Powderham Castle Opens Its Gates For 2020!

Powderham Castle is opening its gates this 28th March for its 2020 season. This year in addition to our exciting seasonal activities, we celebrate Exeter’s status as a UNESCO City of Literature, 400 years since the Mayflower set sail and 500 years since the Field of Cloth of Gold both of which fantastic global stories with Devon links! 

This year, the Castle embraces Exeter’s new UNESCO City of Literature status with a celebration of sharing stories, bringing history to life with interactive theatre, animal handling sessions and of course the classic castle tours and Courtenay tales! Discover the NEW educational sensory experiences throughout the castle to enhance learning and understanding in extra interactive ways.

2020 will see the return of family-favourites Pocketwatch Theatre Company to Powderham Castle’s school holiday entertainment, plus introducing Mark Vance Historical Entertainments bringing to life the Battle of Agincourt in the first Knight School. Throughout the summer the whole family can enjoy exciting and educational animal encounters both in the Walled Garden and with special events in the Castle itself.

In addition to Powderham’s activity weeks, there will also be animal feeding, handling and walking sessions taking place every week in the Walled Garden and Pets’ Corner, where you can get up close with our animal friends to get to know all their unique personalities and  learn about how our dedicated team care for them .

The unique guided tours led by Powderham’s incredibly informative team of guides will take place every day, with 2 distinct tours to choose from. The State Room tour, showcases the grandest rooms of the Castle and reveals the stories of its illustrious architecture. The Upstairs tour gives a very different view – Powderham as a private home to the Courtenay family and the staff who have kept this home running for over 600 years.

This year we have added a daily Open House slot every day, allowing visitors the opportunity to explore the State Rooms and take in the collection and exhibitions at their own pace.

Our Open Weekend takes place on the 28-29th March, with tickets available to buy online in advance, for 50% off entry and free entry for those who live in Kenton, Powderham, Starcross and Exminster! Buy them here online.