It’s hard to imagine the Norwich skyline without its great Norman castle and keep. It’s there wherever you are in the city, particularly the marketplace, the so-called French Quarter.
Today, the castle is a popular tourist destination, a fascinating symbol of Norwich’s rich history, and there’s more reason to visit now than ever, after a £28m renovation to bring it to life as Royal Palace Reborn, shining a light on the historical significance of this medieval masterpiece built when Norwich was England’s second city.
A costumed member of the Learning Team at Norwich Castle © Norfolk Museums Service.
The Grade I listed keep, originally commissioned by William the Conqueror, has been completely reimagined as part of the project, bringing Norman England vividly back to life, including a recreated medieval palace with floors and rooms that have been meticulously reinstated and are fully furnished, bringing alive the sights and sounds of the keep.
A family examine the recreated Bigod Tower Door into Norwich Castle Keep with an actor playing Henry I © Norfolk Museums Service.
The refurbishment, which includes The Gallery of Medieval Life: A British Museum Partnership that showcases nearly 1,000 medieval artefacts, makes Norwich Castle the UK’s most accessible castle, with step-free access from basement to rooftop battlements – a first in its 900-year history.
A light sculpture installation in the basement of Norwich Castle Keep © Norfolk Museums Service.
Immersive, multisensory experiences bring the palace to life, tell the story of why East Anglia was so important to the Normans and also how trade and wealth flooded into the city.
A striking glass bridge connecting the Victorian-era museum to the Norman castle affords views of the exterior of Norwich Castle Keep © Norfolk Museums Service..
Norwich’s new rulers, Vikings by descent, assumed control of a prosperous city sat right in the pivot of the hugely lucrative North Sea trading network.
The projections in The Great Hall at Norwich Castle Keep tell the story of life in the medieval period © Norfolk Museums Service.
The Castle, our Box On The Hill, completed by Henry I in 1121, is a symbol of pride for Norwich and East Anglia and its transformation ensures that future generations can explore and appreciate its rich history.
King’s Chamber, complete with furnishings, Norwich Castle Keep © Norfolk Museums Service.
Yet, 900 or so years ago – as it was constructed, partly from massive Caen stones shipped across the Channel on behalf of England’s new masters – it would have had many meanings to a local population reeling in the aftershock of regime change, not least the new Norman regime saying to the people of Norwich: ‘We’re in charge now.’
The embroidered Kings and Emperors panel made by Tapestry and Textile volunteers on display in the Great Hall at Norwich Castle Keep © Norfolk Museums Service.
Following the Norman Conquest and subsequent Norman Occupation of Norwich, a timber framed motte and bailey castle was built to the east of the Castle Mound. More than 100 houses were razed to make way for this massive symbol of Norman power.
Visitors look out over the city between the crenelations on the battlements at Norwich Castle © Norfolk Museums Service.
Construction of a stone keep upon the Castle Mound began in 1095. The Norman stone keep, one of only three stone keeps to be built during this period, took around twenty-five years to complete.
A projection on the wall at Norwich Castle Keep telling the story of the building of Norwich Castle © Norfolk Museums Service.
Amazingly the Castle was being built at the same time as Norwich’s other magnificent Norman building, the Cathedral.
Members of the Learning Team in medieval costume sit at a feasting table in the Great Hall at Norwich Castle Keep © Norfolk Museums Service.
The size and scale of the castle is evident from any number of vantage points around the city. But it’s perhaps not until you step inside the keep – which played host to William I’s son Henry I over Christmas 1121, which Royal Palace Reborn recreates – that you get a true feel for what a huge impact this building would have had on Norwich’s inhabitants.
The Great Hall in Norwich Castle Keep © Norfolk Museums Service.
This cavernous space is filled with any number of treasures: a well that’s twice the depth of the keep, the Bigod arch, which was the original entrance to the keep and described as ‘one of the finest surviving entrances to a secular building in Norman architecture’, The Great Hall with its mezzanine gallery, The King’s Chamber and Chapel, and also the castle battlements, where you can take in magnificent views of the city.
