TICKETS & PRICES
Adults:
Children 5-17 Years:
Families (2 adults, up to 3 Children):
Families (1 adult, up to 3 Children):
Visiting Tamworth Castle
Tamworth Castle stands overlooking the confluence of the River Anker and Tame in Tamworth, Staffordshire. The well-preserved stone castle dates back over 900 years and was once a mighty Norman stronghold. The castle, museum, and garden are open for visits and wedding hire.
Parking
Visitors will find the castle via the A5 in the southern part of the town of Tamworth. Follow the brown heritage signs to find the Jolly Sailor car park adjacent to the castle. The parking is a pay and display parking area.
The Jolly Sailor is a long stay car park and offers coach facilities. It is a five to seven-minute walk through the castle grounds. Ankerside Shopping centre also provides parking along with several town centre parking areas.
Price
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Day Tickets |
Price |
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Adult (16+) |
£9.95 |
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Concession (65+/Students) |
£8.95 |
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Child (2-15 Years) |
£2.00 |
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Children Under 2 |
Free |
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Family Ticket (Up to 5 people) |
£37.50 |
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Ground Floor Only |
£6.00 |
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Carers (Valid ID Required) |
Free |
Opening
Tamworth Castle is open Tuesday to Sunday, including Bank Holidays except for Christmas break.
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Opening Hours 1 February 2021 - 24 December |
Opening Times |
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Tuesday - Saturday |
9.30am - 4.30pm (last entry 2.30pm) |
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Sundays and Bank Holidays |
10.00am - 4.00pm (last entry 2.00pm) |
Location and Access
Visitors will find Tamworth castle in the town of the same name and has a designated car park adjacent to the site. There is a drop-off point for the mobility impaired at the foot of the slope, but visitors may not park there as it is for emergency vehicle access.
The physical address of the castle is:
Tamworth Castle
The Holloway
Tamworth
Staffordshire
B79 7NA.
The Castle Keep islands atop a high mound or motte, and so castle entry is reached by a steep slope. Carers who can provide proof of care, such as registration letters, will have free access.
Due to its historical nature, the castle has many uneven stairs and surfaces, so visitors should take care of their footing.
Due to the steep stairs and narrow doorways, Tamworth castle can not accommodate pushchairs beyond the reception area and castle courtyard.
Know Before You Go
- Tamworth Castle often hosts special events such as living history, Saxon festivals, and historical events.
- Visitors can find places to sit inside the building, either on the benches, chairs, or window seats.
- The castle site has an outdoor play park with a castle and pirate ship.
- The castle offers numerous sporting activities such as tennis, table tennis, and a bowling green, as well as an outdoor gym.
- They also provide a skate park on the grounds.
- Tamworth Borough Council does not permit dogs on the castle site unless they are service dogs.
- The castle now offers the "Battle and Tribute," an interactive Anglo-Saxon exhibit.
Tamworth Castle Wedding Venue
Tamworth Borough Council offers its Great Hall as a historical backdrop for weddings and special occasions. Complete with chandeliers and candelabras, the castle wedding team provides their services to shape your perfect wedding ceremony.
For pricing and availability, don't hesitate to get in touch with the castle Wedding Coordinator at:
- Tel: 01827 709551
- Email: castleweddings@tamworth.gov.uk
Places To Stay Nearby
Premier Inn Tamworth Central
Premier Inn Tamworth Central hotel is only a short stroll away from Tamworth Castle and offers competitively priced accommodation. They offer several tastefully furnished rooms with en suite bathrooms, free wifi, and Hypnos beds. The Premier Inn rates per night range from £43 to £61, depending on your package choice.
Castle Hotel
The Castle Hotel offers accommodation in their red-brick hotel a short stroll from the castle. They also provide free wifi and an in-house restaurant, host conferences, and weddings receptions. The Castle Hotel rates start at around £90 for a standard twin room.
The Globe Inn
The Globe inn offers 18 en suite rooms in a historic late Victorian restored pub that offers all the modern amenities. It has a cosy bar, an in-house restaurant, and a function room or wedding reception facilities. The Globe Inn room rates range from 60 for a twin room to 80 per night for a family room.
History of Tamworth Castle
Tamworth Castle was originally a Norman motte and bailey, and the castle was a wood and earthwork fortification. Robert Marmion built the first stone castle keep, which further occupants expanded. The castle was host to several kings' visits and a parliamentarian garrison in 1643.
Time Line
-6th Century
Tamworth occupied an essential position at the confluence of the rivers Anker and Tame, close to an important Roman road called Watling Street. This trade and travel route spanned the areas of Richborough, London, and Chester.
By the 6th century, Tamworth was an important administrative seat for the nobles of Mercia, one of the greatest Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms of England.
-781
Offa, the ruler of Mercia, made Tamworth his chief residence and built a palace so grand that it was declared 'the wonder of the age.'' Historians believe he built his palace close to St. Edith's Church and fortified the town with a large earthwork. Charters of the period show evidence that Offa spent most of his time at Tamworth and issued several charters from there.
-913
Æthelflæd, daughter of Alfred the Great and one of the greatest warrior queens in history, set about to build a series of fortifications to after her death in 918, Mercia merged into Wessex.
-1066
Shortly after the Norman Invasion, William I took control of Tamworth and granted it to Robert Despenser.
-1070 (Motte and Bailey)
Despenser built a fortification in the southwest corner of the former Saxon burh next to the River Tame. The original building was the Norman motte and bailey, a mound with a timber palisade protecting the timber keep and ancillary buildings.
-1100 (First Stone Build)
After Despenser's death, Robert Marmion inherited Tamworth Castle and estates through marriage to Matilda, the daughter of Urse of d'Abitot. Marmion began the first stone build that would continue for the next 200 years.
The rebuild followed the same lines as the earlier fortification, but the motte was raised to cope with the increased weight of the stone structures.
-1100-1291
The Marmion Lords of Fontenay le Marmion in Normandy occupied the castle and site and, after 1066, took over the rulership of England. Their powerful family held their seat at Tamworth Castle for almost two centuries, and six different Lord Marmion occupied the castle.
-1100 and 1158 (Royal Visits)
The Marmion clan hosted the Kings of the time, namely Henry I in 1100 and Henry II in 1158.
-1218 (Treason)
The current lord Robert functioned as the Lord Justice Chief but turned on King John while campaigning in France and sided with the French King. King John declared him a traitor and seized his castle and estates, and ordered the castle demolished.
King John also imprisoned Robert's son Geoffrey in reprisal, but the Marmion fortunes changed shortly after. At King John's death the following year, his sons regained the castle, which John's forces only partially destroyed.
-1257
Evidence suggests rebuilding the castle after1218, but Tamworth Castle was sufficiently recovered to host King Henry III's visit in 1257.
-1291
Philip Marmion was the last of the Marmion lords and the castle, and at his death in 1291, his daughter inherited the castle. The castle and estates passed in marriage to Alexander Freville through her niece Joan at her early death.
-1330
The Cambridgeshire bred Frevilles shared close ties with the crown, and Baldwin, Alexander's son, hosted King Edward III at this time and enjoyed some hunting in the surrounding forests.
Generations of Frevilles commenced assuming the title of Kings' Champion for both Edward III and Richard II.
-1348 (Besieged)
The local populace rose against the Freville clan due to their unfair treatment at the hands of the Freville lords. However, the situation ended without bloodshed.
-1423
The Freville line ended with Baldwin de Freville, who left three daughters and an infant son. His son died still in childhood, and his eldest daughter Elizabeth inherited the castle and estates, and it passed through her marriage to Thomas Ferrers.
The Ferrers made the castle their primary residence and transformed it from a fortification to a grand Tudor residence. They also built the first timber tie beamed great hall, befitting their noble stature.
-1540s
Historical records refer to the buildings in the bailey in a state of decay.
-1576
Lord Humphrey II took the castle as his residence and extensively remodelled the castle, and unfortunately removed many medieval structures.
-1643 (English Civil War)
As a royalist stronghold, Parliamentarians laid siege to Tamworth castle, and after only two days, they captured the castle. The parliamentarians then garrisoned the castle with 77 soldiers under Captain Waldyve Willington. This capture was a lucky event because Tamworth escaped the slightings that so many medieval castles suffered at this time.
-1644 (Attack)
Royalist forces tried to regain the cattle, but as a testament to the strength of Tamworth castle, it withstood the 2,200 strong attacks.
-1619,1621,1624
King James made several visits to Tamworth Castle, which provided accommodation fitting a king and royal retinue. The Royalist force tried to regain the castle in 1644, but Captain Willington successfully withstood 2,200 soldiers.
-Mid-1600s
The Ferrers fled the castle during the civil war to their home in Walton on Trent. They resumed ownership of the castle, however, until John Ferrers IV’s demise. Then the castle passed through Ferrers’ deceased son to Anne Ferrers, his granddaughter.
-18th Century
The castle fell to a series of tenets until George Townshend took ownership of the castle. His son, George, conducted extensive repairs on the castle and replaced many of the Tudor features with gothic touches fashionable at the period.
He also added pleasure gardens around the castle, and the expenses of his grand undertaking in restoring the castle and gardens left him bankrupt.
-1833
After losing possession of the castle, the Townshend daily repurchased the property in 1833. However, they did not make the castle their residence and leased it out to a series of tenants.
-1844-1861
The spinster Miss Hester Wolfestan rented the castle until she died in 1861. According to the census at the time, she lived at the castle with a footman, two maids, and a cook.
-1897
The Townshends sold the property for £3000 to the Tamworth Corporation (Later Tamworth Borough Council), who opened it to the public as a museum.
-1980
Sadly, developers built Ankerside Shopping Centre over the east end of the former bailey. The Tamworth Council extensively restored the castle in the 1980s and early 2000s. It is now a scheduled monument and protected by law.
Tamworth Castle Occupants
- 781: King Offa of Mercia built the first castle palace in Tamworth and made it his primary residence.
- 913: The great female icon Æthelflæd marched into Tamworth and created a fortified castle where she ruled the kingdom.
- 1070: Robert le Depsenser built and occupied the first motte and bailey fort on the site.
- 1100: Robert Marmion and his wife Matilda of the d'Abitot line.
- 1100-1291: Successive lords of the Marmion line occupied Tamworth Castle as their family seat. Henry I visited at this time.
- 1158: Henry II visited the castle site.
- 1257: Henry III paid a royal visit to the castle.
- 1291: The last Lorn Marmion Phillip occupied the castle until he died in 1291.
- 1330: The castle became the family seat of the Freville family, starting with Alexander Freville and King Edward III visiting the castle at this time.
- 1423: Elizabeth and Thomas Ferres made the castle their primary residence.
- 1576: Lord Humphrey Ferrers II occupied and extensively remodelled the castle.
- 1619,1621,1624: King James I visited the castle, which was now befitting a royal residence.
- In the late 1700s-1800s: The Townshend family occupied the castle, and George Townshend II extensively remodelled the castle and gardens.
- 1844-1861: Hester Wlfestan lived in the castle with a small entourage of staff.
Images of Tamworth Castle
Images Supplied and licensed from Shutterstock Standard Licence Package
Tamworth Castle Facts
- The Tamworth castle is host to several legendary ghost legends, the most famous being the Black Lady. The ominous 9th-century nun named Editha seeking vengeance from the first Lord Marmion, who cruelly expelled her from the local abbey. A nightly visitation and a violent blow from her crosier prompted Lord Marmion to reinstate her sister nuns in Polesworth Abbey.
- On the north wall of the Great Hall, the paint hides the remnants of an early 17th-century fresco behind the paint, which historians believe represents Sir Lancelot and Sir Tarquin.
- The Norman causeway leading the castle displays a rare herringbone stone design of archaeological significance.
- William Turner depicted Tamworth Castle in a painting he made in 1832, which you will find in the Tate Gallery.
- Britain's popular ghost series Britain's Most Haunted featured Tamworth castle in one of their episodes in 2003.
Tamworth Castle Q&A
What Kind of Castle Is Tamworth Castle?
The original Tamworth castle was a Norman motte and bailey castle made of earthworks and timber. The castle consisted of a raised earthwork mound topped by a timber keep and protected by detached and a system of wooden palisades.
In the 1110s, Robert Marmion transformed the motte and bailey in a stone castle keep which subsequent generations improved and restored.
How Old Is Tamworth Castle?
Tamworth Castle dates back to the Norman era around 1100, although the motte and earthworks it stands upon date back to around 1070. The original castle was an earth and timber fortification, so the first castle building had scant archaeological remains. This fact would make the oldest parts of the castle we see today around 921 years old.
Location of Tamworth Castle
Tamworth castle stands overlooking the confluence of the Rivers in Anker and Tame in the town of Tamworth in Staffordshire, England. The site was strategic due to the nearby Roman Watling road, a significant trading route.
The Danes destroyed the original castle built by 874 Æthelflæd and laid waste to the town. Robert Despenser built the subsequent Norman motte and bailey built in the southwestern corner of the former Saxon burh in 1170.
The castle location did not alter much, and the stone build followed the same lines as the original motte and bailey location. Where they could, the builders over the centuries incorporated the underlying structures and extended them.
Other Places To Visit Near Tamworth Castle
Lichfield Cathedral
Dating back to the 7th-century shrine of St Chad, this beautiful sandstone Lichfield cathedral was rebuilt substantially over the subsequent centuries. Unfortunately, the beautiful and ornate architecture is undermined by its sandstone material and was once a barracks in the English Civil war.
Among the highlights of the still active cathedral is the beautiful 8th-century sculpture of the Lichfield Angel and the St Chad's Gospels, an 8th Century illuminated vellum manuscript.
Twycross Zoo
Twycross Zoo boasts the largest collection of primates in the western hemisphere and 650 animals and over 150 species in their care. Although their most important exhibit is the primate centre, they also have an impressive selection of mammals, birds, and reptiles, among other creatures.
They also house the only Bonobo primates in Britain and many highly endangered species.
Letocetum Roman Baths and Museum
Visitors will find fascinating excavations of a 130 CE Letocetum Roman bath house on Watling Street's historic Roman road. The site once held an important Roman staging post. The site also offers a museum that has an intriguing display of finds uncovered on the site.
Visitors will also find the remains of a Roman inn or' mansio.' Archaeological evidence points to a once-thriving settlement with a basilica, temples, and amphitheatre. The National Trust is the custodian of the monument, and the site and museum are free to visit.
Sources
- Heritage Gateway UK: Tamworth Castle
- Tamworth Castle UK: Our History
- Gatehouse Gazetteer: Tamworth Castle
- Wikipedia: Tamworth Castle
- Historic England UK: Tamworth Castle
- Castles Forts Battles UK: Tamworth Castle
- Lichfield Cathedral: Homepage
- Twycross Zoo: Homepage
- National Trust UK: Letocetum Roman Baths and Museum