Welcome to Rockingham Castle's Website

This remarkable castle, built on the instruction of William the Conqueror, has been my family's home for 450 years.  Prior to the Watson's ownership the Castle was held by the crown.  There are very few other homes that have been continuously occupied for nearly 1000 years and within that time been owned by just one family since being relinquished as a royal Castle.  I think this is a  particularly extraordinary aspect of Rockingham's long and fascinating story.  The Castle is now home to my wife, Elizabeth and our children, all of whom enjoy the Castle as I did as a child.

I very much hope that you enjoy looking at our website and that you will visit the Castle soon.

James Saunders Watson

BUY TICKETS ON-LINE

Rockingham Castle are pleased to now facilitate the purchase of tickets for certain events and open days on-line. We hope that you will find this a valuable service that will simplify and enhance the experience of your visit to the Castle.

BUY TICKETS NOW

If you're looking for a birthday present, why not think about a Season ticket for 2013? We'd love to see you for the new season. New for this year, all season ticket holders will be eligible for a 10% discount on all purchases made in our Gift Shop! Application forms can be downloaded by clicking here.

The next 3 events at Rockingham Castle are listed below. Please take a look through our events section to discover events for 2013. More details will be published very soon.

Scroll over the coloured dots to discover the name of the event click on them to find out more...

To download our 2013 Castle visitor leaflet please click here.

Visitors comments

"I want to thank you (Nicola), the staff and Andrew Norman for a marvellous day on Friday.  Our members seemed to have a fabulous time.  Lunch was delicious and all the staff were so welcoming and friendly.
I am so grateful for you input into the day – it made my job so much easier.
With very best wishes
Caroline"  CLA East

"Yesterday I visited Rockingham Castle with a group of friends.  I would like to congratulate the staff on the way they received and looked after us.
 
We arrived early and the gentleman at the entrance welcomed us and was polite and friendly,showed us where to park and then spent time explaining what to do and where we could go.  The staff in the tea shop were equally friendly and courteous.  As we had dogs with us we sat outside and at their suggestion we moved two benches together and were served on the terrace by helpful and smiling waitresses.  We also spoke to the outside tour guide who was just as pleasant as all the other staff.
 
Everyone we met combined to make our visit most enjoyable.
 
Kind regards
Mrs H" 29.4.13

"I would like to take this opportunity of writing to you to thank you and the staff at Rockingham Castle for making us feel so welcome during our visit last Friday.   We all enjoyed our day at Rockingham very much and as it was a lovely day we were able to walk leisurely around the gardens and I, for one, was able to visit the church as well.   I am sure we were all able to take advantage to what was on offer during the day.   My friend and I had coffee and warm mince pies also a light lunch in Walker's House which were excellent with good waitress/waiter service. 
It was a truly wonderful day for us all" Mrs B

" a very big thank you...Your lunch and tour following our morning lecture on Dickens made for a very successful day. It has been a pleasure dealing with you, helpful, friendly & humourous. Please pass on our thanks to all of the staff, the guides who made our day very successful". Mrs B

"Just wanted to say we had a wonderful time visiting Rockingham yesterday. Great food, we had lunch and afternoon tea. The hot chocolate with Baileys was yummy! All the staff in every area, offered a first class service which is rarely seen these days. The indoor areas felt warm and inviting. To find well heated toilets in such an old building was a relief. Our tour of the house was given by The Governess and she was brilliant. The care given to those with walking difficulties etc was attentive and thoughtful. The piano player was a lovely touch. Our visit felt personal and intimate, even though you get so many visitors every day.
Thank you "
Mandy S

"I am e-mailing to tell you how much my friends and I enjoyed our visit today. The food in the restaurant was excellent and the tour led by "Mrs Lewin" was superb. We all hope to be able to visit again next year.   Pam J.

"Thank you so much for a wonderful, memorable evening at Rockingham Castle.  We all had the most fantastic time and we can’t thank you enough!  We were singing all the way home and the spirits were certainly high…they loved it!  Please do pass on our grateful thanks to all involved and helped make our visit so super."  Mrs W

Garden Tour

The gardens at Rockingham extend to about 18 acres and fall into two distinct garden types.

The formal gardens surround the Castle and include the Cross Garden....

To find more about garden and other group tours click here