Warwick Castle

[lewis97]

Warwick Castle posted a few photos of the Horrible Histories Maze on their Facebook page. It does actually look like quite a nice addition and hopefully they'll keep it in a good state.

[Count-Vonduel]

Is the castle dungeon still a thing and what does it have in it (can't find anything about it online)

[Michelle]

Is the castle dungeon still a thing and what does it have in it (can't find anything about it online)

Assuming you mean the dungeon experience and not the gaol, this is the number one link from searching Warwick Castle dungeon on Google

https://www.warwick-castle.com/explore/ ... ngeon.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Dom]

Warwick Castle have revealed two new attractions arriving at The Haunted Castle event. Doll's House and Seance. Seance will be an upcharge attraction costing £3.50

[jackf1tz]

I remember they removed the seance a few years ago because it was getting unpopular. It was definitely not there last year anyway, and it was a bit naff when they did have it. Dolls House is interesting though, any descriptions?

[Dom]

Doll's House  - Open from 12pm! In the late 1800s two children who inhabited the Castle mysteriously disappeared. Will you discover what happened to the children or will you suffer the same fate as you enter the Doll's House?

Seancé - This Halloween, join us for an intense Séance performance that will test just how susceptible you are to a visit from the other side. 

According to ScareTOUR, Seancé will be using stereoscopic sound to immerse people into the attraction, which sounds pretty cool.

[Ladyofthelake]

I paid a couple of visits to Warwick Castle for their Haunted Castle event in the past few days and managed to get the majority of their Halloween attractions completed. I thought I'd briefly sum up my thoughts on this year's offering.

Haunted Hollows
The family scare walkthrough (I hesitate to use scare maze or scare zone as it doesn't quite meet either), is once again the Haunted Hollows. Located on the Lodge Drive, the Hollows feature a number of sections each with a different spooky theme - pumpkins, skeletons, gargoyles etc. Whilst it was nicely done, this year there seemed to be less theming than previously, and only two actors throughout the entire attraction when I went through. Whilst I have no doubt that young families will love it, it is a shame that it isn't as good as it has been in previous years.

Dead Centre Stage
This has to be one of the best additions for this year's event. The Dead Centre Stage is located in the heart of the Castle Courtyard and hosts shows pretty much every half an hour, with each show being different, something which the castle deserves recognition for as it's not easy to have so many unique shows. The stage was a hit with families, and what was impressive was the level of audience participation from parents and children alike - seeing a Courtyard full of people all doing the Thriller dance was quite the sight to behold! At 6:30, the stage also hosts the prequel to the Fire Joust - the Betrayal of the Barons. Making full use of the Castle's rich history, this pre-show tells the tale of how the Earl of Warwick, alongside other Barons of the land, was responsible for the execution of King Edward II's favourite, Piers Gaveston. This set things up perfectly for the Fire Joust later in the Evening.

Dolls House
New for 2017 is Dolls House, the third part of the series of mazes which has been preceded by Condemned and Tormented in 2015 & 2016 respectively. Guests follow in the footsteps of two children who disappeared during the 1800's and whose mother became convinced that their spirits inhabited their favourite toy - a dolls house. The maze started promisingly enough with a suitably creepy opening scene. However, that was sadly as good as it got. As you made your way through the maze (set in the Royal Weekend Party area of the Castle), there didn't seem to be much sense of story, and the characters you encountered jarred with the historic setting of the Castle and the time period in which the maze was supposedly set, and the whole maze lacked any form of scares. It is a shame as the maze's predecessors were so much better then this year's offering. 

Outbreak 1349
Returning for its 3rd year is Outbreak 1349 which sees guests descend into the Castle's undercroft to encounter plague ridden characters. After a brief introduction (which has been slightly tweaked from previous years), guests make their way in a conga line formation through what is usually the Kingmaker exhibition. Despite being placed in the 'Brave Knights' category, the maze lacked the intensity it had in previous years and there seemed to be a number of missed opportunities for scares.

Seance
Another new addition for this year is Seance. Not knowing quite what to expect from this I was intrigued as to exactly how it would work, especially as the experience is delivered in pitch black and through headphones. I have to say I was impressed by Seance. By almost isolating guests through plunging you into darkness and using the headphones so you can't hear anything other than the sound through the headphones, it heightens the tension and anticipation. The experience relies on a much more subtle type of scare rather than sudden or jump scares, something which works incredibly well. Having someone seemingly whispering in your ear certainly manages to unnerve the majority of people in the room. The whole experience takes around 20 minutes, however at n point do you feel it's dragging and I'd say it is about the ideal length. Whilst it is an upcharge attraction, £3.50 per person, it is something that I would say is value for money and if you do get the chance I'd definitely recommend doing it.

Fire Joust
Concluding the programme of entertainment is the Fire Joust. Located on the River Island, guests watch the joust from the river bank opposite (unfortunately logistics mean the Castle isn't able to sufficiently light the Island to be able to use the summer jousting arena). Continuing the story from the pre-show in the Castle Courtyard, the Fire Joust sees Piers Gaveston, now trapped in purgatory, attempt to get his revenge on the soul of the Earl of Warwick who was responsible for his execution. Once again the Fire Joust is an excellent spectacle with the right balance of skills tests, jousting, and foot fighting and well worth watching.

Overall Warwick have a pretty decent offering this year, although it is a shame that their mazes are slightly weaker than in previous years. What isn't in doubt is that they have an impressive range of entertainment throughout the day, as well as their special Halloween shows, the Trebuchet is also firing twice a day, the ever popular Bowman demonstrates his skills, and of course the stunning Flight of the eagles show also has two shows a day.

[jackf1tz]

It's a shame that the mazes aren't as good as last year's as Tormented and Outbreak were my first ever scare mazes. Seance was a bit naff a couple of years ago so I'm glad they've brought it back with a bang! Sadly I couldn't make it to "the haunted castle" this year but watching everyone in the grounds dance to thriller actually sounds amazing! Fire joust sounds epic, but the flaming trebuchet finale will always be my favourite, as actor interaction at the end was always awesome.

[Ladyofthelake]

Warwick Castle are the latest Merlin attraction to re-launch their attraction only Annual Pass. Instead of the single tier pass previously on offer, the Castle now offer an off-peak and a peak annual pass.

Both passes do have restrictions on the dates they can be used with the off-peak pass only being valid during term time, and the peak pass not being valid on Friday, Saturday and Sundays during the school summer holidays. Car parking is also only included in the peak pass. There are also a few interesting clauses in the Terms and Conditions. In particular point 13 "All Warwick Castle Annual Passes exclude The Castle Dungeon and any other secondary attractions." (Previous incarnations of the pass have included secondary attractions, although I'm not 100% sure if the last version of the pass did include the dungeons); point 18 "Discount excludes all photo products." (presumeably as photos are provided by an external contractor); and most interestingly point 20 "Car Parking only valid for time period spent inside the castle." - I suspect this has been introduced to try and stop people who work locally buying a pass purely to take advantage of the car parking element. There is very littl parking for people who work in Warwick Town Centre so it has been known for people to use the parking perk as a way around that!

It seems like the way these new passes are structured are in between the single pass Alton offers and the tiered system offered by Legoland. However, it does seem that by having restrictions on both tiers that the ultimate aim is to upsell to a Premium Merlin Annual Pass with the promise of it having no black out dates.

[Jack]

Just to confirm for anyone, the Castle Dungeon hasn't been included in the Warwick Castle Annual Pass for quite some time, if ever

[Ladyofthelake]

Just to confirm for anyone, the Castle Dungeon hasn't been included in the Warwick Castle Annual Pass for quite some time, if ever

Thanks for clarifying that Jack I must be thinking way back when the secondary attractions were Ghosts Alive followed by Merlin Dragon Tower which were included in the Castle pass (yes, I know I'm probably showing my age now :lol)

[jackf1tz]

I remember Merlin dragon tower! Believe it's Time Tower now, but not upsold.

[Michelle]

Surely the Merlin tower wasn't that long ago, I know I went through it and I think my first visit to the Castle was only 2013/14, although actually that was a fair few years ago now :lol

[Justin]

Warwick has now removed restrictions from its peak pass...

Guest Information

Following guest feedback, we have taken the decision to remove all date restrictions from the Peak Annual Pass.

Passes are currently available from just £35 per person for 3 or more guests.

Warwick Castle Annual Passes represent excellent value for money as they include all new and existing attractions and daytime shows (Conqueror’s Fortress opens at Easter) and the additional Wars of the Roses Live dates this Summer.

Annual pass holders remain a very important part of the Warwick Castle community and we look forward to welcoming you back.

goo.gl/z5ZShR

[lewis97]

Although it's seemingly not going to be officially announced on social media until 7pm, details of Warwick Castle's new evening show, Dragon Slayer, have been added to their website.

The show is due to take place on 3rd, 4th, 10th, 11th, 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th August 2018, and will include:

• Fearless fire joust, thrilling stunts and epic battles
• A twilight horse-led procession to the courtyard
• Spectacular projection light show finale with real flames, mythical monsters and dazzling pyrotechnics

This is all set to the forgotten legend of ‘Guy of Warwick’ and his quest for the love of Princess Felice of Warwick Castle:

Our tale dates back more than 1000 years to the legendary 10th century Warrior, Gui de Warewic.

Guy is a humble page at the court of the Earl of Warwick, who falls in love with the Earl's daughter, Princess Felice but his place in society prevents them from being together.

Our exciting new action packed show follows Guy as he embarks on a series of heroic, chivalrous challenges as he fights for Princess Felice's heart.

Guy's Tower stands majestically at Warwick Castle today and many sites around Warwickshire, such as 'Guy's Cliffe' pay homage to this forgotten legend. Forgotten ... until now!

Dragon Slayer is a truly ancient love story full of action and adventure.

Will Guy slay the Dragon and be victorious?

The timings of the show will vary depending on the sunset, but it seems the show itself will last 90 minutes. All guests will have to purchase an additional ticket to see the show, with Bronze, Silver, and Gold packages available, where the cheapest price is £25 - 20% MAP discount is available on the Bronze package.

[jackf1tz]

That concept art :love

In all seriousness, I'm a massive fan of this because imo Warwick's shows had started feeling a bit samey. The idea sounds great but do we know what the difference between the 3 tickets are?

[lewis97]

The idea sounds great but do we know what the difference between the 3 tickets are?

Yeah, what’s included in the different packages is detailed on Warwick Castle’s website. They’re primarily differentiated by the food and drink that’s included with each ticket, although there are a few more perks as well.

[Ladyofthelake]

It would appear that Warwick Castle have upset Warwick District Council over the addition of the Horrible Histories Maze.

The Castle have had to submit a retrospective planning application for the addition due to the 7 metre long Viking boat requiring planning permission. The application was considered during a planning meeting of Warwick District Council last Tuesday (14th August), at which the application was refused, with the local paper reporting the refusal was partially due to the number of objections raised by local organisations who were unhappy that the Castle removed the Victorian Rose Garden to make way for the maze.

Many of the local bodies, including Warwick Town Council, were upset that planning consent was not sought before the Maze was constructed. They felt that the Castle was removing part of history, and also that they had taken away Warwick's connection with Princess Diana as she officially opened the restored Rose Garden in 1986. Some are calling for the Castle to be forced to remove the maze and restore the Rose Garden to its former state.

As someone local to the Castle I'm in two minds about this whole thing. On the one hand, I personally liked the Rose Gardens, it was a nice quiet area to sit and relax in. It could be argued that the Maze coudl have been constructed elsewhere in the grounds, but realistically there isn't a suitable space where it wouldn't impact on the grounds in a detrimental way. I can see why the Castle would want to build something that would have more of an appeal to modern visitors, and the Maze has certainly been a success since it opened. I think what doesn't help is that the Maze's current state is a sad shadow of what it was when it first opened. Many areas of the maze have been vandalised, and sevaral of the original features and props are either missing or no longer work. The Castle really need to close the maze for a short period to restore it to its opening state.

It's going to be interesting to see what happens next with this. I'm not an expert on planning law, so I'm not sure what the Castle can be forced to do with planning consent having been refused - whether the refusal means they'll have to just remove th Viking ship (as that seems to be the structure that required the planning permission), or if they can be made to remove the maze in its entireity and restore the Rose Garden. Of course the Castle can appeal the decision and I wouldn't be surprised if an appeal is launched.

[Muppet738]

Was lucky enough to see the Dragon Slayer show last night, and I have to say it was amazing and the story was well put together. The last scene with the projection onto the Castle was incredible, everyone after the show had only good things to say about the event.

[jackf1tz]

It's a shame they've finished now, it would've been amazing at Halloween!