Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery

About the museum

Norwich Castle was founded by William the Conqueror soon after the Norman Conquest, first as a motte-and-bailey castle. It was besieged in 1075 during the Revolt of the Earls, and the stone keep that still stands was built on the mound between 1094 and 1121. The castle remained a royal fortress, and from 1220 until 1887 it was used as a gaol. In 1894 the Norwich Museum moved into the castle buildings, and the castle has been a museum and art gallery ever since.

The keep, the attached Gothic-style gatehouse and the former prison wings have been listed Grade I since 1954, and the site is managed by the Norfolk Museums Service. The museum holds important regional collections of art, archaeology and natural history. The interior of the keep was reconstructed over five years to show how it looked in the early twelfth century, with restored and furnished medieval rooms, and it reopened fully in August 2025.

Visitors can now explore the keep, the Gallery of Medieval Life created with the British Museum, galleries of natural history, decorative arts and archaeology, and art galleries with works of the Norwich School of landscape painters. The Royal Norfolk Regimental Museum tells the story of the county regiment. The Boudica and the Romans gallery is closed for redevelopment and is due to reopen in 2027.

Highlights

• Reconstructed Norman keep with furnished medieval rooms and rooftop battlements
• Gallery of Medieval Life, created with the British Museum
• Natural history galleries with mammals, birds, reptiles and fish
• Norwich School landscape and seascape paintings
• Royal Norfolk Regimental Museum

Permanent exhibitions

• The Castle Keep – The reconstructed Norman keep with restored and furnished medieval rooms, from the basement to the battlements.
• Gallery of Medieval Life – A gallery created with the British Museum showing nearly 1,000 medieval objects.
• Natural history galleries – Displays of mammals, birds, reptiles and fish.

Founded

1894

Operated by

Norfolk Museums Service

Admission & discounts

Adult tickets cost £15.30 booked online in advance and £17.00 on the day; child tickets £13.05 online and £14.50 on the day. Norfolk Museums Pass holders are admitted free, as are some other groups with proof of eligibility. Exhibitions are included in the general admission.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The main entrance is at the top of the castle mound. An external lift in Castle Gardens gives step-free access, and there is also step-free access from Farmers Avenue or by the slopes in the gardens. New lifts serve all five floors of the keep. Up to five wheelchair users can be above ground-floor level at one time, because of the historic structure and the evacuation plans. Wheelchairs can be borrowed on a first-come basis, and accessible toilets are on each floor, with a Changing Places toilet on the ground floor (radar key). Two Blue Badge spaces are outside the main entrance, and visitors can be dropped off at the entrance.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations

Snap’s Den is a half-hour play space for children under 5, included in admission and booked in advance. Children can dress up as kings, knights and queens in the keep, try Roman togas and a chariot, and use tiny explorer buckets with replica objects.

Getting there & parking

The castle stands on a mound in the centre of Norwich; the museum entrance is at the top of the mound on Castle Hill.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

The Castle Café overlooks the east wall of the keep, and the shop sells work by local makers.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit