Warwick Castle

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You don't just visit Britain's Greatest Medieval Experience, you live it! A visit to Warwick Castle is a great day trip from London or Birmingham that the whole family can enjoy.

From the moment you enter the portcullis of Warwick Castle, beneath the murder holes used to repel invaders in the past, you can sense that this is no ordinary day out. This is not history behind glass, this is history that you live for yourself.

In "Kingmaker" see the Earl of Warwick's preparations for battle and in "Death or Glory", feel the weight of the armor that might have saved your life. Join Daisy, Countess of Warwick, in a "Royal Weekend Party 1898" and visit the elegant State Rooms and Great Hall.

There are regular activities on offer throughout the day which kids will just love. Archery, jousting and battling knights are just a few of the events you may see take place within the castle grounds.

Warwick Castle, England

Daily

Unavailable Dates:

• September 15
• December 25 (Christmas Day)

Warwick Castle
Warwick
Warwickshire, CV34 4QU
England

• January to March - 10:00am to 5:00pm
• April to September - 10:00am to 6:00pm
• October to December 10:00am to 6:00pm

Last admission is half an hour before closing.

Hotel pick up not available

Just some of the wonderful areas of Warwick Castle that is yours to explore...

Chapel, Great Hall and State Rooms:

The Great Hall is the largest room in the castle and throughout history has been its heart. Chapel - Sir Fulke Greville, the first Lord Brooke, authorized the building of the small chapel in the early 1600s. It may be on the site of another chapel founded as long ago as 1119. State Rooms -
Retaining portions of the mediaeval Castle of the 14th Century, the State Rooms have been extended, altered and embellished during virtually every century since to lavishly entertain the noblest of guests, and to display the family's most prestigious possessions.

Caesar's Tower:

Built on the orders of Thomas de Beauchamp, Caesar's tower is a masterpiece of 14th century military architecture. It has an irregular quatrefoil or cloverleaf shape and rises 44.8 meters from the solid rock just above the river level. Not including the dungeon, it has three storeys. These are topped by a platform with a crenellated and machicolated parapet.

Dream of Battle:

New for 2007, the experience is a nightmare journey through some of the oldest areas of the ancient fortress. Telling the story of the Castle's most fateful conflict through the eyes of 12 year old William. Audio visual effects and a powerful film blending live action and computer generated imagery, bring to life the young squire's dreams as he prepares to bear arms for the first time at the Battle of Barnet.

Kingmaker:

A major attraction, the Kingmaker Exhibit recreates the mid fifteenth century world of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, Kingmaker! The Wars of the Roses, which began in the early 1450s and ended with the battle of Bosworth in 1485, were a prolonged struggle for supremacy between the Houses of York and Lancaster. During this time, Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick from 1449 to 1471 became known as "The Kingmaker".

Victorian Rose Garden:

First laid down in 1868, the Rose Garden, like the Peacock Garden was designed by Robert Marnock. By the end of the Second World War, though, it had disappeared under a tennis court. Fortunately, two of Marnock's original drawings survived, so the plot was lovingly brought back to life in 1986.

Its charm stems from the contrast between the very precise geometry and proportions of the beds and the garden's informal, almost secretive setting. The roses are all of the old-fashioned type, many of them popular with the Victorians. To commemorate the recreation of the garden, 120 years on, a new English rose was bred and named "Warwick Castle". The best time to see the display is in late June and the whole of July.

The Mill and Engine House:

For nearly 600 years the Mill and Engine House used the power of the River Avon to grind grain. A century ago that same "hydro" power was harnessed by the Castle's engine house to generate electricity for the household. Now the Mill and Engine House has been carefully restored so you can see how electricity arrived at the Castle in 1900 and how the Castle shot to the forefront of Victorian technology. Discover how the development of electricity excited the Castle and changed the life of those above and below stairs.