Bamburgh Castle wins VisitEngland award for bringing history to life
Bamburgh Castle has been awarded VisitEngland's prestigious ‘Best Told Story’ accolade, celebrating its ability to bring centuries of history to life for visitors.
The award recognises visitor attractions that excel in telling their stories through imaginative interpretation, engaging experiences and knowledgeable staff creating memorable experiences for visitors of all ages.
Bamburgh Castle's latest VisitEngland assessment awarded the attraction an outstanding overall quality score of 93%, with top marks for its historical interpretation, range of content and guides' knowledge.
Among the highlights praised by independent assessors for VisitEngland were the castle's state rooms, introductory film and audio guide, alongside creative exhibitions and digital storytelling including displays exploring the castle's connections to hit Netflix series, The Last Kingdom.
James Boulton, Estate Manager at Bamburgh Castle, said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive VisitEngland's Best Told Story award.
"Bamburgh Castle has an extraordinary history spanning more than 1,400 years. We're dedicated about bringing those stories to life for everyone who visits, through our exhibitions, guided experiences and interpretations. We want visitors to feel part of those stories rather than simply reading about them.
“This award is a fantastic recognition of the hard work, creativity and dedication of our entire team who take enormous pride in sharing Bamburgh's heritage. It’s wonderful to see their efforts recognised nationally and we're especially proud to be flying the flag for Northumberland.”
Bamburgh Castle continues to lead with new ways of sharing its history with visitors with an evolving programme of exhibitions, events and experiences.
Its latest seasonal experience A Christmas Carousel opens this Saturday (14 November), transforming the castle's state rooms into a series of breath-taking festive displays inspired by traditional Christmas music and carols.
James said: “There's always another story to tell at Bamburgh and we are constantly looking at different ways to share them and give people a new and exciting reason to visit.”
The Best Told Story accolade is part of VisitEngland's Visitor Attraction Quality Scheme, which recognises excellence in visitor experiences at attractions across England.
VisitEngland director Andrew Stokes said: “England’s visitor attractions are first-class, and these accolades highlight why they deserve this recognition. The recipients of these awards provide an outstanding welcome, unparalleled food and drink offer and magical storytelling making them integral to the high-quality tourism offer provided to domestic and international visitors.”