lancaster castle

Lancaster Castle is so full of history and is very atmospheric - I loved the fact that it is not only a historic monument, but is actually being used as a current court and prison! We toured the dungeons, which was eery, and the 'drp room', where condemned prisoners met their final end....in full public view! Strange to think that this ancient place has seen so many important events - ranging from the last woman to be hanged in Britain, to the Pendle Witches trials. Amazing value for money, and a great cafe too!

A very enjoyable experience, guide very informative, nice cafe to enjoy coffee and cake after the 1.5 hour tour. Highly recommend and not expensive.

The guide was very interesting and informative and you could tell he enjoyed his job well worth the money lots of interesting facts and the cafe owned by nice was clean and the food very tasty and value for money

We found ourselves in Lancaster on a Sunday with time to kill and visited the castle with no prior knowledge that it was actually going to be a fascinating tour of a former prison and court. We were with our 5 and 7 year old children and the knowledgeable tour guide made his tour engaging and accessible for both children and adults with his knowledge and commentary on the justice system over the years. We liked it. The cafe was very friendly and efficient although there weren't many customers on a Sunday morning. It sells simple and quite healthy food at a reasonable price. And cake. There was plenty of room and somehow the acoustics were quite good so we didn't feel our children were disturbing others even though they were quite noisily perusing the gift shop section of the cafe. The loos are outside and round corner. The tour guide really made it so I guess it depends who you get I don't know if they are all as good as ours was. Or even the others might be better! On the day we went tours were every half an hour and you can only visit as part of a tour which takes 1hr 15mins.

Me and my friend regularly visit the castle; they always have good food and a great selection of cakes!We've been on the tour a couple of times and it's really fascinating and well presented. I'm looking forward to when they open up a bit more of the castle for tours...

Not only is the building interesting but the guide gives good background knowledge to the British justice and punishment system over the centuries. The courts are still in use. They are the oldest courts in England and the prison only ceased to function as a prison in 2011. Check if courts are sitting before you go.Visit is guided and lasts about 1 1/4 hours. Good carrot cake and a cup of tea.

A visit to Lancaster Castle is to step back in time. What a fantastic history and a privilege to be a Lancastrian born and bred. I'm so proud of my history here.

We joined a kids tour in the half term holidays. The tour guides were friendly but the cafe staff were not as welcoming and very very slow. Two young girls were behind the counter and although they were polite they went at a gnats pace. The tour was aimed at children and I'd suggest that it would be of interest to children 7 +. My 4 yr old got nothing from it and although my 6 yr old enjoyed it, most of the info went straight over his head. There are areas of the castle that photography is forbidden which is a shame as they are the interesting parts. If I'm correct you must book on a tour, you can not just stroll around so that may be of use to some people. As I say the tour guide was brilliant and knew his job so that's a huge bonus. Next door to the castle is lancaster museum that currently has a childhood exhibit on (not sure whether it's there all the time) and there are plenty of restaurants around.

This is not just another ruin: until 2011 it was a working Category C prison and is still used as a court. Access is by guided tour only and is fascinating. You are given lots of time to explore the rooms as well as being given heaps of relevant information and trivia. The building is completely intact, the courtrooms and the old and modern cells being on view. The grisly history is sure to capture the imagination of older children but younger ones may be a bit put off. An essential place to visit in Lancaster.

Our guide, Melvin?, was very knowledgeable about the castle. Whilst the newer, prisonish, parts are interesting it would be good to see the whole castle. The Health and Safety' angle of the old bits being unsafe are ok but we know old castles are unsafe so we should be able to sign a disclaimer , or our admission acknowledges it. With the whole castle accessible a definite 5 star.

Was a very interesting visit when I went and a fair price at the time. I believe more of the castle is open to the public now it is no longer a prison.

I was disappointed not to see more of the ancient parts of the castle. What we got was nearly all the more recent (200 years) additions with the majority of the tour spent in the criminal and civil courts complex in the newer areas. While that was interesting enough in its way, it isn't really what I expected from a visit to a castle whose origins go back almost 1000 years. All we saw of the keep was the outside wall, and the only other ancient part was a comparatively small round 'room' dating back some 800 years. Apart from the letdown of seeing very little of this huge castle, our group was way too big - I did a quick headcount and got around 50 people. The guide did a heroic job shepherding this many people around, but with some narrow sections necessitating single file, the bigger the group the longer the tour will take so it ran considerably over the advertised 75 minutes. We also had some very young children who could not be expected to stay still and quiet in a place which holds no interest for them, and were quite noisy at times which also held things up as the guide had to wait until he could be heard. Full marks to the guide, he was knowledgeable and interesting and did very well under trying conditions. There were hints that more of the castle may be open at some stage in the future. If I had my time again, I'd wait until then.

Lancaster Castle is an amazing historical landmark, but it is still going through the transition from a working prison back to its 'former glory' and it needs more 'oomph'. It doesnt seem to know what it wants to be yet, staged events, a music festival in the courtyard, promenade plays are all very good but it needs something, or someone to give it the wow factor it deserves.

It was amazing to learn about the many diverse roles and functions this building has had over the course of its long history. Formally a defensive structure, until recently a prison and still a criminal court. This castle immediately stands out from other similar places to visit in the UK. On my visit, access was allowed only as part of a guided tour and access to the criminal court was subject to proceedings allowing it. However may change in the future. Also our guide was very good and her well presented delivery of her knowledge really added to our experience.I would say that for an interesting and unique historical experience it is worth a visit if you are in Lancaster.

We took the kids to the Medieval weekend, it was great. Good value for money. Lovely cafe. The Castle tour is very interesting. I'm glad they keeping the castle for the people now