About the Royal Palace Reborn project

The project will transform the Keep's internal spaces by reinstating its medieval floors and rooms so that everyone can experience a Norman royal palace and its stories.  

The project will also create a new visitor entrance, restaurant and shop. It is one of the largest heritage projects of its kind currently underway in the UK. The major funder is The National Lottery Heritage Fund. 

You can read more about what the project will deliver below. 

We'll be updating these pages regularly as more information about the reopening is made available. You can also keep up-to-date with what's happening by signing up to our regular museums ebulletin which contains information on events and activities across our ten museums. 

Thank you to our wonderful supporters, who are helping to make this incredible project a reality. 

Don't forget that while this work is being completed, there is still plenty to see throughout the rest of the Castle museum - from Egyptian mummies to polar bear, and beautiful artworks to ancient hand axes. Plus an exciting programme of special exhibitions and events. Visit the What's on and What's here sections to find out more. 

Norwich Castle: Royal Palace Reborn

Why are we excited?

We're turning the clock back 900 years when Norwich Castle's magnificent medieval Keep reopens in 2024, transporting visitors to the heyday of Norman England. Located in Norfolk in the heart of East Anglia, construction of the castle was begun by William the Conqueror; when completed by his son Henry I in 1121, it was one of the most spectacular palaces in medieval Europe.

Now, following a multi-million-pound redevelopment supported by a grant of over £10m from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Grade I-listed Keep will recreate the splendour of the building and lives of its inhabitants like never before. Made possible thanks to National Lottery players, it is one of the largest heritage projects opening in the UK in 2024.

Here are the top five headlines for the project:

Royalty revealed

We're recreating the palace of Norman kings - one of twelfth-century Europe's most important buildings. Visitors will be transported back to the 1100s to see Norwich Castle's Keep like they have never known it before. Floors that had been stripped out in preceding centuries are being fully reinstated, and original room spaces brought back to life.

The people's palace

For the first time ever, everyone will be able to explore all five levels of the Keep - from basement to battlements. Norwich Castle Keep will be the most accessible castle in the UK, accommodating wheelchair users, pushchairs and those with SEND requirements on every floor - uniquely, including the rooftop battlements.

Shining a light on medieval treasures

Norwich Castle's Gallery of Medieval Life: A British Museum partnership is the British Museum's first medieval gallery outside London. It will bring world-class objects to Norwich, complementing Norwich Castle's internationally important collections. More than 1,000 artefacts and treasures will be available for visitors to explore within the brand-new Gallery of Medieval Life, over 50 of which are on long-term loan from the British Museum. This reflects the long-standing partnership between the two organisations.

Keep learning

A place to keep learning - whatever your age. Norwich Castle has an exciting range of events and a wide-ranging education programme. The Keep redevelopment provides more opportunities for discovery and different styles of learning - from a bespoke Early Years gallery designed specifically to support our youngest visitors' learning, to VR headsets showcasing a reconstruction of medieval Norwich based on the latest research.

A jewel in the crown

Norwich Castle will take its place as one of the UK's premier heritage attractions. The Castle was of central importance to Norwich, medieval England's second largest city. Its significance was, and continues to be, a huge source of civic pride. The transformation of the Keep will give this rich history the prominence it deserves on the national stage.

This major redevelopment will boast many additional and improved facilities. A new entrance to the museum site will include a magical light-filled atrium adjacent to the Keep, which will set the scene and orientate visitors on their arrival. Affording spectacular new views of the Keep's east façade, this will showcase the Norman Keep that has become such a Norwich icon. With the site's much-improved facilities - including a brand-new café and gift shop, larger toilets and a Changing Places space - it will become a beacon for visitors, locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.