New interactive Anglo-Saxon gallery at Tamworth Castle is now officially open!

19th May 2021

The exciting re-opening of the town’s iconic castle and the launch of a new state-of-the-art and interactive exhibition, dedicated to the area’s rich Anglo-Saxon history has now arrived!

The impressive new ‘Battle and Tribute’ exhibition that has transformed the top floor of Tamworth Castle to an Anglo-Saxon, interactive tribute has been officially opened following a ribbon cutting event on Monday, May 17.

Special guest TV historian Michael Wood, was invited to cut the ribbon and was given a tour of the new exhibition. Michael said: “The new Battle and Tribute gallery is a fabulous exhibition full of wonderful insights and artefacts, including pieces from the Staffordshire Hoard.

“This is a great place for children and families to visit, with so much to engage and interact with. Tamworth has been a very important part of our history, it is one of the roots of England.

“Tamworth was the great royal centre of the Mercians, and the exhibition brilliantly brings to life the importance of Mercia in the nation’s history. The gallery displays will capture the imagination of visitors of all ages.”

Other guests at the official opening included The Mayor of Tamworth, Councillor Rosemary Claymore, Leader of Tamworth Borough Council, Councillor Jeremy Oates, Heritage Working Group member, Councillor Simon Peaple and Friends of Tamworth Castle.

Councillor Jeremy Oates, said: “It’s been a challenging year for everyone with the pandemic restrictions and working with lockdown constraints. However, we are excited to announce we have finally re-opened the castle and launched this state-of-the-art Battle and Tribute gallery, plus the new augmented reality trail.

“The pandemic has magnified the need for Tamworth Castle and how we modernise the way services are provided to the community, visitors and schools.

“This is a really impressive change to our historic monument and celebrates our history, unlike anything we’ve had at the castle before.

“As part of sharing our historical Tamworth story, the exhibition really showcases our rich Anglo-Saxon heritage and displays pieces of the Staffordshire Hoard, demonstrating how this incredible treasure trove fits into the wider history of the Kingdom of Mercia.

“We often hear that local people haven’t visited to the castle for many years, this new exhibition is really worth coming to see, we look forward to welcoming visitors safely, book your tickets now online via: www.tamworthcastle.co.uk.”

The £768,000 ‘Battle and Tribute’ exhibition, including the creation of a mead hall, an immersive combat film experience and a unique touch-table strategy game, bring the area’s Anglo-Saxon history to life, including the role of our famous warrior queen, Aethelflaed. It also explores many exciting aspects of the Staffordshire Hoard, including themes of battle, kingship and the warrior culture in Anglo-Saxon Mercia.

The ‘Battle and Tribute’ display has been made possible thanks to £499,900 from National Lottery players through The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with the remainder of the cost being provided by Tamworth Borough Council, the Ready to Borrow Scheme supported by the Arts Council England and Friends of Tamworth Castle.

Also revealed at the castle re-opening is the creation of a new augmented reality trail, thanks to the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund to help protect the future of the nation’s creative and cultural organisations.

The reality trail runs throughout the castle, visitors are asked to download the Tamworth AR Explorer app and scan markers placed in different locations. Each marker launches an augmented reality experience – for example, a 3D object or a character - ‘bringing to life’ some historical information and facts about the furniture and objects on display or past occupants of the castle.

Download Tamworth AR Explorer for Android.

Download Tamworth AR Explore for IOS.

Keep an eye on Tamworth Castle’s website: www.tamworthcastle.co.uk, Facebook and Twitter pages for more news and event details.