William the Conqueror’s Norwich Castle to Reopen Following $37 Million Renovation

In partnership with the British Museum, 900 Norman artifacts will be displayed across the reimagined space’s five floors

Christian Thorsberg | Daily Correspondent

August 14, 2025

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After a five-year renovation costing $37 million, a 12th century castle in Norfolk, England has once again reopened its doors to the public. 

Standing 89 feet tall, all five floors of Norwich Castle Keep, from the basement to its rooftop battlements, are available to visit beginning this week. Affectionately dubbed the People’s Palace for its new emphasis on accessibility, the reimagined space—featuring full elevator service, a new gift shop and a restaurant—is, above all, a throwback to its former look. 

Decades of research informed the castle’s reconstruction, which was primarily funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Norfolk County Council. Its interior includes restored medieval chambers, reinstated original floors, and repurposed furnishings from Anglo-Saxon East Anglia for the kitchen, private chapel, King’s chamber and Great Hall.

“I grew up in the city. I pretty much learnt to walk in the museum. It's such an important part of my life and to be part of such a transformational project is really special,” Hannah Jackson, the renovation’s project manager, tells ITV News. “It's such an iconic building from the outside but with this project we've managed to do that justice from the inside as well.”

Originally commissioned by William the Conqueror more than nine centuries ago following his invasion of England, Norwich Castle Keep has stood as a symbol of Norman rule in the heart of East Anglia. Completed in the year 1121 by his son, Henry I, the castle was used for roughly 500 years as a prison before being converted into a museum in 1894. 

As part of its reopening, the castle will also display more than 900 artifacts spanning centuries of English history—telling stories from the Norman Conquest, Tudor dynasty and the reign of Henry VII.

This exhibition, "The Gallery of Medieval Life," is presented in partnership with the British Museum, which loaned 50 pieces for the opening. The refreshed inventory is grouped into three categories—praying, fighting and working—as the museum aims “to tell a much broader story about medieval society, from everyday workers to members of the Church,” ArtNet’s Jo Lawson-Tancred reports. 

Featured objects include the Ashwellthorpe Triptych, an altarpiece painting and the earliest known commission from a Flemish artist for a Norwich family; the Bromholm prayer roll, a manuscript from the 1220s detailing Christ’s crucifixion; an ivory bobbin carved with human and dragon heads that most likely belonged to a high-ranking lady who lived in the castle; and the Matlaske reliquary pendant, made from gold and engraved with a scene of the crucifixion, discovered in the 1850s by a wagoneer. 

Astrolabes, oyster shell palettes, falchions and stained glass artworks are among the other items visitors can view.

“Norwich Castle Keep was one of the most spectacular medieval palaces in Europe, so I can think of no more fitting place for the British Museum’s first medieval partnership gallery to be hosted,” Nicholas Cullinan, director of the British Museum, says in a statement. “We are really proud to be part of this transformative project, which restores the Keep to its former glory.”

Listed as a Grade I building—the highest classification given in the United Kingdom, for a location's historic and architectural importance—the castle is also built atop the country's largest man-made mound and boasts a mighty perimeter of limestone walls. Inside, new audiovisual projections and virtual reality headsets will help transport guests back to the age of William the Conqueror.

"Anyone who has visited the Keep at Norwich Castle previously and now comes to see this wonderful redevelopment will be amazed," says Kay Mason-Billig, leader of Norfolk County Council, in a statement. "It now looks and feels like the medieval castle it once was following a painstaking and authentic redevelopment. Multisensory elements and interactive exhibits also bring medieval Norwich to life, fostering a deeper connection to the past for villagers of all ages."

Christian Thorsberg | Read More

Christian Thorsberg is an environmental writer and photographer from Chicago. His work, which often centers on freshwater issues, climate change and subsistence, has appeared in Circle of Blue, Sierra magazine, Discover magazine and Alaska Sporting Journal.