"The history of this castle is incredible. We saw actual documents signed by Henry VIII and Elizabeth I."
"The castle has had several additions over the years with just below left of the bell is dated 1669 yet the next parapet has ancient arrow slits dated 10th to 14th century."
"Historic Rockingham Castle built on a fortified position with commanding views."
"Rockingham Castle, which was built by William the Conqueror, is the best example of a Norman castle in England and is approximately 450 years old."
"Loved the place.900 years old but a quaint, well maintained place which is actually lived in."
"A fascinating building inside and out, with great history and beautiful gardens."
"Castle and guides were great. Fabulous house and grounds. Very knowledgeable about history, architecture, contents & grounds."
Cons:
"Overpriced. This is not a castle but a child's playground now."
"I like this castle. But there are too much private apartments and rooms which not able to watch."
"It is a very impressive place to visit. The only reason I rated it so low is because it's a lived in castle and your limited to the parts you can see."
"Not much remains of the castle but the house is interesting."
"Only went into 5 rooms, which I felt we were rushed to go in and out, so didn't have time to look at anything."
"Well worth a visit although sadly I consider it expensive seeing how much of the property is closed to the public."
"I was disappointed to find that no rooms upstairs were open."
Events and Activities
Pros:
"Came here for the Victorian Christmas house tour. It is a gorgeous place but a little unfortunate you don't see many rooms."
"Great venue for the Queen/ABBA tribute band. The whole place was rocking."
"We went for the easter event it was a great experience they had a easter puzzle hunt for the kids and they got a chocolate egg at the end."
"Went to the Halloween event. Great day with the kids."
"Had a fun evening watching Bohemian Rhapsody film big fan of Queen friendly happy atmosphere."
"Their events are really good have been to the horse trials, the jousting which was brilliant and the recent food fair."
"The 'Victorian Christmas' tour at Rockingham is very good."
Cons:
"We went to the food and drink festival the stalls were good but the lay out wasn't good for people with disabilities."
"We bought a ticket to the castle but were not allowed in with a pram."
"Very dissapointed, this was our second and last time... on top of ticket price you now have to buy your mulled wine and mince pie."
"We felt a little let down by the viking day event. Wasn't much on for the cost."
"Awful fair, Rockingham Country Fair. Was a complete waste of money and I would not return."
"Victorian Christmas Event. Hum bug...Very dissapointed, this was our second and last time."
"Despite my disabled wife being charged full price for garden admission the paths were difficult and steep in places and ramp locations illogical/ non existent."
Staff and Service
Pros:
"The staff are all so friendly and helpful."
"Lesley was a lovely friendly guide, very informative about the history of the castle and Gardens."
"Staff were very helpful and well trained when needed to look after a visitor who slipped on wet ground after a downpour."
"All the staff working there were very friendly, helpful and happy despite it pouring down with rain."
"The guides are full of information and freely talk continuously, giving snippets of historical information about the castle."
"This is a wonderful historic site with delightful and knowledgeable staff."
"Nephew's Wedding venue, Absolutely brilliant, staff were Top Notch, we had a tour of the Castle, steeped in so much history... Highly recommend Venues or Visits...."
Cons:
"Tour guide was not good, then on top of ticket price you now have to buy your mulled wine and mince pie."
"Café food OK but quite expensive. Service not fast and some staff clearly working much harder than others."
"Our visit was somewhat marred by the manner and attitude of some of the staff/helpers."
"Greeted on entrance by a very grumpy lady who obviously couldn't cope. Very rude attitude."
"Some rude members of staff though."
"We did not get information about this before buying the ticket. We did not get a refund. Disappointment."
"The only downside was the lack of toilet facilities 6 in total for approximately 1000."
Facilities and Accessibility
Pros:
"Mini bus transport from car park to castle provided because of heavy rain. Very thoughtful."
"There's a tea room with covered seating outdoors, and toilet facilities."
"The castle and grounds are beautiful with a tea room (seating indoors and outdoors) a fantastic view."
"Decent tea room with freshly prepared food."
"The coffee shop was a Takeaway service. It offered baguettes, soft drinks, cold drinks and ice creams."
"There is a tea room inside that serves great coffee and snacks."
"Restaurant had good quality home made lunches and snacks. Cakes were outstanding."
Cons:
"Opening hours need to be advertised better when you're buying the ticket."
"The cafe couldn't really cope with the amount of people."
"Lovely grounds and gardens, good luck getting in the tea shop around all the pensioners in buses!"
"Take your own food as limited choice and space in the tea room."
"Parking is quite a way from the entrance so be prepared to walk down then up a hill on your way back."
"It was a little difficult in parts as my companion was in a wheelchair and the fair was on 2 different levels and getting from one to the other was difficult as the slope was rocky and couldn't get it up the steps."
"Don’t take a buggie or pram into the castle, it’s is NOT accessible."
Value and Pricing
Pros:
"Good value and nice staff, can't take photos bit of a shame would love to share the experience of the Victorian Christmas, well-priced gift shop and the food was very nice."
"Well worth the visit and repeat visit."
"Great time at the Castle, we got there early and the staff bent over backwards to get us in and sorted. Castle Halloween event was super fun."
"The castle is a popular tourist attraction and is set in acres of gardens and has spectacular views of the five counties which surround it 10/10."
"The grounds gave my heart such joy and to be able to buy Annual membership at such a convenient price for all pockets, simply a no brainer for me."
"Well worth the trip and I will definitely come back to see the gardens in different seasons."
"Visited here recently to watch pride and prejudice open air theatre. What a lovely venue with the sun setting behind our backs whilst we enjoyed our evening picnic."
Cons:
"Overpriced. This is not a castle but a child's playground now."
"Café food OK but quite expensive. Service not fast and some staff clearly working much harder than others."
"The food here was good but overpriced."
"2 stars down as, despite being happy to take my £15 at the gate at 12, they conveniently forgot to mention that the castle itself doesn't open until 1pm!"
"The car park was £5. This was the most expensive site in Europe and had absolutely no value."
"The only ice cream available was made with goats milk which is an acquired taste."
"Very dissapointed, this was our second and last time... on top of ticket price you now have to buy your mulled wine and mince pie."