Beautiful 900-year-old castle just 3 hours from London now open to public after revamp

A stunning castle, commissioned by William the Conqueror during the Middle Ages has reopened to visitors after a £27.5million restoration project.

The 900-year-old castle, based three hours from London, offers the perfect day out with all five floors of its keep, from its basement to the battlements, now open to guests for the first time in its history.

Grade I-listed Norwich Castle, completed in 1121 by King Henry I, was one of the first to be built after the Norman conquest of England, with limestone imported from Normandy to construct its sturdy walls.

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A five-year scheme, called the Royal Palace Reborn project, was launched in 2020 before suffering costly setbacks posed by the COVID pandemic and challenges importing steel following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Elsewhere, several unknown Norman and Victorian features were discovered during the restoration mission, along with replacing a leaky roof, which contributed to pushing back the original 2024 opening date.

CNN has labelled Norwich Castle 'one of Europe’s most magnificent medieval castles' and East Anglia one of the 'underexplored' regions of the UK for visitors.

Initial costs for the repair project were earmarked at £20million, but this soon rose and continued until a reported final figure in the region of £27.5million was reached before allowing guests back into the castle.

Channel 4 is set to broadcast a documentary, narrated by Norwich's own Stephen Fry, following the restoration project, titled 'The Castle, Rebuilding History'.

The film is set to air on Channel 4 on Sunday (August 24) at 7:30 pm.

Best-selling author and historian Alice Loxton has visited the castle since its grand reopening on August 4, declaring it "one of England's greatest castles," in a video posted to her TikTok account, which has more than 880,000 followers.

"My favourite part of this is that they have recreated lots of the rooms as if it were the year 1121," she explained to viewers.

"So, this gives you an amazing impression of what it was like to visit a royal palace in the 12th century. And, though we might often think about the medieval world as a place of bare stone walls and not a very colourful place, what you're really struck by when you wander around these rooms is that it's vividly coloured, with all sorts of ornate patterns and decoration."

There is free admission available for Norfolk Museums Pass holders while visiting adults (age 19 plus) are charged £15.30 if booking online in advance and £17 on the day. There is a family adult discount price, when purchased with a child ticket, setting customers back £13.95 online in advance and £15.50 on the day.

Likewise, Child (age 4-18) tickets are £13.05 in advance and £14.50 on the day, while children aged four or younger can enter free.