Castle Rising Castle

About

Castle Rising Castle was begun in 1138 by the Norman lord William d'Albini for his new wife, the widow of Henry I, and its keep is one of the largest, best preserved and most richly decorated in England, ringed by 20 acres of massive earthworks. In the 14th century it became the luxurious home of Queen Isabella, widow of Edward II. Climb the steps by the gatehouse to take in the scale of the banks, study the carved decoration on the keep, explore the Great Hall and find the early Norman church in the inner bailey, older than the castle itself. The castle is owned and run by Lord Howard of Rising, whose family has held it since 1544. Reviewers enjoy exploring the keep's passages and stairwells and the views from the ramparts, and an audio guide on the castle website plays on your own phone. Tickets are bought on arrival, and steep spiral stairs rule out wheelchairs inside the keep.

CastleParkingShopToiletsBaby changingAudio guide

ClosedPick a day for times and prices

Until 1 Nov: Daily 10:00–18:00
From 2 Nov: Wed–Sun 10:00–16:00

Closed 24–26 Dec

Today, Friday 2 October

Peak day

Castle Rising Castle10:00 – 18:00

Advanced bookings aren't available.

Peak prices, non-members

Adult£6.00 on the day
Child£4.00 on the day
Concession£5.00 on the day
Family£18.00 on the day

From English Heritage's published calendar, updated 1 October 2026, with dates up to 16 March 2027. Prices are without the optional donation.

PricingFree with English Heritage membershipEH memberFree entryNon-member£6

Free entry with English Heritage membership

Entry

Non-member prices

Adult£6.00

Child£4.00

Concession (over 60s, students with ID)£5.00

Family (2 adults and 2 children)£18.00

Pricing details

Standard walk-up price set by the castle owner (catalogue gives peak-band gate prices only, without donation). Tickets are sold on arrival, not in advance. Under-5s free. A premium applies to all visitors, including members, on special event days.

ParkingParking not known

The Trust's page does not say how parking is charged.

Parking details

Car park off Lodge Lane about 50m along a gravel path from the admissions building; uneven earth and grass surface. Charge not stated on official pages.

Pedestrian access also from Lynn Road. No designated disabled spaces.

Driving arrival: Castle Rising Castle Car Park off Lodge Lane (Google listing), matching the EH directions.

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Nearby

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4.1 mi

Castle Acre: Castle Acre Priory

10.8 mi

Castle Acre Castle and Bailey Gate

11.1 mi

Brancaster Estate

14.6 mi

Creake Abbey

14.9 mi

Opening times may change at short notice.

Open daily 10am to 6pm until 1 November 2026; from 2 November, Wednesday to Sunday 10am to 4pm (closed Monday and Tuesday). Closed 24 to 26 December 2026.

Tickets are not sold in advance; pay on arrival. English Heritage members enter free on standard days; a premium is payable by everyone, members included, on special event days. EH corporate partner membership does not give free entry here.

Owned and managed by Lord Howard of Rising, not by English Heritage; the shop is not run by English Heritage.

Toilets, including accessible toilets and baby changing, are in the car park; open daily April to October and at weekends only from November to March.

Accessibility: The admissions and shop building and the earth and gravel paths are accessible, but the keep has several sets of stone stairs, including narrow spiral ones, so it is not wheelchair accessible. Surfaces can be slippery when wet.

Parking: Car park off Lodge Lane about 50m along a gravel path from the admissions building; uneven earth and grass surface. Charge not stated on official pages.

Photo: DeFacto. CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Castle_Rising_Castle_2016.jpg. Resized for display.