Rockingham Castle

Over het museum

Rockingham Castle stands on a hill above the Welland Valley and was begun soon after 1066 for William the Conqueror as a base for government and hunting. In 1095 a church council between King William II and Archbishop Anselm of Canterbury was held here. Edward I spent large sums on the castle in the late 13th century and built the round towers that survive today. After the last royal visit in the 1370s the castle slowly fell into disrepair.

In 1544 Henry VIII leased the castle to Edward Watson, who turned the medieval fortress into a Tudor house. His grandson Sir Lewis Watson bought it from the Crown in 1619. Parliamentary troops captured it during the Civil War, and it was badly damaged. The family returned it to use as a home in the 19th century; Richard Watson modernised it in the 1830s with the architect Anthony Salvin, and his guests included the writer Charles Dickens.

The castle has been held by the Watson family line since the 16th century (leased in 1544, bought in 1619) and is still a family home. Visitors see the former servants' hall, the Old Kitchen, the Great Hall, the Panel Room and the Long Gallery, together with formal terraced gardens, a rose garden, a wild garden and St Leonard's Church in the grounds. A large embroidery made for the 950th anniversary in 2022 tells the history of the castle.

Hoogtepunten

• Norman castle with 13th-century round towers
• Held by the Watson family since 1544 and still a family home
• Servants' hall, Old Kitchen and Great Hall
• Terraced formal gardens and rose garden
• Wild garden with a family trail
• Embroidery marking 950 years of the castle

Vaste collectie

• Castle rooms and tour – A route through the servants' hall, the Street, the Old Kitchen, the Great Hall, the Naval Lobby, the Panel Room and the Long Gallery, showing how the castle changed from a royal fortress to a family home.
• 950 years embroidery – A large embroidery made by local people and castle guides for the 950th anniversary in 2022, showing key moments in the castle's history.

Beheerder

Rockingham Castle Estates

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

No standard admission prices are published while the castle is closed for the season. Tickets can be booked online or bought at the ticket office, and car parking is included in the admission price. Historic Houses members enter free on standard open days, and Gardeners' World card holders get two gardens-only tickets for the price of one on general open days. Annual membership costs £48 for adults, £44 for seniors and £28 for children (castle and gardens), or £31, £29 and £15.50 for gardens only.

Toegankelijkheid

• Deels rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift: geen informatie
• Aangepast toilet
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
• Hulphonden welkom
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

The courtyard is gravelled and the castle floors are uneven flagstones. Wheelchair users cannot use the main entrance and are escorted through the gift shop ramp; most rooms are on the ground floor, but the Long Gallery upstairs is not accessible. There are single steps into the Street and two steps into the Old Kitchen. Visitors with limited mobility can be dropped off or park close to the castle towers. The formal gardens have gravel paths, ramps and a bypass path, while the wild garden is steep and uneven. An accessible toilet is by the car park and another inside the castle, a printed guide is available for visitors with hearing impairments, and there is no induction loop and no wheelchair hire. Assistance dogs are welcome in the castle.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
• Speurtocht, doeboekje of kinderaudiotour
• Verschoonruimte

Families can follow a spotter trail in the castle and a garden trail called Wentworth's missing gold, and claim a certificate; the wild garden has an explorer trail. Seasonal family events such as Easter Fun and Halloween Fun are held. Prams and pushchairs are not allowed inside the castle but can be left at the entrance at the owner's risk; they can be used in the gardens, although the wild garden is steep. A baby changing table is in the toilets by the car park.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

The castle is on the A6003, one mile north of Corby; Northampton, Peterborough and Leicester are all within about 45 minutes. Sat nav postcode LE16 8TH.

Service & horeca

• Café
• Museumwinkel
• Garderobe: niet aanwezig
• Kluisjes: niet aanwezig

Walker's House Tea Room is in a 17th-century building in the courtyard and serves light lunches, cakes and drinks on open days and selected events. The gift shop is in the courtyard. Large bags cannot be stored. Prams and pushchairs are not allowed in the castle, but a small space by the main entrance can be used at the owner's risk. Food and drink may not be taken into the castle.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

• Ruimtes te huur
• Privéfeesten
• Zakelijke evenementen
• Bruiloften / trouwceremonies

The castle offers weddings with ceremony and reception, private parties, corporate hire and hire of the Great Park.

Je bezoek plannen