Castle Tours & Open House

Guided Tours At Powderham Castle

Join one of our guided tours to hear the history of the Castle and the Courtenays.

On our Castle tours you will see the many majestic rooms and hear fascinating stories about the Courtenay family as told by our knowledgeable and engaging guides. All of our guides adapt each tour to suit their audience, so it is an entertaining experience for all!

The State Room Tour guides guests through the gardens, the grange and the grandest rooms of the Castle – the public face of Powderham.  Visitors explore chronologically Powderham’s illustrious architectural history, from its medieval foundation, through Civil War sieges, Georgian, Rococo and Regency expansion, to its dramatic neo-Gothic culmination.  All of this via secret doors, long libraries and even a hidden ballroom.

The Upstairs Tour offers a different view – Powderham as a private home of the Courtenay family and their staff for over 600 years.  Charlie and AJ invite visitors into never-before-seen family bedrooms, and offer a host of intimate and personal insights, spooky stories, and winding staircases used for generations.

To accompany the tour routes, we recommend our Powderham Castle guidebooks, written by Charlie himself, sharing for the first time his own stories of growing up at Powderham, and what he has learned of his remarkable home.  For old and new visitors alike, this is the perfect time to come and explore the Home of Devon.

You can check our tour times below to start planning your visit to Powderham Castle today.

Open House

Explore the Castle at your own pace in our daily Open House sessions.

For those who love to wander at their own pace, discover our Open House sessions, allowing you to explore the State Rooms and find out the hidden secrets of the Castle at your own pace.

Our knowledgeable team of guides and stewards will be situated throughout the State Rooms to answer any questions you might have. We recommend purchasing one of our Powderham Castle guidebooks to take around with you. Written by Charlie with tales of his time growing up at the Castle, you can read about each room as you explore. You can buy our guidebooks in advance of your visit online here, or pick one up at the Welcome Hut on arrival!