Name: Bolsover Castle
Address: Castle Street, Bolsover, Derbyshire, S44 6PR
Telephone: 01246 822844

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Bolsover Castle

Play Area Closure

Please note, our play park is currently closed. This is to allow for the exciting work we have planned to repair and replace key areas of the park. We hope to re-open our Play Park from Sunday 21st April.

Easter Adventure Quest | 23 Mar - 14 Apr 2024

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The Big Brick Build 06 - 14 Apr

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Open daily, 10am - 5pm

See full prices and opening times

Address

Castle Street, Bolsover, Derbyshire, S44 6PR

Book online save 15%

Things to See and Do

Car-free Travel Discount

Escape the traffic and travel to Bolsover Castle by train, bus or bicycle and be rewarded with 20% off your walk-up ticket. Show your bus or train ticket, or bike helmet, at the point of purchase to receive your discount. English Heritage are working with Good Journey to encourage sustainable travel to Bolsover Castle, click here to find out more and for help planning your route.

What's On

Cavendish's Horses: Power and Grace at Bolsover Castle

Sat 20 Apr - Sun 21 Apr 2024 10am - 4pm
Community Day: Festival of the Arts at Bolsover Castle

Monday 06 May 2024 10am - 5pm
Kids Rule! at Bolsover Castle

Sat 25 May - Sun 2 Jun 2024 10am - 5pm
Cavendish's Horses: The Art of Manege at Bolsover Castle

Sat 08 Jun- Sun 09 Jun 2024 10am - 4pm
Knights' Tournament at Bolsover Castle

Sat 15 June - Sun 16 June 2024 10am - 5pm
Siege! at Bolsover Castle

Sat 27 July - Sun 28 July 2024 10am - 5pm
Cavendish's Horses: From Manege to Dressage at Bolsover Castle

Sat 17 Aug - Sun 18 Aug 2024 10am - 4pm
Legendary Joust at Bolsover Castle

Sat 24 Aug - Mon 26 Aug 2024 10am - 5pm
Lazy Sunday Music at Bolsover Castle

Dates from Sunday 1st – Sunday 22nd from Sun 01 Sep - Sun 22 Sep 2024 10am - 3pm
Halloween Half-Term at Bolsover Castle

Sat 26 Oct - Sun 3 Nov 2024 10am - 4pm
Half Term History Makers at Bolsover Castle

Sat 15 - Sun 23 Feb 2025 10am - 4pm

Bolsover Castle Timeline

1068A Norman Gift

William the Conqueror grants custody of his new castle at Nottingham and the large manor of Bolsover to one of his knights, William Peveril.

Find out more about the history of Bolsover Castle

1155Royal Seizure

Peveril’s son takes the wrong side against Henry II and forfeits his estates to the Crown.

1216First Barons’ War

A group of barons fight against King John after he refuses to accept the terms of Magna Carta. Bolsover Castle is besieged.

1322Temporary Abandonment

The garrison stands down and the buildings gradually fall into decay.

1612–17The Little Castle

The ruins provide the setting for the Little Castle, begun in 1612 by Sir Charles Cavendish as a retreat from his principal seat at Welbeck Abbey, a few miles away.

1617–33Fit for a King

Charles’s son William inherits. He completes his father’s decoration of the Little Castle and renovates the ‘old house’ with state apartments, a gallery and a hall.

1634Royal Feast

Charles I, Henrietta Maria, their royal entourage and all of Nottinghamshire’s and Derbyshire’s gentry feast at Bolsover. They are entertained by Ben Jonson’s Love’s Welcome at Bolsover.

1640–44Civil War

William is appointed commander-in-chief of the northern Royalist counties. After his wife dies and he loses the Battle of Marston Moor, he despairs and goes to Paris in exile.

1649Demolition

The Parliamentary Council of State orders the slighting (deliberate destruction) of Bolsover to prevent it being used by Royalists.

1660A Cavendish Return

William and his second wife, Margaret, return from abroad and begin to restore their estates. At Bolsover, they rebuild the state apartment in the Terrace Range and build the Riding House Range.

1770sRomantic Return

Bolsover passes through marriage to the Dukes of Portland. The Terrace Grange is unroofed, becoming a ruin that attracts antiquarian and artistic interest.

1833Guardians

John Hamilton Gray becomes vicar of the parish. He and his family carry out alterations and repairs to the Little Castle, where they live as guardians.