Medieval Siege in the Castle Review
Medieval Siege in the Castle
Arundel Castle, Sussex
23-25 May 2015
Reviewed by Laura Skinner
My family and I were invited along to review the ‘Medieval Siege in the Castle’ which was taking place in Arundel Castle in West Sussex over the May Bank Holiday weekend.
We arrived in Arundel at 10am on a Saturday and the view of the castle driving in is simply stunning. The castle is beautiful and sits high in the town and is just magnificent.
We parked in a pay and display car park opposite the entrance to the castle and when we arrived there was a short queue at the visitor entrance. There was plenty of staff waiting to assist visitors and point them in the right direction.
We were given Gold Plus Tickets which allowed my husband and I and our 2 young children access to the Medieval Siege, a tour of the whole castle, castle grounds and gardens.
The gardens are beautifully kept and around every corner the colours and vibrancy of the gardens was delightful and my children loved the many water features.
The theme for the siege was 1475 where Edward IV was King of England and the French Force have crossed the Channel to hold the Earl of Arundel fortress. There was a variety of medieval tents and displays set up throughout the gardens and people dressed up in character.
My children really enjoyed seeing all the costumes and cooking equipment and the characters were all very friendly and were keen to chat to us and tell us about the life in 1475. The highlight of the day was the re-enactment of the Castle Siege, where the French and English fought in heavy armour and the commentator was excellent at getting the crowd to join with cheering and clapping. There was several cannons firing which added to the atmosphere however was not enjoyed by my 4 year old son.
However my son and daughter both enjoyed looking in the museum shop and picked out a wooden sword and wooded axe to take home.
After watching the siege and archery displays we decided to tour the castle. The staff in the castle were all very friendly and knowable. The tour of the castle itself is quite long, yet it is most interesting but be prepared to walk a lot and encounter plenty of steps. My husband and I found it fascinating, and the artefacts in the castle are wonderful and extremely well kept. My children enjoyed seeing the dungeon however were quite exhausted by the time we had finished the tour.
There are very clean toilet facilities within the castle and also a restaurant, however we took advantage of the hog roast which was in the medieval display.
The Gold Plus tickets are priced at £20 per adult and our two children were free as they are under 5.
I feel the ticket prices are pretty fair as we did spend almost 4 hours there and did see quite a lot. The castle is simply beautiful and it really is something that everyone should visit and they will not be disappointed.
A fun and educational family day out. Visit the Arundel Castle website or see the What’s Good To Do Events Calendar for other great events at the castle.
Rating: 5/5 
For more information about events at Arundel Castle visit www.arundelcastle.org.
Arundel Castle & Gardens, Arundel, West Sussex, BN18 9AB | 01903 882173
