English Heritage Bolsover Castle Review
Bolsover Castle
Bolsover, Derbyshire
Reviewed by Helen Stewart
Bolsover Castle is a 17th Century medieval fortress which sits in the town of Bolsover in Derbyshire. We drove to Bolsover, but we soon gave up on our satnav as there were brown tourist signs to direct us to the castle car park, which was free. As the castle car park was full we found another free car park just opposite the castle. We were a party of two adults and two boys aged 10 and 6 and a girl aged 5.
On arrival into the reception and gift shop, we were met by a lovely English Heritage member of staff who welcomed us and informed us of the main features of the castle, including an optional audio tour with headphones and of a display of Cavalier Horsemanship trained Spanish horses to be held in the Riding House at 3pm.
Prices without gift aid are Adult £9.80, Child £5.90 and Concession £8.80. Bolsover Castle is open from 10am until 6pm. But please check the English Heritage website as there are a couple of weeks a year where the castle is closed.
Within the reception building there was a gift shop, cafeteria and separate toilets – all of which were well staffed, clean and well presented. We left this building to walk across the gardens towards the 17th Century castle but as soon as we left the reception we found a pleasant picnic area with a fenced off area for children to play. This area included a large purpose built castle for the children to climb into. We immediately lost all three of our children to re-enact a siege in this play castle for at least half an hour! It was a beautiful sunny spring day and so when the children returned we all sat at a picnic table to enjoy our lunch.
At the entrance of the castle we were met with impressive red wooden doors which led to a courtyard with a prestigious tree in the middle of a grassed area, all around were the castle buildings. The castle buildings were split into sections. The first section was the oldest working Riding House left in England! Attached to the Riding House were the old stables which have now been converted to a small museum with artefacts and information. Here you are able to sit and watch a film in a small theatre area about the castle’s history and its original owner Sir William Cavendish and the lavish parties he held for English gentry.
The next large section of castle buildings were some ruins of the original castle. Our children loved this large area as they were free to enter different areas and rooms and guess what life would have been like. The majority of walls were intact with fireplaces and flues but the roof, ceilings and floors of higher levels were missing. This fed their imaginations and they played being knights, princesses, serving staff and they enjoyed banquets.
Over a year Bolsover Castle holds different events for visitors to watch and join in. When we visited we were invited to watch a re-enactment of the Cavalier Horsemanship which was very entertaining.
Finally we entered another smaller courtyard with an interesting fountain staged in the middle in front of the ‘Little Castle’. The Little Castle was beautiful with majestic windows and turrets set on the edge of the hill. From the windows you could look down and see amazing views across the Vale of Scardale.
Inside the Little Castle the children loved climbing the stone spiral staircase to be introduced to the actual living quarters of William Cavendish. There were tiers of luxurious state rooms with carved fireplaces, murals, intricate carpets and beautifully restored interiors.
We all thoroughly enjoyed our time at Bolsover Castle, we learnt so much and would recommend it to others.
Rating: 4.5/5
Tickets (with Gift Aid): Adult £9.80 (£10.80), Child 5-15 years £5.90 (£6.50)
Bolsover Castle. Castle Street, Bolsover, Derbyshire, S44 6PR | 01246 822844
