One of the main spaces within the modern museum is the ‘Rebellion’ gallery, dedicated to the castle’s turbulent past and focusing in particular on three key episodes of uprising that it witnessed: the English Civil War, the Luddite Revolt, and the 1831 Reform Bill riots. Although the Ducal Palace was gutted by fire in 1831, it was restored in the 1870s, with a museum opening within its walls in 1878. The castle was a Parliamentarian stronghold during this latter conflict, and in the aftermath its semi-derelict medieval structures were replaced by a grand mansion built by the 1st Duke of Newcastle. This was also where Edward III deposed the usurper Roger Mortimer in 1330, where Richard III set out for his ill-fated last stand at the 1485 Battle of Bosworth Field, and where Charles I raised his standard in a call to arms that heralded the English Civil War. The castle was subsequently seized by supporters of the rebellious Prince John and besieged by his brother Richard I in 1194. The original Norman fortifications were founded in 1086 to guard a strategic crossing of the Trent, before being rebuilt in stone by Henry II (r.1154-1189). The castle itself boasts an eventful history, which explains its unconventional appearance. The site has also gained a new visitor centre, café, and shop an immersive space called ‘Robin Hood Adventures’, which uses interactive games and digital storytelling to explore the legends associated with Nottinghamshire’s most famous outlaw and, for younger visitors, a large adventure playground (‘Hood’s Hideout’), which has been installed in the moat. In addition to funding roof repairs and the restoration of historic stonework and lime plaster, and landscaping the castle grounds, the project has seen every major gallery space completely refitted.

PHOTO: Tracey Whitefoot.Īs it turned out, the answer was: rather a lot. One of the Creative Galleries in the recently redeveloped Nottingham Castle explores the city’s long association with lace production.

So, with the site having reopened to the public just a few months before my latest trip, I went to see what was new. The last time I had been to the city (to review another exhibition at the university’s museum see CA 358), the castle had been closed, undergoing a three-year, £33-million programme of conservation, renovation, and redevelopment. While travelling to see the University of Nottingham Museum’s exhibition about textile production in the medieval East Midlands (see CA 384), I also took the opportunity to visit Nottingham Castle.

Nottingham castle