Hertford Castle Open Day - Guided Tours

Discover the history and explore Hertford Castle with a guided tour of inside and outside the Castle. Led by the Friends of Hertford Castle, an invaluable group of volunteers, who have a wealth of historical knowledge, this guided tour of Hertford Castle allows you to explore the Castle rooms and showcases the Castle's amazing history over the years from William the Conqueror to the present day. 

• The tour is FREE.

• Tours will operate every 30 mins from 12 pm, with the last tour at 3.30 pm.

• Tours last for approximately 1hr 15 mins and each tour has a maximum capacity of 20 visitors.

• Refreshments will be available to purchase after the tour.

• Plus! Learn about the Hertford Castle Greenspace Renewal Project, a National Lottery Heritage Funded Project, with information, activities and opportunity to have your say. One of the activities will be a "BioBlitz", encouraging the public to hunt for and record as many different species of plants, animals, and fungi as possible in Hertford Castle’s grounds.

• The Hertford Art Hub will also be attending in the Mayor’s Parlour showcasing the life of local artist Alan Davie. Visitors of the tour or passers-by will be able to watch a film documentation of Alan Davie's life, view some original art pieces and learn about the Alan Davie Mosaic project.

Unfortunately, the building is not suitable for wheelchairs, prams or anyone with restricted mobility due to stairs. Only guide dogs are permitted inside the Castle. 

Advanced sign up is recommended as tour numbers are restricted. Sign up here.

Event Information

Location 

Hertford Castle, Castle Street, SG14 1HR 

Entry information 

The event is FREE of charge to attend, you are however welcome to donate to the Mayor of Hertford’s Charity Appeal Fund, which this year is supporting Hertford and District Guides & Citizens Advice East Herts.

The Castle grounds can be accessed by foot at any of the following pedestrian gates, Castle Street, St Andrew Street Car Park, Main Castle Gate off The Wash, through the Moat Garden on Castle Street, or the gate off of Gascoyne Way. 

Travelling to the Event

Hertford Town Council declared a Climate Emergency in July 2023 and has committed to taking action to protect human health and our natural world to the maximum extent its powers allow. We therefore encourage people to come to our events by public or active transport. The two Hertford railway stations, Hertford North and Hertford East, are a short walk from the Castle, and bus services are available to the Wash and Hertford bus station. Please visit National Rail for live train times and Intalink for bus routes.

Parking

There is no parking at Hertford Castle (including disabled) but there are a number of public car parks close to the Castle. Please click here for more information and map of the local car parks. 

Amenities 

A portable toilet will be located outside by the main lawn. 

Disabled toilets & baby changing facilities are available inside the castle, please speak to a volunteer for access. 

First Aid will be provided by fully trained Hertford Town Council Officers.