Nottingham Castle Transformation Project Page:1
Nottingham Castle Transformation Project Nottingham Castle Transformation Project
Overall 213 respondents completed this questionnaire. The report has been filtered to show the responses for 'All Respondents'.
The following charts are restricted to the top 20 codes. Lists are restricted to the first 100 rows.
Which of these activities have you done in the last 18 months?
Visited a museum (158) 77%
Visited a historic or heritage site (170) 83%
Gone to the theatre (139) 68%
Attended a sporting event (71) 35%
Attended a concert (123) 60%
Which of the following destinations have you ever visited? PLEASE TICK ALL THAT APPLY
Nottingham Castle (200) 95%
Chatsworth House (146) 69%
Warwick Castle (90) 43%
National Space Centre (52) 25%
Lincoln Castle (104) 49%
Galleries of Justice (112) 53%
Bolsover Castle (56) 27%
Hardwick Hall (88) 42%
I have not visited any of these destinations (6) 3%
Other (45) 21%
Please state Nottingham Contemporary Various and numerous galleries museums Etc Numerous (too many to mention!) museums, castles & other destinations thorughout the UK Nottingham castle caves, Wollaton palace
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Nottingham Castle Transformation Project Please state I don't know what exactly would qualify a destination as "other" - any destination at all which I have ever visited? Or are we just talking East Midlands historical tourist attractions? In which case you should specify this in the question. For the sake of argument, let's assume that is what you mean, and say I have been to Calke Abbey. Wollaton Hall, Newstead Abbey, various Geo-caches across the UK, Harvington Hall, Peterborough Cathedral, Haddon Hall, Newark Castle Pickering castle Wentworth castle Nottm Contemporary art gallery. Wollaton Hall. Djanogly art space Haddon Hall Newstead,Tower of London,Castle Howard,loads more Too numerous to mention. All over the UK, Europe and Asia. Haddon hall, wollaton hall Haddon Hall Wollaton Hall Wollaton Park, Richard 111 Exhibition, Rufford Abbey, Newark Castle, Newark Civil War Museum and many museums and galleries in London Rufford Abbey/Park, Thursby Hall cresswell craggs Countless N.T places in England Loads, too many to list. Attended the castle for a family day out a few times during the summer and also on light night. Took the children for a day out to the national space centre Ludlow Castle Haddon, Keddleston, Calke, Southwell Minster, Sherwood Forest, Various venues in London Haddon Hall, Clumber Park and Byron's Home, Belvoir Castle, Wollaton Hall, Shakespeare's houses - Stratford, Anne hathaway, Mary Ardens etc and theatre and many National Trust properties in Warwickshire, Djanogly Art Gallery, Lakeside lecture theatre, Archeological Museum, Djanogly recital hall, Framework Knitters museum, Ruddington Railway centre (great for little ones! National Gallery London, Imperial War Museum, Fountains Abbey, York Minster, Pontefract Castle, Wollaton Hall, Newstead Abbey, Wolaton Park Rufford Abbey Newstead Abbey & Clumber Park Newstead abbey Burghley House Tamworth Castle e.t.c. Don't be silly, there are loads. Lincoln Richard 3rd museum many, many more! More than I can remember, but including Nottingham Caves, Newstead Abbey, Easton Walled Garden, Ham House, Operating Theatre recently Newstead Abbey ; Wollaton Hall; Abbey Pumping Station, Leicester; St Barnabas Cathedral, Nottingham. Southwell minster, Lincoln Cathedral, St. Mary's, Nottingham ; Newcastle's Town Wall Various castles, historic sites and similar tourist attractions on UK holidays which we take three or four times par annum Blenheim palace corfe castle various national trust places Many heritage sites in London & throughout the UK - too many to detail
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Nottingham Castle Transformation Project Please state football ground Edinburgh UNESCO Heritage Site, Harlech Castle, Pembroke Castle, Giants Causeway, Titanic Quarter Belfast .... Loads of others Kedleston Hall and numerous other National Trust properties.
How many times have you visited heritage/cultural destinations (such as those listed above) in the last 12 months?
Once (27) 13%
Twice (31) 15%
3 or 4 times (85) 40%
Once a month (33) 16%
Only occassionally (25) 12%
I have not visited any destinations (10) 5%
If you were choosing a heritage site or historic building to visit, which of these are important to you? PLEASE TICK ALL THAT APPLY
Lots to do for children (64) 30%
Is associated with a famous person (61) 29%
Tells me more about the place I live in (134) 64%
Has a great exhibition I can't see anywhere else (150) 71%
Has a one off event I want to see (108) 51%
Tells me more about British History (161) 76%
Has beautiful works of art to see (118) 56%
Has a great cafe and retail offer (86) 41%
Has lovely outdoor space (152) 72%
Other (15) 7%
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Nottingham Castle Transformation Project Please tell us more Not too expensive for a family visit, not too crowded, has convenient opening times. Has decent car parking and / or public transport links. It has disables access It has to be accessable I think that an interactive feature for adults as well as children is a must. Price Does not charge an exorbitant entrance fee. it is inexpensive Will provide more information on how Nottingham was renowned for its lace. Is accessible by public transport. Is authentic Doesn't cost too much inc any parking (we don't all use public transport). Easy access to the public e.g. Parking Superb gardens/grounds. Is dog friendly - even if only in the grounds. This is our number one priority when deciding whether to visit. National trust site because we are members so its free entry.
What is Nottingham Castle to you? PLEASE TICK ALL THAT APPLY
A site of historical interest/importance (161) 76%
A great family day out (37) 18%
A museum (146) 69%
An art gallery (125) 59%
The home of Robin Hood (52) 25%
A beautiful open space in the City (118) 56%
A great place to view the City (146) 69%
Boring and old fashioned (27) 13%
It is of no interest to me (6) 3%
Other (17) 8%
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Nottingham Castle Transformation Project Please tell us why? It is just the remains of a castle It's NOT a castle (it should be called the former site of nottingham castle) and it's so embarrassing when people and tourists ask where it is, I now advise people not to waste their time with the "castle" and go to Newstead abbey instead Expensive, random museum The place lives upon the fallacy of being something special. In fact, it does not relate to people in the city at all. It is a previously burned Castle from where one can see the city. Full stop. If anything has been done there that actually calls for the people it has to be related to beer, like everything else in these formerly-important places always relate to beer festivals these days. I don't see myself as part of the castle and the castle as part of my town. Maybe I am being over negative, but what I feel when I go there is just liek looking at a flat place where nothing happens but people are inckined to think that has huge importance.
Please state When my children were young, it was a good place to drop in to let them play in the playground or spend an hour or two looking at the child-friendly exhibits in the castle, without having to pay for entrance. Also it is a good place to visit the Beer Festival and other community events which are sometimes held in the grounds. It was once a great museum but all the exhibits were taken away and stored so no-one can see them, and little effort has been put into it ever since Contains the Sherwood Foresters Museum A backdrop to my residence as I live in The park Hosts the biggest & best beer festival in the world. Fab outdoor theatre. A great place for events - e.g. the Robin Hood Beer Festival and New Years Eve celebrations. A timeline of the development of Nottingham I am really excited to hera that the works will finally take place. The Castle has so much potencial and hopefully will transform into something more inetersting and attractive that it is now. Something as far from being a 'castle' as one could get! A second rate, run down, unininteresting, uninspiring ducal palace whose only claim to fame is that it occupies a world famous site and pretends to be something it isn't. There's barely anything in the castle to see. The quality of exhibitions and format is variable. There ARE good initiatives and specifically SOME of the exhibitions are excellent. I think there is room for stronger meritocracy regarding invited artists ....Nottingham SHOULD champion its most gifted artists graduate or otherwise.It would be unfair to be overly critical but by the same token it would also be wrong to claim there is NOT significant room for improvement An old manson house that looks nothing like a castle and something I am ashamed of when showing visitors around this ruined city a bit inaccessible. I'd go more often but even as a city resident have to pay to go into the grounds Very expensive for a family outing dependant on day of week visiting Home of the Nottingham Beer Festival
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Nottingham Castle Transformation Project When was the last time you visited Nottingham Castle?
In the last 6 months (85) 40%
In the last 12 months (61) 29%
In the last 5 years (47) 22%
Less frequently (14) 7%
When I was a child (2) 1%
I have not visited Nottingham Castle (2) 1%
What stops you from visiting Nottingham Castle Time as I run my own business time
On your last visit to Nottingham Castle how would you describe your visit? (The buidling and grounds were well maintained and attractive)
Strongly agree (68) 33%
Agree (110) 53%
Neither agree/disagree (28) 13%
Disagree (3) 1%
Strongly disagree (-)
On your last visit to Nottingham Castle how would you describe your visit? (The exhibitions and displays were relevent and interesting)
Strongly agree (29) 14%
Agree (92) 44%
Neither agree/disagree (64) 31%
Disagree (15) 7%
Strongly disagree (8) 4%
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Nottingham Castle Transformation Project On your last visit to Nottingham Castle how would you describe your visit? (The staff were friendly and welcoming)
Strongly agree (37) 18%
Agree (102) 49%
Neither agree/disagree (62) 30%
Disagree (6) 3%
Strongly disagree (1) 1%
On your last visit to Nottingham Castle how would you describe your visit? (The cafe and shop were of a high standard)
Strongly agree (15) 7%
Agree (65) 31%
Neither agree/disagree (111) 53%
Disagree (16) 8%
Strongly disagree (1) 1%
On your last visit to Nottingham Castle how would you describe your visit? (The whole experience was exciting and enjoyable)
Strongly agree (20) 10%
Agree (89) 44%
Neither agree/disagree (61) 30%
Disagree (25) 12%
Strongly disagree (7) 4%
Any other comments you would like to make about your visit Took some American visitors around. They were impressed and enjoyed the tour despite being underwhelmed by their initial view of the building. "Not like a Castle" Ramparts, Towers, Drawbridge etc. It wasn't that interesting I have visited the castle lots of times over the years and I always find something that I missed on previous visits it's a great place to explore
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Nottingham Castle Transformation Project Any other comments you would like to make about your visit Art gallery and exhibits old fasioned and poor value for money. Grounds are lovely but not worth the admission price to get into the grounds. You could generate more money with the cafe by having it as a destination cafe/resturant and not charging an admission fee for the grounds. A bar for the views espcially at night would be a good idea. Exhibition underestimate local people's character and doesn't make it very attractive for non-local visitors. I was hoping to buy some merchandise associated with the P H Emerson exhibition which was on when I visited, e.g. reproductions of his photos or books, postcards, etc but there was nothing available in the shop. We visited during the summer holidays. The day before we had visited the Sherwood Forest visitors centre (as part of the Robin Hood Festival) and thought we would go to the Castle the following day, to follow that theme. It is a lovely house, but not a castle. There was hardly any reference to Robin Hood - it seemed that the Castle was trying to distance itself from Robin Hood. There was a Hoods Hide out in the basement of the castle, which was awful, it felt like we had strayed into a drugs den. There was no energy from the staff there either, we stayed in the room for about 5mins and all wanted to leave (that's 4 adults and 3 children). The museum was boring, filled with very random items. There was a very small clothing exhibition that had an outfit by Paul Smith - it would have been nice to have had a fuller exhibition, rather than just one outfit. The children weren't interested in any of the museum exhibitions. The outdoors area - we brought our own picnic but there were no outdoor activities on, no entertainment in the bandstand. It was a lovely summers day and the grounds were empty - what a missed opportunity. It could be so much better, but that's stating the obvious. I took my 5 year old son with me. The cave tour was his best bit and i'm really pleased to see you capitalise on that. I think the castle has an image problem, i.e it's not a castle. I would imagine that most people have no idea of the castle that once stood there and from what i saw it was an impressive castle. Some kind of large scale model would be a great way of people imaging what was there before and therefore getting over the stately home 'thing'. very limited exhibition of pictures = surely Nottingham has some more - somewhere It's a great place, maybe a bit old fashioned. Many great aspects to it, the view, it's setting, great entrance with mosaic, great area for kids outside and they love the Robin Hood things. The caves and the history is interesting. Always felt it didn't have many exhibitions which sounded exciting. The best thing I have been to that wasn't specifically relating to the castle was the Andy Warhol exhibition over ten years ago. People in Nottingham would come if more of these exhibitions were on. Why does everything have to be in London?? The constant drive to populism has damaged the standards and quality of this institution. For such an interisting site to be reduced to a Robin Hood trail is a shame. Is interesting to go with people who have never been before otherwise it is a bit tired. Needs some oomph putting back in and much more making of the exciting parts like the caves,ramparts,grounds,grand staircase etc I remember I had half n hour to kill, and wanted to just go to the cafe with a friend for a change. Thought as a nottingham city card holder I'd be able to do that, but wasn't able to, perhaps it was the wrong day? Was disappointing, and seemed a shame, as we just went elsewhere. Its not really worth paying to go to, I think it should be free to visitors really to go through the grounds/cafe. Winter when I visited, so to be fair the grounds were not up to much, they are better in summer The interior has become dated, and needs refreshing, with more varied exhibitions to encourage more visitors I volunteered in the Civic Society Gatehouse Shop...meeting the tourists, giving them directions and advice, and selling them simple good quality gifts. We also dealt with the arrival of a party of Greek tourists impressing them that two of our volunteers spoke Greek!! Shame you got rid of us after we bought the new flag pole.. Nottingham very much needs the proposed Castle redevelopment
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Nottingham Castle Transformation Project Any other comments you would like to make about your visit Some of the displays never change which makes revisiting a bit dull. As of my last comment used to be a good museum I visited the Castle regularly as a child and remember how proud we were that everything displayed had come from, or been found in, Nottingham. Where did all these items go? I remember the penn farthing bicycle and the Stone Age dug out canoe found in the Trent, etc. over the years the Castle has been turned into something quite different, and not as good. I thinkmthecdisplayscshould concentrate more on Nottinghamshire artefacts. The toilets were not pleasant and pushchair access is terrible there's no space to breastfeed in the toilets it's not that interesting A nice place to take visitors from oversees, to explain about Nottingham & Robin Hood etc I would go more often,but alas like everything else the price We went for the Robin Hood Pageant, it was an excellent event! Please do not hack down all the trees. The grounds are clearly a haven for wildlife in a congested inner city area. Where will the birds and other creatures find a new home? I don't think as a Nottingham resident i should have to pay to visit my home cities heritage I noticed how it's getting more and more expensive to visit and apart from the odd exhibition which grabs my attention there are fewer and fewer reasons to visit The place is in need of some major investment. The children really enjoy being able to dress in costumes available at the castle I mainly visit the castle for events rather than for the museum. I would like to see more information about the Medieval remains under the ground. It was enjoyable but I wouldn't stretch to exciting Wasn't much of a wow factor. I think its a trade description act to actually call it a castle...... that went years ago. It's more a stately home! The outdoor space is very nice, but the cafe is sort of ok, and also, for the children, many more activities could be organised. There used to be a lovely room on the 1st floor where they could get dressed with lovely classical music, it's all a bit naff now. Overall, the place could be much better. It's an embarrassment. Whenever we have overseas visitors who want to see the castle we have to forewarn them of what to expect As with many museums we visit the interactive displays and signage can look tatty and old or be broken. I understand that having many visitors touching the interactive displays it is hard to keep them looking brand new but general ongoing monitoring could at least highlight the worst and address the situation where possible. I think it is really off putting for kids when they pressing buttons that are supposed to do something but don't. And for me tatty signage is really off putting and doesn't show the site is cared for. Having said that I think the kids trolleys in the art gallery are brilliant! Itook my nephew and his family to visit the caves. Had previously taken my grandchildren. Displays in the Museum are boring. Think the outside is ugly. Inside is warm with good floors and ceilings but needs a thorough make-over by an imaginative team. More interaction with exhibits would help - hands on not electronic. The science display at Newton's home wasn't as good when it became electronic because exhibits often broke down. My visitor from Canada enjoyed the castle and the cave tour. Apart from the exhibition I went to see, they are the same old boring exhibits. Lack of labels in several displays, although detail are to be found in folders/boards, but the folder/board giving particulars of an exhibit I particularly wanted information on was missing and despite the assistance of the staff it could not be located. I was given the phone number of a person I could consult but try as I may no one ever answered my call.
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Nottingham Castle Transformation Project Any other comments you would like to make about your visit seems to lack the atmosphere associated with historical sites-- partly due to entrance arrangements which don't grab you. This needs thought ahead. The caves tour had a really eccentric tour guide in fancy dress who made the tour interesting and fun Nothing there to make me want to repeat the visit It was enjoyable but not exciting. HAVE MORE EVENTS LIKE THE BEER FESTIVAL the displays were quite uninteresting and the house seemed to be very muddled in what it was presenting. i do like the open views and the grounds are a pleasure to walk around. Tired exhibits and surroundings I thought it was not as well maintained and organised as I expected. No 'wow'factor It would be good if the grounds could be visited with no or low charge with an additional fee levied to enter the castle itself. As I recall, the cafe was comparativly expensive and the goods on offer at the shop were limited and a bit basic. It used to be a nice place to drop into to sit in gardens eat your lunch or just stroll around and look over the city, but since the charges it prevents this and that's a shame. I go to and into the castle far less as do I suspect many other people. I felt more could be done with the outdoor space, perhaps an outdoor pavilion with tea rooms, more on show of the medieval castle, more music from the bandsta.. footpath walk through the woodland from the upper castle terrace i.e Mortimer's hole area to the gardens below, more on Robin Hood. More excitement. Knew what to expect, but would be ashamed to recommend it to any visitor to the City if they were hoping to see anything relevant to Robin Hood, Sherwood Forest or even a Castle. A huge 'let down' and such a wasted opportunity - our Tourist department (such as it is) needs a good shake up, and can but hope that this proposed development will now tackle their previous failure to take advantage of the Robin Hood legend. What other town or City would have ignored such a golden opportunity ?? Hard to think of one. The position of the castle is great for easy access. Good luck in the forthcoming up-grading. I am a Scout Leader and take my Scouts there as part of their Local History badge work, we find it very enjoyable and interesting. lets face it this whole thing is about getting more money off those who want to visit the castle. one of the benefits is that the castle is at present virtually free to enter. to now start charging people up to £20 to get in after getting a huge lottery fund is not justified. charging to get in will mean less people will want to/be able to afford to get in. and by the look of the questions you intend to waste the money on childrens activities building castles, dressing up etc liked that i didnt have to pay to enter We enjoy taking visitors to the Castle but it has no specific identity which is confusing. There were not many staff around on my last visit - the café was pleasant but expensive It was for the beer festival so didn't get to look around all of it It was a Halloween event that the children enjoyed plus a trip to see the caves that the older child loved I went in winter so we didn't use the ground and we didn't use the cafe either
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Nottingham Castle Transformation Project How interested are you in the Explore theme at Nottingham Castle?
Very interested (102) 48%
Interested (64) 30%
Quite interested (35) 17%
not very interested (10) 5%
Not at all interested (-)
How interested are you in the Robin Hood theme at Nottingham Castle?
Very interested (64) 31%
Interested (72) 34%
Quite interested (35) 17%
not very interested (27) 13%
Not at all interested (11) 5%
How interested are you in the Rebellion theme at Nottingham Castle?
Very interested (92) 44%
Interested (70) 33%
Quite interested (29) 14%
not very interested (16) 8%
Not at all interested (3) 1%
How interested are you in the Creative theme at Nottingham Castle?
Very interested (59) 28%
Interested (79) 38%
Quite interested (48) 23%
not very interested (20) 10%
Not at all interested (4) 2%
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Nottingham Castle Transformation Project Which of the following would you like to do or experience as part of a visit to the Castle? PLEASE TICK ALL THAT APPLY
29%
34%
41%
69%
36%
88%
After the completion of the transformation project, how likely would you be to visit Nottingham Castle more frequently than you currently do?
Very likely (98) 46%
Fairly likely (86) 41%
Not very likely (25) 12%
Not likely at all (2) 1%
Now that you have heard how Nottingham Castle is changing, would you visit based on the adult admission price of £20.00?
Yes (25) 12%
No (184) 88%
Would you visit based on the adult admission price of £17.50?
Yes (5) 3%
No (181) 97%
Would you visit based on the adult admission price of £15.00?
Yes (16) 9%
No (162) 91%
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Nottingham Castle Transformation Project Would you visit based on the adult admission price of £12.50?
Yes (23) 14%
No (140) 86%
Would you visit based on the adult admission price of £10.00?
Yes (47) 33%
No (96) 67%
Would you be interested in a family ticket to Nottingham Castle?
Yes (87) 41%
No (124) 59%
Would you visit based on the family ticket price of £50.00?
Yes (11) 13%
No (77) 88%
Would you visit based on the family ticket price of £42.50?
Yes (5) 7%
No (71) 93%
Would you visit based on the family ticket price of £37.50?
Yes (5) 7%
No (66) 93%
Would you visit based on the family ticket price of £30.00?
Yes (18) 28%
No (47) 72%
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Nottingham Castle Transformation Project Would you visit based on the family ticket price of £25.00?
Yes (23) 48%
No (25) 52%
Are you?
Male (96) 46%
Female (106) 51%
Prefer not to say (7) 3%
Which age group do you belong to?
Under 16 (-)
16 - 24 (7) 3%
25 - 34 (19) 9%
35 - 44 (30) 14%
45 - 59 (73) 35%
60 - 64 (33) 16%
65+ (42) 20%
Prefer not to say (6) 3%
Do you consider yourself to be disabled?
Yes (20) 10%
No (176) 86%
Prefer not to say (9) 4%
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Nottingham Castle Transformation Project To which of these ethnic groups do you consider you belong?
White (183) 88%
Black (1) 1%
Asian (8) 4%
Mixed (3) 1%
Chinese (-)
Prefer not to say (12) 6%
Other ethnic group, please specify Portuguese White English White - Polish ENGLISHMAN English White English
Does your household include children aged under 16?
Yes (38) 18%
No (163) 79%
Prefer not to say (6) 3%
How many of your children are in the following age groups? (0-5 years)
1 (14) 82%
2 (3) 18%
3+ (-)
How many of your children are in the following age groups? (6-10 years)
1 (14) 82%
2 (3) 18%
3+ (-)
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Nottingham Castle Transformation Project How many of your children are in the following age groups? (11-15 years)
1 (8) 67%
2 (2) 17%
3+ (2) 17%
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