Lancaster Castle, Lancashire. Fees vary

Details

Accessibility:

There is no visitor parking on site, however: if you have a disability you can call 01524 64998 to arrange assistance to the castle grounds. It is located at the top of a hill so please be aware that all routes are fairly steep.  

On-site wheelchair access is very limited. The cafe/shop and reception area are accessible from the courtyard and there is a virtual tour with 360 degree views of the site for anyone that is not able to visit the rest of the castle which has steps throughout the guided tour areas. 

There is an onsite cafe/gift shop available to the public without charge however in order to access/ view the castle interior you will have to purchase a guided tour. See https://www.lancastercastle.com/tours-visits/

Brief Description:

Lancaster Castle is 1,000 years old & open daily for special events, group bookings and guided tours.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancaster_Castle

2026: "Lancaster Castle is a medieval castle and former prison in Lancaster in the English county of Lancashire. Its early history is unclear, but it it was most likely founded in 1092-4 on the site of a Roman fort overlooking a crossing of the River Lune. In 1164 the Honour of Lancaster, including the castle, came under royal control. In 1322 and 1389 the Scots invaded England, progressing as far as Lancaster and damaging the castle. It was not to see military action again until the English Civil War. The castle was first used as a prison in 1196 although this aspect became more important during the English Civil War. The castle buildings are owned by the British sovereign as Duke of Lancaster; part of the structure is used to host sittings of the Crown Court.

Until 2011 the majority of the buildings were leased to the Ministry of Justice as HM Prison Lancaster, after which the castle was returned to the Duchy's management. The castle is now open to the public seven days a week and is undergoing a large-scale refurbishment. There is a large sweeping public piazza, allowing access to the cloistered area, renovated in 2019. A new section of the café has been built, against the old outer curtain wall, which was reduced in height to afford views of the neighbouring Lancaster Priory. This is the first 21st-century addition to the castle. Another renovated building adjoining the café is leased to Lancaster University as a campus in the city with small conference facilities. A large-scale refurbishment of the castle has been underway since 2011. In 2016 Historic England commissioned a tree-ring analysis of oak and pine timbers in the Keep and Gatehouse. The oak timbers in the Keep's undercroft were shown to have been felled in the 1380s, whilst those from the Great Hall were probably felled slightly later, towards the end of the fourteenth century or very early-fifteenth century. The oak timbers in the Gatehouse were probably felled in, or around, AD 1404.[43]

The latest phase, started in September 2017 and completed in November 2019, has opened up the former prison kitchen yard.[44][45] This phase created a new teaching centre, as well as more than 5,000 sq ft of space, in which the Duchy has leased a section of the old kitchen to local coffee roasters and tea merchants, J. Atkinson & Co. (established 1837) to run a café.[46][47][48] "

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancaster_Castle#Layout

Address:

The Castle, Castle Hill, Lancaster LA1 1YL, UK

E-Mail:

info@lancastercastle.com

lancastercastle@lancanshire.gov.uk        

Phone:

01524 64998

Website:

http://www.lancastercastle.com/

Directions:

0.3 miles North of Lancaster city centre, Lancaster Castle is signposted on the M6 - From the North please exit at Junction 34 and if travelling from the South please exit at Junction 33. The entrance to the castle is opposite Lancaster Priory Church, which is the parish church for the centre of Lancaster.

OS SD 473618

Opening Times:

See https://www.lancastercastle.com/tours-visits/

Transport:

Lancaster Castle is 300m West from Lancaster Railway Station.

Accessible via car. 

For more travel information go to https://www.traveline.info/ or call 0871 200 22 33.

Amenities:

There is an on-site cafe/gift shop available to the public and plenty of cafes & shops across the city of Lancaster for any other requirements.