Newcastle Castle - Newcastle upon Tyne

The Newcastle Castle has been recently reopened to the public after extensive renovation work. The £1.67m restoration project was completed in mid-March with the historic Black Gate officially reopening Saturday 21st March 2015.

The Newcastle Black Gate and Castle Keep have been subject to a vast amount of research over the last couple of years which has revealed a colourful and grim history. The uncovered stories include prisoners being hung drawn and quartered to an unusual tale of a youngster being killed by a flying donkey.

The Keep currently stands as one of the UK’s finest medieval stone castle donjon’s which is still open to the public. Visitors to the iconic castle will enjoy picturesque views, alongside in-depth history displays covering the backgrounds of castle inhabitants over the ages, and offering an insight into Newcastle's ancient heritage. From a royal fortress to grim dungeons, new exhibits allow visitors to experience what life would have been like for inhabitants in these two astonishingly preserved medieval buildings.

The Newcastle Castle has also hosted several ghost-hunting exhibitions due to its grim history and apparent sightings of The Poppy Girl, a previous resident of the castle who was jailed for owing people money and was beaten and died in the castle prison. Tickets cost £6.50 for adults and £3.90 for children (free for children under the age of 5), the castle is open all year round to the public from 10:00 to 17:00, 7 days a week.