One of the City's most famous landmarks, Norwich Castle was built by the Normans as a Royal Palace 900 years ago. Used as a prison from the 14th century, the Castle became a museum in 1894.

Now the County's principal museum, the Castle is packed with treasures to inspire and intrigue visitors of all ages. Its outstanding collections of fine art, archaeology and natural history are of national importance and include the best collections anywhere of paintings by the Norwich School of Artists and the world's largest collection of ceramic teapots.

The Castle Keep

Enter the keep through the Bigod Arch, the original entrance to the Royal Palace, and see elaborate carvings in the stonework. Explore the garderobes (five ‘four-berth’ toilets), walk around part of the original fighting gallery and descend a 900 year old spiral staircase.

Find out what life was like in the Norman keep through touch screens and computer animation. Peep through the windows of a giant model of the keep and see King Henry I and his courtiers at a 'crown-wearing feast' in 1121 when he spent Christmas in Norwich.

Walk round a special display about life at the Castle when it was a prison and read original graffiti made by prisoners. Feast your eyes on impressive displays of Norwich Silver and the Norwich Civic Regalia. Say hello to 'Snap', our famous snapdragon, who was once part of the Norwich's historic pageantry. See him set against a colourful re-creation of a medieval street scene.

In the keep basement, models show what the Castle looked like when it was being built. Try the hands-on exhibits to understand the challenges facing the Norman masons and architects.

Opening times and Admission charges visit - Norwich Castle Website