Sticking to the medieval layout of the castle’s three baileys, the grounds of this once great medieval fortress lay thick with the history and intrigue that seethes beneath their modern natural beauty.
The heavily restore mid-thirteenth century gatehouse on the corner of Castle and Lenton Roads leads you into the lower bailey. This was converted into a recreational park during the Victorian era and is home to an ornate, listed bandstand, a romantic statue of WWI fighter pilot Albert Ball VC and a medieval bridge as well as some fine lawns and spectacular flower beds.
A steep incline leads to the middle bailey where in the mid-fifteenth century Edward IV built one of England’s finest royal palaces with a sumptuous suite of apartments overlooked by the magnificent four storey "Richard’s Tower" so named as it was here in 1485 that Richard III learned of the death of his son and set off to meet his own fate on Bosworth Field. All that now remains of this once great palace however is the crumbling base of the northeast tower and the middle bailey is now home to a children’s play area.
A final climb brings you to the heart of the castle at the upper bailey, Henry II built the first stone keep here in 1170 and it quickly became the main royal residence in central England. It was a favourite of King John, the villain of the Robin Hood legends, and was besieged by Richard the Lionheart in 1194 when he reclaimed his crown from his errant brother. It was here in 1330 that followers of Edward III captured his mother Queen Isabella and her lover Richard Mortimer who had reputedly murdered his farther and usurped the crown.
By the 16th century the castle had fallen from royal favour and had crumbled to ruin and in 1622 James I sold the castle to the Earl of Rutland who stripped it for building supplies. However it was here in 1642 that Charles I raised the royal standard and signalled the start of the Civil War, he received little support from the people of Nottingham and the castle became an important military base for his opponents. This though did nothing to save it from the orgy of destruction that followed the king’s defeat and in 1651 Oliver Cromwell issued orders for its demolition.
Little now remains of the medieval castle, but the grounds offer a welcome escape from the busy city and are a popular lunch spot for local office workers in the summer.