Norwich Castle

So, what do you think?

That's what we thought too - that's not a proper castle! What were they thinking ...?

But wait! There's more!

First we had to make some decisions about what to pay to go inside.



There are zones! We decided that - interesting as it might be - we had not come to see the art gallery. So we chose the castle and history zone, and then we opted for a guided tour of the battlements and the dungeon.

Just like the Tardis

The inside almost seems bigger than the outside - and certainly a whole lot more interesting. The outside facade was built in the Victorian era, but the inside is still very old.



There are lots of displays of different kinds, puzzles and games for kids (big and small), and models, and electronic displays and reconstructions. We found it very interesting.

There were guides who gave an interesting tour - for no extra cost - and as well as the dummies (above), there were various people walking around in period dress.



The Battlements

The battlements tour costs a little extra, and it's truly freezing cold up there at this time of year!



But the views, of course, were brilliant, and as we walked around each of the four sides of the castle keep we were told stories relating to buildings and landmarks we could see and the history of the castle over the centuries.

The Dungeons

For hundreds of years the castle became a prison. For a little extra again we did a tour of the dungeons below the section of castle outside the keep.



Obviously not a good place to take photos ... this was a dunking chair. There were a number of death masks - molds made from the dead faces of hanged criminals hundreds of years ago. Some of them had interesting stories to tell.

The Great Hall

In the main keep one of the displays was a model of the castle in its early days. I stuck my phone up to the window of the doll's house sized model and took a photo of the feasting going on inside.



The "Borrowers" (remember the old books??) would have fun in a place like that.

But all in all it is an interesting place, well worth a visit.