About
Nottingham Castle Museum & Art Gallery occupies one of England's most historically significant sites, crowning a sandstone outcrop that has been fortified since Saxon times. Following a transformative £30 million renovation completed in 2021, the castle has reopened as a world-class museum and visitor attraction combining art galleries, history exhibitions, and dramatic underground cave networks. The current ducal mansion, built in the 1670s on the site of a medieval royal castle, provides a magnificent setting for outstanding collections of fine and decorative arts, while telling the layered story of Nottingham's turbulent history from Saxon settlement through medieval warfare, Civil War siege, Georgian elegance, to Victorian industrialization and contemporary creativity.
The castle's medieval history reads like a chronicle of English power struggles. Built by William the Conqueror in 1068 to control the rebellious north, it became one of England's most important royal fortresses. King John held court here, Richard II was imprisoned within its walls, and during the Wars of the Roses it changed hands multiple times. The castle's most dramatic moment came during the English Civil War when Parliamentarian forces besieged the Royalist garrison for months before the castle's eventual surrender and demolition in 1651. The current mansion, built by the Duke of Newcastle in 1674-79, represents a statement of Restoration confidence, though it too has witnessed violence—burned by reform rioters in 1831, it was subsequently restored and opened as the city's first civic museum in 1878.
The art collection ranks among England's finest regional holdings, particularly strong in British art from the 18th century to the present. Works by Nottingham-born artist Richard Parkes Bonington, one of the most talented British painters of the Romantic period, form a unique collection documenting his brief but brilliant career. The galleries display Old Master paintings, Victorian narrative art, Pre-Raphaelite works, and contemporary pieces, creating dialogue between historical and modern artistic practice. Decorative arts collections include exceptional Nottingham lace, medieval alabaster carvings (a Nottingham specialty in the Middle Ages), ceramics, glass, and silver.
The 2021 renovation transformed visitor experience through immersive exhibitions using cutting-edge interpretation technology. The Robin Hood Gallery explores the legendary outlaw's enduring connection to Nottingham and the castle, examining how the medieval ballads evolved into global cultural phenomenon. Rebellion Galleries chronicle Nottingham's history of social protest from Luddites to suffragettes to contemporary activism. Perhaps most dramatically, the renovation opened previously inaccessible cave networks carved into the sandstone beneath the castle—medieval storage chambers, later used as slum dwellings and air raid shelters, now form an atmospheric underground tour bringing Nottingham's hidden history to light. The castle's commanding position offers spectacular views across Nottingham, while its walls, gatehouses, and grounds provide architectural drama matching the collections within.
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Highlights
Richard Parkes Bonington Collection
Nottingham Castle houses the world's finest collection of works by Richard Parkes Bonington (1802-1828), Nottingham's most celebrated artist and one of the most gifted painters of the Romantic era. Despite dying at just 25, Bonington produced an astonishing body of work and profoundly influenced 19th-century landscape painting in both Britain and France.
The collection spans his career from early Nottingham scenes through French coastal landscapes to Venetian views and historical subjects.
Bonington's watercolors demonstrate technical virtuosity—his ability to capture light, atmosphere, and fleeting weather effects with fresh, immediate brushwork influenced contemporaries including Delacroix and Turner. Oil paintings show his development of a loose, sketch-like technique that prefigured Impressionism by decades.
Works include Nottingham from the racecourse (showing his hometown before industrialization), sparkling French coastal scenes capturing the play of light on water and sand, and romantic historical subjects drawn from literature and history.
The collection also includes his studies and sketches, revealing his working methods and phenomenal facility. Bonington's tragically short life—he died of tuberculosis in London having achieved fame in both England and France—makes this comprehensive collection particularly poignant. It documents not just an individual talent but a pivotal moment in British art when landscape painting was being revolutionized and the foundations of modernism were being laid.
The Castle's Medieval and Civil War History
The castle site's 900-year history of conflict, power, and drama is brought to life through exhibitions combining archaeological finds, historical documents, interactive displays, and dramatic interpretation. Built by William the Conqueror in 1068 as part of the Norman conquest and control of England, the medieval castle became one of the kingdom's most strategically important fortresses.
King John (1199-1216) favored Nottingham Castle, using it as headquarters and royal residence—his hunting in nearby Sherwood Forest may have inspired the Robin Hood legends.
Richard II was held prisoner here before his deposition in 1399. During the Wars of the Roses, the castle changed hands between Yorkists and Lancastrians, witnessing the violent struggles for the English crown. The castle's most dramatic chapter came during the English Civil War (1642-1651) when it became a Royalist stronghold besieged by Parliamentarian forces.
The siege lasted months with intense bombardment, starvation, and eventually surrender. Following the Civil War, Parliament ordered the medieval castle demolished to prevent future military use, leaving only ruins. Exhibitions display armor, weapons, siege equipment, and personal items from these periods, while archaeological material from castle excavations reveals daily life from Saxon times through medieval occupation.
Digital reconstructions show how the medieval castle appeared at its height, and the cave networks beneath preserve physical evidence of the site's long military history.
Underground Cave Network Tours
One of the 2021 renovation's most exciting additions is access to the extensive cave network carved into the sandstone beneath the castle—previously closed to the public for decades. Nottingham sits on soft Triassic sandstone easily carved with hand tools, and for over a thousand years residents have excavated caves for storage, industry, habitation, and defense.
The castle caves include medieval storage chambers where castle garrison supplies were kept, a mortimer's hole (a legendary passage supposedly used by Edward III to capture Roger Mortimer in 1330, though this romantic story is disputed), Victorian-era slum dwellings where poor families lived in converted caves, and World War II air raid shelters that protected Nottingham residents during German bombing raids.
Guided tours descend through these atmospheric spaces, their sandstone walls bearing the marks of medieval picks and saws, Victorian graffiti, and wartime modifications. Temperature remains constant year-round at around 14°C (57°F), and the caves' acoustics create an eerie, resonant atmosphere. Interpretation brings alive the different eras of use: medieval soldiers storing weapons and food, Victorian families scratching out existence in damp underground conditions, wartime Nottingham residents huddling in darkness as bombs fell above.
The caves provide physical connection to Nottingham's layered history, preserved in sandstone rather than written records—a unique underground heritage found nowhere else in Britain on this scale.
Robin Hood: Myth, Legend, and Nottingham Identity
The Robin Hood Gallery examines the legendary outlaw's enduring connection to Nottingham and the castle, exploring how medieval ballads evolved into one of the world's most recognizable cultural icons. While no historical evidence definitively proves Robin Hood's existence, the earliest ballads (late 13th century) placed him in Sherwood Forest and Nottingham, creating an association that has shaped the city's identity for centuries.
The exhibition explores the evolution of Robin Hood stories from medieval outlaw ballads celebrating a violent, brutal robber to Victorian romanticization transforming him into a noble Saxon resisting Norman oppression, to modern reinterpretations as social justice warrior, romantic hero, or political symbol.
Displays include early printed ballads, illustrations from different eras showing how Robin's visual representation changed, film and television clips demonstrating global reach of the legend, and contemporary artworks responding to the myth. The exhibition asks critical questions: Who was the historical Robin Hood, if anyone?
Why has this particular legend endured when countless other medieval outlaw tales vanished?
How has Nottingham both shaped and been shaped by the Robin Hood association? What does Robin Hood mean in the 21st century—rebel, thief, hero, or all three? Interactive elements let visitors explore the Sherwood Forest landscape (much diminished since medieval times), map appearances of Robin Hood in global popular culture, and consider how legends function in society.
The gallery demonstrates how museums can critically examine popular myths while acknowledging their importance to local identity and tourism.
Collections
Richard Parkes Bonington Collection
World-leading collection of works by Nottingham's most famous artist, the Romantic painter Richard Parkes Bonington (1802-1828).
Robin Hood Gallery
Exploration of the Robin Hood legend, its evolution from medieval ballads to global icon, and relationship to Nottingham identity.
Rebellion Galleries
Nottingham's history of social protest, labor movements, and political activism from Luddites to suffragettes to contemporary campaigns.
Decorative Arts Galleries
Nottingham lace, medieval alabaster carvings, ceramics, silver, and other decorative arts reflecting local craft traditions and industries.
Cave Network Tours
Guided tours through underground sandstone caves beneath the castle, including medieval chambers, Victorian dwellings, and WWII air raid shelters.
Current Exhibitions
Contemporary Art Programme
Rotating exhibitions of contemporary art by regional, national, and international artists responding to themes of power, protest, heritage, and community.