Nottingham Castle to reopen this summer with new £12 annual ticket

Nottingham Castle will reopen to visitors this summer, the city council has announced.

The historic attraction has been largely shut to the public since November 2022 when Nottingham Castle Trust, which ran the site, went into liquidation.

Nottingham City Council said it was “delighted” to reveal a date for the castle’s complete reopening on Monday June 26.

Many visitors had previously criticised the attraction as poor value for money when it reopened after a £31m redevelopment in 2021 with a new visitor centre, adventure playground and café.

Now, the authority has revealed a new ticketing system where an adult ticket costs £12 and allows unlimited admission for a year.

Children under 15-years-old can enter for free when accompanied by a paying adult.

The new admission scheme will include access to the castle grounds and museum, Brewhouse Yard Cottages, Robin Hood Adventures and the Rebellion Galleries, the council said.

Cllr Pavlos Kotsonis, Nottingham City Council’s portfolio holder for leisure, culture and planning, said: “I am delighted to be able to announce that Nottingham Castle will open again on Monday 26^th June.

“Nottingham without its castle is like Robin Hood without his merry men, so it’s going to be fantastic to have it back at the heart of our city’s life.”

He added: “We’ve already seen with the Coronation events and the sold-out Eurovision event that people are eager to return to the site – and we’re very keen to welcome them back.

“We hope this announcement will come as welcome news, as we have endeavoured to listen to what visitors didn’t like about the Trust’s admission arrangements, and I believe the simpler pricing and exceptional value we are announcing will help to encourage visitors, near and far, to come back again and again.”

The castle, which will now be run as part of the council’s museums and galleries service, will be open from 10am to 5pm between February and October, and from 11am to 4pm between November and January.

Peter Knott, Midlands Area Director for Arts Council England, said: “We’re pleased to hear that Nottingham Castle will soon be reopening its doors to visitors – it’s a great asset to the city and a place for people to celebrate the rich history and creativity of Nottingham.

Robyn Llewellyn, Director, England, Midlands & East at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Having supported the restoration and conservation of this very important historic site, we are looking forward to seeing Nottingham City Council re-open the gates to the Castle in June.

“We are heartened that visitors can enjoy this important beacon of the region’s rich cultural heritage once more.”

Cave tours of Mortimer’s Hole and King David’s Dungeon will be available at a further £5 per person and the council says it will continue to develop a programme of events and exhibitions throughout the year - such as the previous Eurovision and Coronation screenings and ‘Medieval Legends’ festival later this month.