Re-opened Nottingham Castle 2023

Nottingham Castle (re)reopened on 26th June after a controversial opening after COVID lockdowns with accusations of racism and bullying amongst the staff, unjustifiably high prices for entry and generally shambolic management. (I’ve written about this elsewhere so I won’t rehash that or the history of the castle – you can read some of that here when I visited after the first re-opening). Adult tickets now cost £12 for an annual pass which is far more reasonable for what you get. There is also now no charge for under-15s.

I first took a wander around the grounds to have a look at the bandstand which I haven’t visited for a while and to take photos of the views.

Then I headed up to the castle itself. I particularly wanted to visit the 70 Objeks & Tings exhibit which is to mark the Windrush’s contribution to British life. The SS Empire Windrush was a ship that docked in the UK in 1948 carrying passengers from the Caribbean invited to help out with post-war reconstruction. There are many Caribbean communities around the country, with Nottingham’s community a particularly vibrant one. The items on display were those that signified something of importance to the community from fashion to food to books. I will say that I was a little disappointed at how small the exhibition is – basically in one tiny room – but it was well laid out for what they were given and there were also headphones so you could listen to local people talking about their experiences. Be aware that as with keeping with a lot of the temporary exhibitions the castle puts on, photography is not allowed in here.

I then took a wander around some of the other galleries, particularly focusing on the lace gallery since many generations of my family in Nottingham were involved in the lace making trade in one way or another.

It’s certainly good to have the castle back and they are starting to roll out familiar events – there have been outdoor film screenings and plays in the past, as well as other entertainments and fairs that hopefully will come back now that the castle is under new management. And yes, now I’ve paid for a year’s entry I am more inclined to revisit.