Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery

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Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery Built as a royal palace over 900 years ago, now part of Norfolk Museums Service. Norwich Castle: Royal Palace Reborn OPEN NOW Part of Norfolk Museums Service.
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The medieval Castle building is currently closed for major redevelopment work. The museum and art galleries remain open, subject to temporary closures of some areas due to construction work. Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery is packed with treasures to inspire and intrigue visitors of all ages. One of the city’s most famous landmarks, it was built by the Normans as a Royal Palace 900 years ago. Now a museum and art gallery, it is home to some of the most outstanding collections of fine art, archaeology and natural history. Please note that this account is monitored Mon - Fri 9am - 5pm so there may be a slight delay in our response outside of working hours.

We’re so pleased to share the news that Norfolk Museums Service has been awarded £70,773 from the Museums Association th...
15/10/2026

We’re so pleased to share the news that Norfolk Museums Service has been awarded £70,773 from the Museums Association through their Health and Wellbeing in Museums Fund to expand our much-loved Community Culture Club, a programme for older adults living with dementia. The funding will allow us to adapt it for other underrepresented groups including older men, LGBTQ+ people and people affected by cancer.

Community Culture Club has been running at Museum of Norwich at the Bridewell since 2021 and uses the museum’s collections in a sensory and creative way to support wellbeing, connection and joy. Participants meet once a week for a session themed around a different object from the museum’s collection, with each session ending with a hands-on creative activity. Rather than reminiscing about the past, the group work mindfully in the present while making connections with each other.

We’re looking forward to working in partnership with some incredible local community organisations to reach even more people.

The Health and Wellbeing in Museums Fund from the Museums Association is a programme of grant-making, networking and learning dissemination, funded by the Julia Rausing Trust. It enables the development and continuation of groundbreaking health and wellbeing programmes in UK museums during a time of financial crisis and increasing demand for services.

New displays open today! From 14 October 2026, the anniversary of the Battle of Hastings, a selection of rare and extrao...
14/10/2026

New displays open today! From 14 October 2026, the anniversary of the Battle of Hastings, a selection of rare and extraordinary Norman objects from the world-renowned Wyvern Collection will be on display in the Gallery of Medieval Life: A British Museum Partnership here at Norwich Castle.

The objects date from the late 10th to the early 13th centuries, and many can be connected to items and designs depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry.

This display is part of Bayeux Around Britain, supported by WorldQuant, a nationwide programme designed by the British Museum to communicate the story and significance of the Bayeux Tapestry to as many people as possible. The new display at Norwich Castle is supported by the Norwich Freemen’s Charity.

Treasures from the Norman World: Loans from the Wyvern Collection will be on display until September 2027, celebrating the Bayeux Tapestry coming to England and bringing the story of the Norman Conquest to life ahead of the European Year of the Normans in 2027.

All images ©Wyvern Collection.

Our Relaxed Openings give you chance to explore our galleries at a more relaxed pace. We dim the lights and reduce video...
07/10/2026

Our Relaxed Openings give you chance to explore our galleries at a more relaxed pace. We dim the lights and reduce video and audio where we can, and we have a comfy, quiet space available in case you need a few minutes out. Our friendly front of house team will be on hand to give you a warm welcome and support your visit. Relaxed Openings may particularly suit visitors who are Neurodivergent and prefer a calmer, quieter sensory environment.

Relaxed Opening hours are on Sunday mornings between 10am and midday, and on Tuesday afternoons between 2 and 4pm.

Our Teaching Museum Trainees have been out and about!As part of the programme, the group visited Museum of the Broads an...
02/10/2026

Our Teaching Museum Trainees have been out and about!

As part of the programme, the group visited Museum of the Broads and RAF Air Defence Radar Museum to find out more about two very different museums and the stories they tell.

There was plenty to see along the way, from sitting aboard wherries to heading behind the scenes of a Cold War bunker. But the visits were also a chance to talk about the things that keep museums going, including fundraising, volunteer recruitment and the challenges and opportunities of running an independent museum.

The Trainees will now be putting what they’ve learnt into a report, looking at ideas and opportunities that could help shape the museums future directions.

A big thank you to both museums for welcoming us and sharing your knowledge with our Trainees!

Don't miss out - book now for a fantastic range of events running alongside our current exhibition, David Shenton: Kindl...
24/09/2026

Don't miss out - book now for a fantastic range of events running alongside our current exhibition, David Shenton: Kindly Ease the Tension! You can find details for all these events and book your place now here: https://ow.ly/zOXH50ZR3Wa

Miranda Boulton: Chain of Flowers: In ConversationSaturday 3 October 2026, 11.30am - 1.00pmJoin Cambridge-based artist M...
18/09/2026

Miranda Boulton: Chain of Flowers: In Conversation
Saturday 3 October 2026, 11.30am - 1.00pm

Join Cambridge-based artist Miranda Boulton and curator Dr Giorgia Bottinelli in conversation about Chain of Flowers, Miranda's current exhibition at Norwich Castle, which is on display until 6 December.

Miranda's practice explores ideas around memory and time, referencing the traditions of still life painting and abstraction with a mixture of vigorous and delicate marks. In preparation for this exhibition, Miranda visited Norwich Castle to see the works of still-life painters Emily Stannard (1802-1885) and Eloise Harriet Stannard (1829-1915), both prominent members of the Norwich Society of Artists. In 1820 Emily Stannard travelled to the Netherlands to study and copy paintings by Jan van Huysum at the Rijksmuseum. Miranda retraced her journey, creating an initial series of oil paintings on paper before moving to canvas.
Miranda and Giorgia will talk about the research, collections and travels that have informed the new body of work in Chain of Flowers.

This event has been organised by the East Anglia Art Fund and is free for EAAF members.
Reserve your place or join EAAF via their website: https://ow.ly/lT0P50ZLZxK

Photos by David Kirkham courtesy of the artist & Patricia Fleming Gallery.

With thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund / Norfolk County Council /Norwich City Council / VisitNorwich / East Anglia Art Fund / Art Fund / Arts Council England

Heritage Open Days UpdateNorwich Castle is now fully booked for Saturday 19 September.Please only attend if you have a p...
17/09/2026

Heritage Open Days Update

Norwich Castle is now fully booked for Saturday 19 September.

Please only attend if you have a pre-booked ticket, as we are unable to accommodate walk-in visitors.

There's still time to enjoy free admission some of our other museums on selected dates this week:

Elizabethan House Museum – Thursday 17 to Saturday 20 September

Museum of Norwich at the Bridewell – Friday 18 and Saturday 19 September

Ancient House Museum – Sunday 20 September

11/09/2026

The Bayeux Tapestry has arrived at The British Museum! It tells the dramatic story of the Norman Conquest in 1066, but have you ever wondered what happened next?

The Norwich Friends Tapestry explores the period after 1066 in the East of England through the tales of two unsuccessful rebellions against William the Conqueror. While the Bayeux original is almost 1000 years old, ours is a fresh-faced newcomer having been completed less than two years ago! It took our team of volunteers around 35,000 hours to painstakingly hand embroider the design using the original Bayeux stitch in English wool. The linen is from Bayeux and the colours are as close as possible to those used in the original tapestry. The whole piece measures 18 metres in length and now adorns the wall of the Great Chamber here at Norwich Castle.

The whole piece has been digitised by Curious12 so you can admire all the details up close alongside the original! This section shows the beginning of the tale of Hereward the Wake. Hereward is easily identified by his golden beard! 🧔‍♂️

Now that the school holidays are over, our friendly castle dragon is taking a break - so we’re inviting our youngest vis...
06/09/2026

Now that the school holidays are over, our friendly castle dragon is taking a break - so we’re inviting our youngest visitors to explore his den while he’s asleep! 🐲

Snap’s Den is a safe and welcoming space in the basement of the castle designed especially for children under 5. It’s a self-guided experience for just you and your little ones, with lots of things to touch, see and play with!

You can book Snap’s Den at the ticket desk along with your museum admission. You’ll get a half-hour slot where you and your family have sole use of the space, with no other visitors or staff. There’s no extra charge to book the space.

Find out more on our website: https://ow.ly/yHyt50ZJULG

Address

Castle Meadow
Norwich
NR13JU

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 10am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 10am - 4:30pm
Thursday 10am - 4:30pm
Friday 10am - 4:30pm
Saturday 10am - 4:30pm
Sunday 1pm - 4:30pm

Telephone

+441603493625

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