Castle celebrates another big year

The castle welcomed four per cent more visitors in 2017 than in 2016.

Castle manager Stephen Manion said: “It’s a real thrill to see that Arundel Castle continues to draw in increasing numbers of visitors from across the UK and the rest of the world.

“With 950 years of history and a packed calendar of events there really is something for everyone and it’s great to see that more and more people are discovering what a fantastic place Arundel Castle is.

“We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to every single person who has visited the Castle this year.

“We look forward to re-opening our gates on March 30 and making 2018’s open season the most memorable yet with even bigger and better events.”

The castle will celebrate its 950th anniversary in 2018 and has been open to the public regularly since the 1700s.

Arundel Castle welcomed more than 180,000 visitors through its gates this year, the highest number ever recorded.

A packed schedule of events drew crowds throughout the season, including the six-day jousting and medieval yournament, one of the longest events of its kind in the world, which will be celebrating its tenth year at the castle in 2018.

The castle gardens continue to be a firm favourite amongst visitors, with more than half of guests ranking them as the favourite aspect of their visit.

The jewel in the crown of garden displays is the Arundel Tulip Festival, which sees tens of thousands of beautiful flowers bloom throughout the gardens.

This year’s Festival was the largest ever at the Castle, with 36,000 tulips blooming, but 2018 is set to have an even more impressive 60,000 on display in mid April.