"You are best writer in the whole damn universe!!! You are the Holy Typewriter of consumerism, ...
"You are best writer in the whole damn universe!!! You are the Holy Typewriter of consumerism, and the understated Barcode of reviewers. in my opinion" Timbo3107
Member since:22.02.2004
Reviews:288
Members who trust:80
Having grown up in Stratford Upon Avon I have visited Warwick castle a number of times over the years as it was one of those must see attractions whenever we had guests visiting and therefore I have witnessed how it has evolved over the years. Unfortunately in my opinion this evolution has not been a positive thing as it has gone from a great historical monument to a place that has more than just the hint of the theme park to it. When you realise that it is part of the Taussauds Group then it is not hard to see the cause of this change.
Do not get me wrong it is still a good family day out and one that most people will enjoy it is just that from a historical sense there is something antiseptic about the whole place mixed with the hint of fried onions and the potential for a roller coaster ride down from the highest Tower. It is not quite that bad yet and I do not believe it will ever get that bad but given the average intelligence of our American cousins who knows what impression they take back to the states of mediaeval England.
Getting There
The castle is as you would expect located in the centre of Warwick and I well signposted from the A46 and M40 junction 15. If traveling by train the castle is about a 15 minute walk from the station.
There are a number of car parks located around the castle and in the town. The main car park for castle visitors costs £3 a day which is pretty reasonable as you will also be able to explore the town at the same time and is a lot cheaper than parking in the pay and display car parks. The car park is a ten minute walk to the castle, there re a limited number of disabled parking spaces closer to the castle and a priority parking area which will cost £5 for the day.
Opening Times and Entry Costs
The castle is open to visitors every day of the year except Christmas Day and from 10.00am to 6.00pm in the summer, between October and March it closes an hour earlier.
It is not the cheapest of days out and the prices change
dependant on the time of year. The prices quoted are for the summer season (July to September) with the rest of the year being slightly cheaper. A family ticket (2 adult and 2 children) will cost £48 whilst individual tickets are £17.95 for adults, £12.95 for seniors and students and £10.95 for children (age 4-16). The cheapest time to visit is between October and January when a family ticket is £38. So if a family of four want to visit in the summer holiday you will have already spent £50 plus Gordon tax inflated fuel prices before you have even got past the first ice-cream vendor.
One of the cheapest ways to visit is to use Tesco clubcard vouchers as effectively you get entry at a quarter of the price, earlier in the year we had used them to purchase annual passes for the Taussauds group so that we could visit a number of attractions over the year. You can also purchase an annual pass just for Warwick castle which would give unlimited access for 12 months and starts at £38 for an adult however unless you live fairly local or have a fetish for armour I would question how many times you might use it other than to visit the grounds.
There can be long queues when arriving at the castle however it is possible to book your tickets in advance on-line.
A Brief History of the Castle
The earliest records of a castle existing in Warwick are from way back in 914 with the building of an earth rampart as protection against Danish invaders armed with slices of bacon. It was William the Conqueror who established a motte and bailey fort in 1068 and the castle started to take on the form it has currently.
Over the years the castle saw a number of changes, stone replaced wood in the construction and dungeons and additional towers were added. One of its most famous residents was Richard Neville who as the Earl of Warwick became known as the Kingmaker after he successfully helped to depose both Henry VI and Edward IV during the War of the Roses.
More recently it was used by the MOD in the second world war and was purchased by the Taussauds group in 1978.
Things to See
There is no denying that the castle is an impressive sight as it towers above the town of Warwick and being on the river it enjoys both some lovely landscaped gardens and some open fields as well.
There is a lot to see and it is definitely a full day out. Once past the ticket office there is a short walk up to the main gates which affords you a nice view of Guys Tower followed by the Gate House and Barbican.
Most people when they arrive immediately turn left and head for the Dungeon and Torture chamber. Access to this is limited as there is only one way in and out and hence a queue often forms and in my opinion is not the best starting point for a visit. My recommendation is to walk around the inner courtyard and get your bearings and then head up to the old mound which is the oldest part of the castle. There is a winding path up to the top and it then opens out into a lovely shaded area which has great views across the River Avon.
Departing the way that you entered you can then gain access to the Ramparts Walk which will take you up to the top of Guy's Tower which is the highest point of the castle. Be aware that the steps both up and down the tower are very steep, narrow and with limited light. A number of people reach the top and then have second thoughts about the trip down. The effort is worth it as you are rewarded with a great 360 degree view of the town and also of the castle itself. You can then walk across the ramparts above the gatehouse to Caesars Tower which gives a nice view of the old part of town.
Exiting at the foot of Caesars Tower you are right in front of the entrance to the Kingmaker exhibit and also the Dungeon.
The Kingmaker exhibit is a walk through showing scenes as Neville prepares his army for battle. The children enjoyed this as they could relate it back to their history lessons at school and the scenes show a Blacksmith at work as well as Armourers making chain mail and helmets. The models are very realistic and there is the occasional member of staff around in costume who delight in standing still and then moving to catch out the children. There has been a good attempt to recreate the smells and feel of a castle preparing for war and there is a quite impressive full size model of Neville horse fully armored ready for war.
Next door is the Death and Glory exhibit which is a really impressive collection of guns swords and lots of other sharp pointy things that you feel grateful are well secured to the wall and not in the hands of some rampaging football hooligan. I liked the fact that there are a couple of helmets for the kids to try on and also some swords (very blunt ones mind) that you can partially remove to get a feel for their weight. This was probably my favourite of all the exhibits and the displays are well set out with just the right amount of information with them.
The dungeons and torture chamber are nothing special, worth seeing but if the queue is to long come back later as you will be in and out within five minutes.
The main residential part of the castle is given over to a Royal Weekend Party where you walk through all of the state rooms which have been set up to recreate a Victorian house party. I liked the fact that this was an attempt to show the fact that the castle has a rich and varied history however this exhibit is beginning to show its age and could d with freshening up a little. However the highlight for me is that it culminates with entry to the Great Hall and State Rooms which is an impressive sight indeed. The great hall is decked out with more long pointy things on the wall and a number of suits of armour stand around it as if on guard whilst the state rooms have some impressive pieces of furniture and works of art.
Despite the number of times I have visited the castle this was the first time that I have ever visited the Mill and Engine House, located on the rivers edge the Water Mill provided all of the castle electricity until right up to the start of WWII. There s an interesting display of old turbine engines and it is well worth the nice scenic walk around the castle or down the steps that lead past the gatehouse.
In addition to the castle itself there are a number of events taking place at various times during the day. The most interesting for me was the Trebuchet which is an ancient catapult operated by men doing a pretty good impression of a hamster in a wheel. I found the talk on this informative and humorous at the same time and there is a definite wow factor when you see the device hurl a steel ball a great distance across the island in the middle of the Avon.
Other events included a Birds of Prey exhibit which was very informative, fighting knights which dragged on a bit in my opinion but the kids enjoyed and a Bowman demonstrating his skills and the use of different bows. All of these take place twice a day at different times so there is no problem visiting all of them and still having time to see all that the castle has to offer.
At the time of our visit there was also a Knights School for the younger children where they learned sword fighting, the use of armour and juggling skills, these were short 15 minute sessions and were really good however this was a special even and not on for the whole season however other special events do take place so check out the website before your visit.
Other Facilities
The castle is a great place to take a picnic as there are some lovely grounds in which to enjoy your lunch and this was the option we chose. There is a restaurant in the castle however I did notice long queues outside and at one point they had to close it as it was full up.
One of the things I did not like was the fact that around the outside and inside the courtyard there were a number of food outlets selling hotdogs, fish and chips, ice- cream and baked potatoes, whilst these give people choice they do tend to spoil the look of the castle as a historical monument and are part of the reason I felt it was heading towards theme park rather than historical sight.
Whilst they have not yet gone down the Alton Towers route of filling the place with game stall offering bright cuddly toys as prizes they have set up an archery section for the kids which charges an exorbitant £3 for 5 arrows. Also they have now started charging to visit the Ghost Tower (£2.50) which is an exhibit called Ghosts Alive, I refused to pay this as this exhibit used to be fee and I felt it was another example of Taussauds trying to squeeze extra revenues out of visitors.
The toilets were all clean but quite cramped however this is due to them being housed in an old building but be prepared to queue if you are from the gender that cannot pee standing up.
There is wheel chair access to most of the exhibits with some obvious exceptions such as the Towers and the dungeons.
I would recommend Warwick Castle as a great day out despite a couple of reservations that I have. It is quite expensive compared with other castles however there is a lot to see, my main concern though it that it has become a bit soulless and heading towards a theme park rather than a historical monument coupled with a move a try and get extra spend out of visitors I would give it only three stars.
Good and honest review. Personally i don't like the lack of atmosphere at Warwick castle, far too commercial.
mongo_bongocat 29.06.2006 02:29
Excellent review. I think the castle is a little commercial, but I think this probably generates quite a bit of business for the surrounding areas (hotels, shops, pubs etc.)
susie191 24.06.2006 21:25
We went at a halloween. It was a great afternoon out but you're right the pricing is expensive. It cost us well over £50 for a family of 6 just to get inside. Susie xx
NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
Advantages: Beautiful grounds, lots to see outside, a very popular 'must go to' tourist attraction Disadvantages: Can get extremely busy, expensive tickets (dungeon is additional)
gothic_moon 06.09.2009 ·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Warwick Castle
Advantages: Beautiful grounds, lots to see outside, a very popular 'must go to' tourist attraction Disadvantages: Can get extremely busy, expensive tickets (dungeon is additional)
gothic_moon 06.09.2009 ·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Warwick Castle
Advantages: Nice scenery on a sunny day, plenty of picnic areas & easy to get to Disadvantages: Too expensive, you have to pay cash for everything & the entertainment is poor
gemax2 16.06.2009 ·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Warwick Castle
Jun 17th, 2006
exceptional by (10%):
very helpful by (90%):
