitors from beyond the city.
“We are looking forward to seeing people reconnect with a site that is so important to local people and to the city, and to welcoming visitors from further afield who are discovering it for the first time. We feel sure that the reinvigorated visitor experience throughout the site will encourage people to come back time and time again, with the new ticket allowing people to pay £12 once and visit all year round.”
Annette Thornley, Business Development Manager at Visit Nottinghamshire commented: “It’s brilliant that Nottingham Castle is reopening its doors to the public again today! Nottingham has an amazing tourism offer for visitors, with Nottingham Castle being one of our flagship attractions standing tall and proud atop the city.
“Its reopening is a great boost for the tourism economy in Notts, supporting businesses and jobs throughout the wider city and county. We’ve been excited for today and hope the Castle goes from strength to strength.”
Alex Flint, Chief Executive, Nottingham Business Improvement District, said: “Nottingham Castle is an important landmark in the city centre, both for residents and visitors to the city. We are very keen for it to become a successful city centre attraction and will support collaboration amongst partners and business stakeholders in the city to enable this.”