Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery
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.
Anglo-Saxons & Vikings
Norwich Castle has one of Britain’s most important collections of Anglo-Saxon treasures. Our new Anglo-Saxon and Viking Gallery tells the story of life in East Anglia after the collapse of the Roman Empire.
See a fascinating reconstruction of an Anglo-Saxon grave site, revealing how archaeologists gather evidence to piece together the social, economic and political life that existed a thousand years ago. Discover our wonderful collection of jewellery, including a stunning gold ‘Thor’s Hammer’ and the Bathilde seal, a tiny double-sided gold ring with an intriguing erotic scene on the reverse.
Boudica Gallery
Find out about East Anglia’s very own Queen Boudica and her Iceni tribe. Admire breathtaking displays of Iceni treasure and 2000 year old gold torcs or neck bands. Climb aboard a re-creation of an Iceni chariot and see what it was like to ride into battle against the Romans.
The Egyptian Gallery
Step even further back in time and experience the atmosphere of an Egyptian tomb with its ancient mummies. Find out more before you visit, by clicking on the link to view our themed online exhibition and collections database.
The Art Galleries
The broad spectrum of 17th - 20th century paintings on show demonstrates the rich cultural heritage of East Anglia. Immerse yourself in stunning English watercolours, Dutch landscapes and modern British paintings.
Enjoy fine examples of paintings by three generations of Norwich School artists, including its most distinguished members, John Crome and John Sell Cotman.
Discover wonderful collections of Lowestoft porcelain, glass and English silver. And trace the history of Britain's favourite drink in the Twinings Teapot Gallery with its colourful displays of ceramic teapots.
Please Note: Occasionally, Gallery have to remove objects from display or close galleries for essential maintenance.
VISITORS INFORMATION:
Admission Charges (from 1 April 2010)
| 2010-2011 |
Adult |
Conc. or Adult (in family group*) |
Young Person(4-16) |
| Castle Ticket (incl. Special Exhibitions) |
£6.20 |
£5.30 |
£4.40 |
| Special Exhibitions Ticket |
£3.30 |
£2.80 |
£2.40 |
Concessions are available for visitors with disabilities, over 60s and students.
Visitors with disabilities may bring one companion in free.
Admission to the shop, cafe and Rotunda information desk is free.
*A family group must include at least one child.
Pop in for a £1 one hour before closing.
Also 12noon - 1pm weekdays during school term.
Parking
Several car parks within 5 minutes walk.
Northampton Museum and Art Gallery
Northampton Museum & Art Gallery is the home of the World Famous Shoe Collection
A visit to Northampton Museum and Art Gallery will give you the opportunity to explore the amazing shoe collection recognised as a collection of national importance. You can also find out about the history of Northampton and see our excellent art and ceramics collection.
The Shoe Collection:
The Shoe Collection at Northampton is the largest collection of shoe heritage in the world and is designated as being of national and international importance. Its strength lies in its scope and range including everything from fine historic footwear to cast iron machinery, watercolours to hand tools, extensive archive to button hooks and shoe laces.
Social History Collection
The Social History Collection consists of about 28,000 items which illustrate life in and around Northampton from c.1600 to the present.
The collection covers - community life, working life, personal and domestic life, costume, lace and photographs
Military Collections
Museum is the home of Northamptonshire Regiment and Northamptonshire Yeomanry Collections. The collections total about 5,000 items and represent the history of the Regiment and include uniforms, medals, weapons and photographs. Museum displays at Abington Museum reflect the changing nature of the experience of soldiers over 250 years. It also have an archive of the Regiment particularly on the First World War.
Art Collection:
Fine Art
Museum have an excellent and broad collection of fine art - paintings, prints, drawings and sculptures. British art ranges from the late 15th century to the present day.
Some highlights are: Venetian masters such as Francesco Bassano, Bellucci and Francesco Guardi. British contemporary artists such as Hockney, Graham Sutherland, Derek Jarman and Nevinson. To see a full list of artists that feature in our collection, have a look at our Northamptonshire Artists
Ceramics and Decorative Art
The ceramics collection includes British pottery from the 16th century to the present day, porcelain from the mid 18th century to the present day, and Oriental pottery and porcelain (mainly Chinese with some Japanese and Korean) from c.100BC to the late 19th century.
The glass collection consists mainly of British and Irish pieces from the mid 17th to the 20th century, and there are small collections of enamels, ivories, jade and wood carvings and bronzes.
Archaeology Collection
The archaeological archive consists of about 6,000 boxes of finds from the Borough and County. The collection includes bronze age pottery, iron age finds from Hunsbury, Roman finds from Duston and Irchester, pottery, weapons and jewellery from Anglo-Saxon cemeteries as well as medieval material from the town itself and the surrounding area.
VISITORS INFORMATION:
Opening Times - our opening times are currently under review and may change in the summer. The current hours of opening are:
Tuesday to Saturday 10am - 5pm and Sunday 2pm - 5pm.
Closed each Monday and all Bank Holidays.
Access:
For independent information on disabled access go to DisabledGo the website that provides free detailed access information for disabled people.
Fully accessible - lift to all floors
Induction loop
Accessible toilets
Baby changing facilities
Assistance dogs welcome
Free admission
How to Find Us
The museum is located in the centre of Northampton.
Address:
Northampton Museum and Art Gallery
Guildhall Road,
Northampton,
NN1 1DP