Nottingham Castle wins Heritage Lottery Fund bid

The original castle was torn down following the English Civil War and replaced with a palace

Plans to turn Nottingham Castle into a "world class visitor attraction" have been earmarked £12.9m of lottery funding.

A bid for funding was previously turned down by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The redevelopment plans include making more of the castle's link with Robin Hood, and opening up more caves beneath the site.

The £12.9m earmarked funding includes a £599,500 grant to develop the plans further.

A final application for the remaining £12.4m is then due to be submitted to the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) in autumn 2015.

Nottingham's official Robin Hood did a presentation to the HLF judges as part of the bid.

Mr Hood, also known as Tim Pollard, said: "I'm really pleased to hear the news.

"For years people have been wanting to make more not only of the castle itself but its rich and varied history.

"Now we can not only meet, but undoubtedly exceed, the expectations of visitors both from the UK and all over the world."

The overall cost of the project is estimated at £24m.

The medieval castle was one of the key defensive sites in the Midlands until it was demolished

The plans include:

• Bringing to life the history of the castle, from Norman fortress to Ducal Palace.

• Creating a nationally significant centre for learning about protest and rebellion.

• Improvements to the castle's existing museum, which contains heritage and art collections.

• "Revitalising" the Museum of Nottingham Life, housed within five 17th Century cottages at Brewhouse Yard.

• A new glass lift between the castle and Brewhouse Yard.

Ted Cantle, chairman of the Nottingham Castle Trust, said: "This is an opportunity to put the castle back where it belongs - at the centre of the city - and to make it a world class attraction.

"The proposals to create a Robin and the Rebels history gallery, together with the opening up of the medieval site and caves, will attract people from all over the world and boost jobs and the local economy."