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Yes, the Castle is a good tourist attraction. The visitor experience is more about Robin Hood, with smatterings of Medieval England. The art gallery had some interesting stuff but was laid out seemingly at random. The Paul Smith exhibition was excellent as was the Nottingham Lace gallery. As local  people we would like to have seen a more 'Nottingham' theme with a nod towards the Raleigh, Players, coal, etc. Overseas visitors will only have heard about Nottingham through the films and stories of Robin Hood and maybe Nottingham lace, so as a tourist attraction it has succeeded but for us Nottingham people it was just OK'ish. We will go back with the great grandkids - the Robin Hood Adventure looks great.

The restuarant was very noisy due to the acoustics. Tourist prices and quality.

To be honest, Nottingham Castle, apart from it's history, is not in the same league as many other castles, so the designers of the Castle experience only had the history and fine settings to work with.

Because we used to 'go up the Castle' for free, the £12 concession entry fee and having to book smacks a bit as profiteering but we will go again. 

 

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I only wish you had posted them individually. 

I agree with most of your comments PP,  our 8 year old granddaughter came to stay for the weekend and we took her to the Castle.  When I booked the tickets online on Thursday there were no slots left for the Cave Tour nor the Robin Hood Experience.  This was disappointing because they are the kind of things that an 8 year old child would enjoy, rather than wandering through galleries.  Never mind, we arrived at our allotted time, moved fairly quickly through the different galleries and did wonder where all the £30 million had been spent.  I did enjoy the Paul Smith exhibition and would have spent more time in there but it wasn’t easy with a child wanting to move on.  I agree that not enough has been made (yet) of the long lost local industries but then seeing as all the Paul Smith items have been loaned to the Castle I assume that at some stage he’ll want it all back, especially the pictures from his private collection.  Our granddaughter enjoyed the Adventure Playground very much so we had a little rest while watching her in there.  
We’ll go back another day soon, mid-week, when schools are back and without our young un, we might enjoy the visit next time.

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Went to the Castle yesterday, the Paul Smith exhibition  was closed, it was not worth the entrance fee. The kids hideout was good for under 10s, apart from that it was disappointing.

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They need to up their game Den, despite the Council spending millions on the big house on the rock it isn’t a fun experience for young families.  Our granddaughter is bright and anxious to learn but she was bored in there.  The only display she was at all interested in was all the Albert Ball VC paraphernalia, and that was because I was able to tell her that her Great Great Grandmother knew the handsome brave young airman and then showed her all my Albert treasures when we got back home.  

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Lizzie i remember going to the castle many times at lunch time when i was at the PCFE which was across the road i remember seeing Albert Balls WW1 paraphernalia the exhaust pipe with the bullet hole (s) in it pleased it is still there.

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You’ll get more exact info from Wiki Ian.  All I remember from his early days (in the 60s) was that he’s a Beeston lad and worked in the Birdcage boutique on Bridlesmith Gate and then opened his own tiny shop on Byard Lane, up a narrow rickety staircase.  It was from there that he made me a fabulous pair of navy gabardine wool trousers. I could never buy trousers to fit me properly,  all the off the shelf ones were too short, I wish I still had them.   Surprised you’ve not heard of him, he has shops all over the World and is almost as famous as Robin Hood! 

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Just spent 10 minutes reading the reviews on trip advisor. It’s being slated by almost everyone as poor value and can’t see where £30 million has gone and not worth going. It will cost about us about £60 to take the grandchildren and do the tours and given the reviews I’ve decided I’m not going. I always enjoyed going to the castle and it’s a shame that the grounds can’t be made accessible at a reasonable cost. Another cock up by the City Council to add to their list of cock ups.

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What a shame that one of our treasures is so expensive .....it was part of being a Nottingham born and bred person......we took pride in showing visitors part of our heritage.......

       Grandma took me...as did my mother...days i'll never forget.....went with my mates from school.......took many girlfriends and children and Grandkids......it was just a special place like the 'Embankment' and 'Slab Square''

Thursday half day dates..

Wanna goo up Castle Duck ?

Goo on then......

Fancy cup a Tea Duck?

Goo on then.......

Shall we stand where Arthur and Brenda stood..when she told him she was Pregnant?

Goo on then......

Want a Drink in ''Salutation''?

Can i have a Quantro ? (sp)

No they 4/6,,,hev a Babycham only 1/6.....

Goo on then......Two Cherries though......

My pleasure Doreen..........

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The grounds were the best part of the entire place. I have many old black and white photos of my parents, my sister and myself taken there in the late 50s and early 60s.

 

The place had no atmosphere. No sense of history. A bit of a non entity, really.  It's not surprising. In the context of Nottingham history, it's a young building!

 

The caves were far more interesting but, apart from a school trip there around 1966, I don't remember them being open to the public.

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Norwich Castle beats it by a country mile. A lot more interesting and a lot more to see. You can pay to go on a tour but mostly it's  free. Nice little cafeteria too !

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I think just about anywhere beats it, Beekay. Lincoln, which is grisly but very atmospheric; Berkeley in Gloucestershire is equally grisly and atmospheric. Even ruins such as Scarborough or Helmsley are much more engaging.

 

The history of England is reflected in its castles. Ours hasn't lived...apart from witnessing Ben and his multitude of girlfriends!

 

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When I worked as a warden at Bodiam Castle (Nat.Trust) we always used to say it was England's biggest children's adventure playground. We used to take delight in telling our American visitors that Bodiam was a ruin 200 years before their history really started. All thanks to Mr. Cromwell.

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Nottingham Castle was destroyed by the Roundheads after the Civil War, rebuilt as a mansion and burnt down by rioters, the good citizens of Nottingham. The one you see now was a comprehensive rebuild in the C19. Its principal claim to fame, I believe, is that it was the first purpose-built public art gallery and museum outside London. It is a significant work of T C Hine, the major architect of Victorian Nottingham. Therefore the building has considerable historic interest, but not as a castle.

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Well only yesterday I looking at Trip advisor Reviews of the Castle and made a post about it and today found this open letter which I will attach below. Let’s hope that change comes soon. Looks like the CEO of the Nottingham Castle Trust has deserted the ship leaving it £30,000,000 lighter.  

 

QUOTE.

Call for Nottingham Castle's ticket prices to be reviewed - and a name change - after raft of bad TripAdvisor reviews

Trustees agree lessons need to be learned from the first two months of reopening

One of Nottingham's leading tourism businesses has called for the pricing structure at Nottingham Castle to be rethought - and has suggested a more realistic name change.

In an open letter to the castle trustees, Simon Unsworth from the Nottingham Ghost Walk said: "From the outset, let me say that we, along with every other business in Nottingham that has any reliance on tourism, however small, want Nottingham Castle to be a success and to drive business into our city. A thriving and popular Nottingham Castle can only be of benefit to us all."

Mr Unsworth spoke out following the departure of Sara Blair-Manning, CEO Nottingham Castle Trust, who oversaw the castle's £30m regeneration.

He said: "With the departure of the chief executive, complaints of racism and a raft of truly atrocious reviews on TripAdvisor, something has clearly gone wrong and this needs to be addressed quickly.

"That said, in my view, the situation can be remedied, and the castle’s current misfortunes turned around, but the mistakes made must be recognised by its management and taken ownership of."

Mr Unsworth said the people of Nottingham should feel they have a sense of ownership of the castle and that the castle needs locals to support it if it is to be a success but the newly introduced pricing structure has put paid to that.

He said: "For years people have been able to access the castle grounds either for free or for a nominal payment. I myself, along with many of my friends, have happy memories of relaxing in the castle grounds, maybe over lunchtime or on a sunny weekend.

"With the standard admission price of £13, this is no longer possible. What the management at the castle seemed to have forgotten is that, once the tourists have all gone home, it is the people of Nottingham who are its only remaining customers. With this in mind, the castle needs to review its pricing structure.

"They need to go back to allowing free access to the castle grounds for those living locally and a nominal price for others. By doing this, people can enjoy the castle grounds, as they have done for many years and have the option to use the castle’s cafe and gift shop, all of which would bring in revenue which would not otherwise be there, under the current pricing structure."

He said access to the castle, caves and other attractions within the grounds could be charged separately allowing the castle to gain extra revenue without without losing out on visitors who want to enjoy its full range of facilities.

Another suggestion is to change the name to avoid the disappointment of visitors expecting a real castle.

"As we all know and as is highlighted in the numerous negative reviews on TripAdvisor, it is not a castle, so why try to sell it as a castle? What is wrong with calling it what it is; Nottingham Ducal Mansion and Museum? This is an accurate description and that is what people would expect when visiting it.

"To think that it could ever rival the other great castles of Britain, such as Warwick, Conwy or Bamburgh, to name but three, is pure fantasy. To draw such comparisons only diminishes it further and, in some ways, diminishes Nottingham by comparison too."

His final issue concerns consultation, claiming that development was in isolation from other existing tourism businesses in the city.

"Tourism works best when it is joined up. In other words, visitors need to know that, when they visit a city, like Nottingham, there will be plenty for them to do.”

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I'd suggest that Nottingham Castle Rock, might be a better and more easily understandable title.

The rock, and the views it affords, are as much of an attraction as the Museum and the grounds in general.  And of course they should go back to the older system of a moderate entrance fee, and a separate 'deal' for exploring 'Mortimer's Hole' etc.. as it was for decades.

 

I'm mystified as to how they spent £30 million.  On what exactly?  I'd like to see an audit trail for all that cash.  It could be very revealing.

 

 

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8 hours ago, DJ360 said:

I'm mystified as to how they spent £30 million.  On what exactly?  I'd like to see an audit trail for all that cash.  It could be very revealing.

 

 

The council seem to have a penchant for high end spending with low end results. The awful, unsympathetic square cost £17 million. Was it really necessary? is it a facility people make use of it the way the used to? or just a big boring thoroughfare

 

I realise I'm a dinosaur now days but taking grand kids for instance, with travel, parking and  snacks  etc must be  close to £100 for an afternoon at the castle - seems excessive to me, especially when we consider that the British Museum is free.

 

 

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