Nottingham Castle closes after trust liquidated

Little is left of the original castle, with the gatehouse being mainly a Victorian restoration

Nottingham Castle has closed to visitors after the trust that runs it went into liquidation.

It comes 18 months after the attraction reopened following a £30m revamp.

In a statement, Nottingham Castle Trust said it was "saddened and hugely disappointed" to be closing.

It said visitor numbers had fallen "significantly below" the 300,000 per year it had targeted when it reopened in June 2021 after a three-year improvement programme.

The trust paid tribute to the "immense dedication of staff".

The castle and its grounds are now closed "until further notice" according to the attraction's website, and will come back under the control of the city council.

A planned Christmas market has also been cancelled.

As well as the castle building, caves beneath the castle rock were also restored

After two decades of false starts, a major revamp of the castle began in July 2018.

Almost all of the original medieval fortress had gone, leaving a small Victorian museum inside the shell of a 17th Century mansion, the main building on site.

The £30m project, which was partially funded with £8.9m from the city council, £7m from the D2N2 enterprise group and £13.9m from a lottery grant, saw a new visitor centre and cafe added, with existing galleries refurbished.

Robin Hood was referenced in an interactive children's zone and outside play park.

The trust had faced a number of controversies, including complaints about ticket prices, legal disputes with a former chief executive and accusations of a poor response to an alleged racist incident.

A statement said the trust faced a "fundamentally different social and economic environment" to that predicted

In its statement, it said: "This is a heartbreaking day for trustees, our staff, visitors, and the city.

"Despite the immense dedication of staff and volunteers, the castle is now closed to visitors.

"While visitor numbers have been improving, they have unfortunately remained highly unpredictable and significantly below forecasts, mirroring the difficulties seen across the whole cultural sector."

It added the attraction had a "particularly tough summer" and the trust faced "a fundamentally different social and economic environment" to that originally predicted.

Anyone with an annual pass or pre-booked tickets has been advised to contact liquidators using an email address included in the website statement.

Nottingham Castle timeline

• February 2010: Sheriff's commission puts forward idea of £25m medieval village attraction. It fails to attract sufficient investment

• December 2012: New redevelopment plans submitted to Heritage Lottery Fund

• May 2013: Bid for lottery funding rejected

• May 2014: New funding bid passes initial approval

• April 2016: Plans for £24m revamp unveiled

• November 2016: A total of £14m of lottery backing for the £30m project is confirmed

• July 2018: The castle closes with promises of a "world class attraction"

• June 2021: The castle reopens with a visitor target of 300,000 annually

• August 2021: Exhibition curator Panya Banjoko criticises the handling of her complaint about alleged racist abuse in the castle grounds

• August 2021: Trust CEO Sara Blair-Manning leaves her post

• October 2021: Ms Blair-Manning makes allegations of bullying. The case is ongoing

• November 2021: Staff write an open letter criticising the castle trust's handling of an alleged incident of racist abuse

• December 2021: Interim CEO Robin Bischert leaves his post, several months earlier than planned

• January: The Charity Commission issues "formal advice" to trust over its handling of the alleged racist incident

• February: The castle sees its 100,000th visitor since reopening

• March: Staff call for the trustees to step down

• March: An independent investigation backs Ms Banjoko. The trust says "significant lessons" have been learned

• September: The chair of Nottingham Castle Trust, Ted Cantle, steps down

A city council spokesman described the news as "a significant blow for the city and its visitor economy".

He added the council would be taking back control of the castle and consulting with partners with the aim of reopening the castle "as soon as possible".

Sharon Heal, director of the Museum's Association, said: "It is a reflection of the difficult situation facing many museums and heritage buildings post-Covid and in the midst of a cost of living crisis.

"Serious questions now need to be asked about the governance of the castle and what the next steps are to preserve this important collection and space for the people of Nottingham."