Kimbolton Castle

About the museum

Kimbolton Castle stands on the site of a fortified manor house from around 1200; the wooden motte-and-bailey castle of Norman times lay nearby, and only a low mound remains. In the 1520s the Wingfield family rebuilt the house as a Tudor manor. Katharine of Aragon was held here after her divorce from Henry VIII and died in the castle in January 1536.

Sir Henry Montagu bought the estate in 1615 and became the first Earl of Manchester, and the family kept it as their seat for more than three centuries. Between about 1690 and 1720 the house was rebuilt. After part of the south-east corner collapsed in 1707, Sir John Vanbrugh and Nicholas Hawksmoor redesigned the south front in a classical style with battlements. The Venetian painter Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini decorated the new rooms the following year, including the main staircase, the chapel and the Boudoir ceiling. Robert Adam added the gatehouse around 1764.

During the Second World War the Royal Army Medical Corps used the castle. In 1950 the 10th Duke of Manchester sold it, together with many family portraits, to Kimbolton School, which still uses it. The State Rooms have been restored and can be seen on a small number of public open days each year and on tours by arrangement.

Highlights

• Rooms linked to Katharine of Aragon, who spent her last years here
• South front by Vanbrugh and Hawksmoor
• Pellegrini murals on the main staircase and in the chapel
• State Rooms including the Queen’s Room and the Saloon
• Gatehouse designed by Robert Adam

Permanent exhibition

• State Rooms – The restored State Rooms, including the Queen’s Room, with Pellegrini’s murals, portraits by Lely and the Heritage Room.

Founded

1200

Operated by

Kimbolton School

Admission & discounts

Open-day tickets are sold online in advance. Coach drivers are admitted free.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: not available
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The Grade I listed castle is not wheelchair accessible: it has stairs, uneven surfaces and limited seating. On request the tour can be adjusted to reduce the number of stairs, and laminated sheets summarising the main tour points are available for visitors with hearing difficulties. Registered guide dogs are allowed in the grounds and the State Rooms. Visitors with specific needs should contact the castle before booking.

Kids & families

Children under 18 pay a reduced open-day ticket.

Getting there & parking

Visitors enter through the Adam Gatehouse and sign in at Gatehouse Reception. At peak school times (8.30–9.15am and 3.45–4.30pm) a one-way system operates and entry is through the Iron Gates, 800 m east of the gatehouse on the B645.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Postcards, guidebooks and a small range of souvenirs are on sale; toilets are available in the castle. No refreshments are mentioned.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

The castle is hired out for weddings, corporate events, celebrations and filming.

Plan your visit