Subscribe now for full access and no adverts
‘A castle is designed to keep people out – which isn’t very helpful for a visitor attraction.’ Dr Tim Pestell, Curator of Archaeology at Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery, was speaking at the official press viewing of one of the largest heritage projects in the UK to open this year. Over the last five years Norwich’s Norman keep has been the focus of the £27.5 million Royal Palace Reborn project (supported by grants from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Norfolk County Council), and now the 900-year-old fortification can proudly claim to be the most accessible castle in the country. For the first time, all visitors to the keep – whether travelling in a wheelchair, with a pushchair, or with other mobility needs – are able to access all five floors, from the basement to the battlements. The castle’s interior has also been completely transformed to evoke its 12th-century appearance when it was as much a royal residence as a defensive structure. Here, I should declare an interest: I was born in Norwich and spent many happy days exploring the Castle Museum as a child, so when I attended the press preview my expectations were high. I am delighted to report that they were absolutely exceeded by what I saw.
Founded by William the Conqueror, rebuilt in stone by William II, and completed by Henry I in 1121, Norwich castle crowns the tallest motte in England, representing an unmistakable stamp of Norman authority on the East Anglian landscape. It opened as a museum in 1894, but until recently its keep was essentially a stone shell, with a wooden balcony offering the only way to explore the historic building’s interior. Now, thanks to detailed historical and archaeological research, the castle’s medieval floor levels and rooms have been recreated and returned to their full glory. Every aspect, from textiles and wall paintings to furnishings and metalwork, is based on surviving examples or images in contemporary manuscripts and sculptures, and the result is a vibrantly colourful delight.
One of the most visually impressive areas is the Great Hall, whose oak-planked floor has now been fully restored, allowing full appreciation of, and access to, this soaring space. Instantly dispelling images of grim, grey walls, it includes doors clad in rich blue leather with swirling metalwork based on examples from churches at Raveningham and Haddiscoe, while the archways leading into other historical spaces are brightly painted in the Romanesque style that was so fashionable during the keep’s early occupation. Visitors are encouraged to fully immerse themselves in the hall’s regal atmosphere, whether wandering among its long tables, donning medieval costume, or even surveying the scene from one of two royal thrones. Every hour, the hall’s lights are dimmed and projected animations spill across its walls to illuminate dramatic events from the castle’s history.
In the keep’s basement an overlying Victorian floor that had created an artificially low ceiling has now been removed, and within the now authentically cavernous space you can learn about how the castle was built, and examine the excavated remains of pier bases as well as arrangements of modern lights which cleverly represent lost arcades. Other recreated rooms include the chapel and the royal bedchamber. This latter space is furnished with beautiful textiles created by an army of 50 talented volunteers who also hand-crafted new banners, wall hangings, and costumes that can be seen throughout the keep. Their star creation, however, is the Norwich Friends Tapestry: a 19.68m (64.6ft)-long embroidery inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry, depicting two East Anglian rebellions against William the Conqueror.
Medieval marvels
Complementing these sumptuous spaces, the keep has also gained an atmospheric new Gallery of Medieval Life, created in partnership with the British Museum. It contains nearly 1,000 objects, many of which are on public display for the first time, drawing together Norfolk Museums Service’s own extensive collections, 50 long-term loans from the British Museum, and selected artefacts from other institutions and private owners.
Spanning half a millennium from the Norman Conquest to the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the gallery’s displays are inspired by a medieval ordering of society that grouped people into ‘those who fight’, ‘those who work’, and ‘those who pray’. The evolution of medieval Christianity is a prominent theme, from the wide-reaching influence of the Roman Catholic Church to the shattering impact of the Reformation on long-held traditions and social structures. On a more local level, the major pilgrimage sites at Walsingham and Bromholm also feature, and as do objects reflecting the Jewish community that thrived in Norwich until they were expelled by Edward I in 1290.
The ruling classes are represented by an impressive arsenal of weaponry (including a complete 14th-century breech-loading cannon), as well as artefacts illuminating elite pastimes and ideas of courtly culture and chivalry. Highlights include two ivory mirror cases adorned with allegorically romantic scenes, and an ostentatiously carved ivory bobbin that was found within the keep and may have belonged to one of the castle’s high-ranking female residents. Royal finds include a vervel (a metal disc that would have been attached to the jesses, or leather leg straps, of a bird of prey) belonging to Henry IV, and seal matrices of the future Henry V when he was still Prince of Wales, and the future Richard III when he was still Duke of Gloucester. In contrast to these, there are also diverse artefacts reflecting the experiences, aspirations, and interests of the working people who made up the majority of medieval society, and highlighting how interconnected medieval East Anglia was with wider Europe. All of these are complemented by an array of audiovisual elements, from touchscreens to videos, which offer more detailed insights into the gallery’s themes.
The project also has an archaeological legacy to celebrate: the keep’s transformation revealed new details of the castle itself, too. Surveys, coring, and excavations undertaken ahead of construction and the installation of new services uncovered evidence of an earlier iteration of the castle ditch as well as a line of three postholes hinting at the presence of a previously unknown timber structure on the motte, pre-dating the stone fortifications that we see today.
Further information: Tickets cost from £15.30 for adults and from £13.05 for children; family tickets and other concessions are available; for more details, see http://www.norwichcastle.norfolk.gov.uk. You can also buy a Norfolk Museums Pass, which gives you free admission to all ten Norfolk Museums for a year.
All images: © Norfolk Museums Service
