From Deepfake Technology to the Sights and Sounds of a Twelfth-Century Castle, 2024 is the year Medieval and Modern meet in Norwich

This is New in Norwich & Norfolk 2024

2024 is the time to experience the much-anticipated unveiling of a medieval Keep, an East of England tour commemorating extraordinary World War II stories, five exhibitions from a genre-defying art museum and glamping in a stunning 700-acre natural wildlife site.

2024 is a big year in Norwich and Norfolk for incredible history, art, and outdoor adventures.

• Norwich Castle Keep reopens in summer, turning back the clock 900 years to the heyday of Norman England. From basement to battlements, the Castle will be the most accessible in the UK.
• From the producers of Band of Brothers and The Pacific - Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman: visit historical sites, museums, and monuments where Apple TV's Masters of the Air stories originate from.
• Addressing life's 'Big Questions' through five key exhibitions pondering whether we are experiencing a time when increasingly sophisticated technology can distort reality and diminish our own sense of authenticity. Visit the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, a genre-defying art museum with world-class collections.
• For the first time in their history, Pensthorpe (700-acre wildlife reserve, 25 miles from Norwich) is offering camping and glamping including solar powered showers and toilets.

Norwich Castle Keep re-launch summer 2024
With the reopening of the Keep, we're turning back the clock 900 years transporting visitors to the heyday of Norman England as Norwich Castle becomes one of the UK's premier heritage attractions.

In 1067, William the Conqueror began the construction of Norwich Castle. It was then completed by his son Henry I in 1121, and was one of the most spectacular palaces in medieval Europe.

In summer 2024, visitors will be transported back to the 1100s to see the Keep like they have never known it before. The redevelopment incorporates reinstated floors, audio visual projections, character panels, VR, multisensory elements from dressing up as a Norman king or queen to experiencing the noises and even smells of medieval life, numerous interactives and the British Museum's first medieval gallery outside London with over 1000 artefacts, including over 50 from the British Museum, complementing the Castle's own world-class collections.

The Castle will also be the most accessible castle in the UK - from basement to battlements - offering accessibility to wheelchair users and pushchairs, and those with SEND requirements. Plus, larger toilets and a Changing Places facility.

A new entrance to the museum will include a magical light-filled atrium adjacent to the Keep, setting the scene and orientating visitors on arrival. Affording spectacular new views of the Keep's east façade, this will showcase the Norman Keep that has become such a Norwich icon.

Other new facilities include a brand-new restaurant and gift shop.

As seen on TV - Masters of the Air and new tour
On 26th January 2024 Masters of the Air comes to Apple TV. A new $275m epic mini-series from the producers of Band of Brothers and The Pacific (Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman) it will feature Austin Butler, Sawyer Spielberg, Callum Turner and Raff Law amongst others.

Adapted from the book Masters of the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany by Donald L. Miller, the story is of the United States Army Air Forces specifically the 100th Bombardment Group (known as the 'Bloody Hundredth') of the Eighth Air Force who were based at Thorpe Abbotts (near Diss, 20 miles from Norwich) during World War II.

Whilst some of the filming took place in Oxfordshire, the story is of the East of England. Today, visit where US Army Air Forces personnel were stationed such as Thorpe Abbotts (visit the control tower - restored in 1977 – and the 100th Bomb Group Memorial Museum), Old Buckenham Air Field (15 miles from Norwich, Hollywood legend Jimmy Stewart was the first Operations Officer of Old Buckenham) visit the museum dedicated to the 453rd Bombardment Group of the 8th Air Force, The American Library in Norwich which holds 4,000 books on all aspects of American life and culture, plus a collection devoted to the Second Air Division's history, which includes rare group histories privately published at the end of the hostilities. The Second Air Division Archive which is managed by the American Library is now available digitally at https://digitalarchive.2ndair.org.uk/

You can explore over 30,000 images of original photographs, letters, memoirs and more. You can look at these items in person at the Norfolk Record Office in Norwich.

The City of Norwich Aviation Museum at Norwich Airport (2.5 miles from Norwich city centre) does what it says on the tin, however it is also the official museum of the 100th Group and offers a large collection of memorabilia, personal accounts and photographs of personnel, its aircraft and operations dedicated to all Royal Air Force 100th Group Operations. The 458th Bomb Group of the 8th Air Force was based here during WW2 when it was known as RAF Horsham St Faith.

At one time during World War II, there were around 50,000 USAAF personnel of the US 8th Air Force stationed within a 30-mile radius of Norwich.

Visits can be made individually to the above, however a new 4-day tour from Cheryl Cade Tours includes these plus other locations. Bespoke tours are also available.   

What is the Truth?
In 2024 the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts addresses life's 'Big Questions'. Against a backdrop of fake news, elaborate scams and the burgeoning presence of AI, the Norwich museum will ponder whether we are experiencing a time when increasingly sophisticated technology can distort reality and diminish our own sense of authenticity.

The dynamic 2024 programme consists of five key exhibitions commencing at various dates from February – 'In Event of Moon Disaster', 'Liquid Gender, Jeffrey Gibson: I can choose', 'Rashaad Newsome: In the Absence of Evidence, We Create Stories' and 'The Camera Never Lies' –bringing together some of the world's leading artists and creative thinkers.

A Night at the Reserve – Pensthorpe
Home of BBC's Spring Watch between 2008-10, Pensthorpe is 700 acres of woodland walks, nature trails, lakes and a variety of habitats teaming with wildlife including wetlands, woodlands, farmland and grassland offering a fully immersive experience for families, bird watchers, wildlife enthusiasts and garden lovers.

This summer, for the first time in their history, Pensthorpe is opening from early July to the end of August a new glamping and camping site. There will be 24 tent pitches available to pre-book, plus six high-quality bell-style tents for a more luxurious glamping experience. The new site will have solar powered showers and toilets, with arrivals for a week or short stays on Tuesdays or Fridays. Guests will also get discounted entry to the reserve on each day of their stay.

Prices for tent pitches start at £30 a night and glamping starts from £130 a night.

Notes to editors

For further information, high-res images and press trip enquiries please contact Melanie Cook, PR & marketing manager at VisitNorwich on melanie.cook@norwichbid.co.uk.

Images: https://show.pics.io/medieval-norwich 

Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery https://www.museums.norfolk.gov.uk/norwich-castle
For a fully immersive medieval visit to Norwich this summer with a short stay could include:

- The Maids Head hotel (4*) in Norwich dates back to the middle of the 1090s when the early Norman Bishops of Norwich established a guest house.
- Norwich Cathedral was built between 1096 – 1145 and is one of the one of the finest examples of Romanesque architecture in Europe. Entry is free as are 1-hour tours (donations welcome).
- Visit Elm Hill, Norwich's most complete medieval street and stop at The Britons Arms (13th century) for coffee, cake, lunch, afternoon tea or dinner.
- Mooch around Norwich's 900-year-old market, the largest permanent 6-day-a-week covered market in the UK and take a Great Market tour with Paul Dickson with tastings. The tour looks at the impact of the Normans and the growth of the Medieval Market amongst other historic facts.

Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery prices are slightly lower due to the current closure of the Keep.
Adults £7.40, Child (age 4 -18) £6.30, Twilight ticket (one hour before closing) £2.50.

Paul Dickson Great Market Tour tickets £11 https://www.pauldicksontours.co.uk/the-great-market/

Tours with Cheryl Cade https://cherylcade.com/
Uncover the stories of the 8th Air Force of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II in the East of England through visits to air bases, museums, local pubs, towns and cities. Tours include Thorpe Abbott's home of the 'Bloody 100th', Old Buckenham Air Field, Seething Control Tower Museum, The City of Norwich Aviation Museum, Rackheath Airfield (privately owned), Langham Dome (a Scheduled Ancient Monument and one of only a handful of anti-aircraft gunnery domes left in the UK), Cambridgeshire and Duxford.

The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts https://www.sainsburycentre.ac.uk/
A genre-defying art museum with world-class collections and a unique perspective on how art can foster cultural dialogue and exchange. The Sainsbury Centre is one of the most important public university art galleries in Britain. Founded in 1973 at the University of East Anglia (UEA) with the support of one of the nation's great philanthropic families, Sir Robert and Lady Sainsbury, who donated their extraordinary art collection which includes works dating from prehistory to the late 20th century from across the globe.

A radical new building by Norman Foster was designed to house the collection and was his first public work. The Centre holds one of the most impressive art collections outside of the national institutions and is located on the edge UEA campus which is set in 350 acres of parkland. The Centre itself looks over 20 acres of our sculpture park threaded through meadow, forest and lake. It has the largest temperature-controlled gallery spaces in Eastern England and operates an only pay what you can ticketing system to help bring the best art in the world to anyone who wants to meet it.

Pensthorpe (Fakenham NR21 0LN) https://pensthorpe.com/ 
Pensthorpe is a 700-acre site owned by Bill and Deb Jordan an comprises of a nature reserve, gardens and a family play area. It's a great day out whatever your age and includes: bird hides, wader scrape, wader aviary, wildflower meadow, walks and talks, wetland discovery area. As well as four gardens with wild grasses and lush greenery, and sculpture. For families there's Wildroots eco-friendly play area with zip lines, slides and a stream. Hootz house is an indoor adventure play area with rope bridges, lsides and tree-top towers to explore.
 
Entrance costs from £10.95 for adults, and £9.95 for over 3's. Under 3's are free, seniors are £9.95. Opening time vary to the seasons.