NOTTINGHAM CASTLE - Robin Hood and the City of Caves

Nottingham castle was one of the most important medieval castles in England and whose famous royal hunting forest, Sherwood Forest, was home to the legendary outlaw, Robin Hood, and his band of Merry Men...

Like most of England's castles, Nottingham castle was built on the orders of William the Conqueror, and entrusted to William Peveril. When Henry II took the throne he built a stone keep here, the remains of which are still visible in the tunnel below the castle known as 'King David's dungeon'. Nottingham itself is known as the City of Caves, and below the castle grounds lie a network of medieval tunnels and caves, and it was through these tunnels that Edward III stormed the castle and captured Roger Mortimer.

Whilst King Richard the Lionheart was away on a Crusade he was taken prisoner and, upon hearing the news, Prince John seized the opportunity to hold the castle for himself, surrounded by his allies, including the now infamous Sheriff of Nottingham. When Richard returned to England, he found his castle under the control of his brother, and John's men, not realising it was the King at the gate, went on the attack. Richard laid siege to the castle, whose garrison quickly surrendered when they eventually realised they were attacking the King.

Edward IV proclaimed himself King at Nottingham castle during the War of the Roses and after his death, Richard III rode from the castle to meet Henry Tudor's army at the Battle of Bosworth.

Following the castle's destruction after the Civil War, the site was purchased by the Duke of Newcastle in 1661 and he built a ducal palace on the site. But in 1831, Nottingham housed some of the worst slums in Europe, so when the current Duke of Newcastle voted against the Reforms Bill, the occupants of the slums led the Nottingham Reform Riots and burned down the ducal palace.

A huge thank you to the staff at Nottingham castle for all their help. The castle's info and events can be found here :-

Black Knight Historical will be hosting a very exciting looking Halloween event in the tunnels of Nottingham castle during the last week in October, tickets can be purchased here :-

No trip to Nottingham castle would be complete without a pint in one of England's oldest pubs, Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem :-

And if you're a fan of Robin Hood, Black Knight Historical member, Thor Ewing, has written a fascinating book on the traditional ballads and plays :-

To plan your trip, check out our website :-

Music Credits

Opening and closing music GVC

4:02 - 6:25

6:25 - 7:44

Medieval Song Village Consort

[haydnparry]

I was a Nurse in the the old General, 2 hundred yds away from the " Castle ". Loved the City & it's history.❤

[paul]

Nice history lesson for me. Some very historical and important events here that i didn't know. Glad you were given access to the tunnels.

[loriedgerly]

Love this castle, very interesting history, looking forward to more, thanks guys!

[stephenmudiecastles.]

Not a huge amount of the original castle left but an interesting place to visit.Lots of history and another great video.

[WanderingwithWatto]

Loved it guys. The tunnels are fantastic and the location on the rock is cool. Can see what it was chosen as easier to defend maybe. Great tour as always big like from me. 👍🏻🚶🏻‍♂️🚶‍♀️

[monicacall]

This castle looks even better than the one in the 1939 classic film “The Adventures of Robin Hood”. I can totally see Guy de Guiseborn (the evil Sheriff of Nottingham played by Basil Rathbone) having the all important sword fight with Robin Hood (Errol Flynn) in this castle!

[haydnparry]

Is "The tales of Robin Hood on Maid Marion way still going? A must see for any visitors.

[arlancosta]

PARABENS PELOS VIDEOS. UM GRANDE ABRAÇO DO BRASIL

[cuff]

I'm writing a story that covers Robin Hood loosely and this was a spectacular look inside the castle. Is there any official map available for the sandstone caves that could be used for turn by turn directions to and from the castle?

[robin_in_the_hood]

Been a part of my life since i was small

[chrisbodum]

If you are moved to visit Nottingham Castle after seeing this, make sure that it is open. It was closed mid-November 2022 after the trust running it went into administration after the predicted visitor numbers failed to materialise.

You should search this out: "Statement from Nottingham City Council on Nottingham Castle Trust"

[oliverkent]

I believe it's more a museum now than a castle

[patrickrose]

As someone who was born in Sherwood I love the castle, however, after living for thirty years in South Wales my three Welsh children never let me forget the twenty plus Welsh boys that Prince John had hanged from the castle walls as a warning to the Welsh that were making raids on England .

[monsterlove]

Did Robin Hood really exist, or is he a legend?

[daveabbott]

I'm from Nottingham, and we used to go with parents and grandparents regularly, fascinating place with thousands of exhibits and always something new that you hadn't noticed on previous visits. Visited back and decided to take my stepson after extolling the virtues and how much he would enjoy it!.
I ended up extremely embarrassed! It is now just a signposted woke walk following a path and with exhibits that follow the current woke agenda. Hugely disappointing and a tremendous waste of money.
Go to Wollaton Park instead!

[GMT]

The so called caves were actually part of a hydro power system and so was the so called 'Castle' which was a turbine building.
The River Trent used to actually run much closer to the castle before the marina was built and Nottinghamshire sits on top of
a huge underground aquifer..
PS: Robin hood never existed and it's NOT even a CASTLE.