Visited June 2025

We have been wanting to visit this castle for a long time, but for a variety of reasons, had not managed it. One of the reasons is the restricted opening hours- the castle opens on Wednesdays, Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays from 2-5pm. The rest of the time it is closed as it is a  private residence. The afternoon-only opening times had been a problem for us as we are usually the 'get there early in the morning' type of visitors. However, we finally found ourselves in the right place at the right time and had a fantastic visit to this castle!

Review

First things first. On arrival, there is a large car park with the only toilets for the castle situated here, so make sure you use them before you enter the castle otherwise you will have to go back out again if you need to go later!

On the approach to the castle from the car park there is the church of St Mary, which is still in use. Shortly after passing the church you will see the gatehouse, accessed via a bridge over the moat. This is a picturesque entrance, and it is worth  savouring the view for a moment or two. Once you are over the bridge you pass through the gatehouse and there will be a ticket stand where you pay your entrance fee.

The interior of the castle is open to visit, visitors are free to walk through themselves but there are stewards dotted around to answer any questions. We were especially delighted when we were in the dining room, and a member of staff suddenly appeared from behind the panelling that was actually disgusing a secret door leading to the private area of the castle! Once you know it is there you can see where the door is, but if you didn't know you probably wouldn't pay it any attention. It might be a fun task to set the kids; to try and find the secret passage!

The Great Hall is also interesting, with lots of armour on display, and Mum loved the ancient feel of the Groined Passage with its grand arches reminiscent of an abbey. Other places of note are the roof top terrace with amazing views over the grounds, and a room known as the Council Chamber, which was at one time referred to as 'a room which hath no ears' by a group who met there regularly during the reign of Charles I, to secretly discuss the autocratic nature of the king's rule. This included the then owner, Lord Say and Sele, whose descendants still own the castle to this day. The current owners are the Fiennes family, who are distantly related to actors Ralph and Jopseph Fiennes, and the explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes. The castle still feels very much like a well- loved family home, which adds to the feeling of pride in the property which is clear to see by its immaculate presentation.

A little bit of the castles history; it was originally built by John de Broughton in the reign of Edward I, who chose a site at the confluence of three streams which he used to create a moat. By 1377 it was in the ownership of William Wykeham, who is the ancestor of the present day Fiennes, and it has remained in the same family since then. It was William's  great -nephew who added the battlements to the gatehouse to give the old manor house a more of a castle-like appearance. Further renovations were then carried out by successive owners , including the repair of Civil War damage. Today the peaceful exterior couldn't be further away from military events, with the gardens being the absolute jewel in the crown of this castle. They are beautifully planted and maintained, and are a pleasure to explore for all ages.

The castle has a tea room with indoor and outdoor seating, and a gift shop. As mentioned, the toilets are back in the car park. It is a really stunning castle and well worth a visit in you are in the area!

More info:  Broughton Castle