Conservation Management Plan - Tamworth Borough Council

2.3.31 Educational Users
The success of the formal education provision with living history workshops booked well in advance suggests
that expectations are largely being met and good levels of service maintained. The castle education service holds
a Stanford Award for Heritage Education and has the Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Standard. The
workshops are directly linked to the National Curriculum: Tudors, Victorians and World War II.
They could do more to tell the story of the Medieval and Jacobean history of the castle, which are the most
significant phases.
Some of the education workshops could be modified and delivered as informal learning activities for family
audiences and for Life-Long Learning/U3A audiences/ Friends
Other Life-Long learning themes could be: the story of the care of the building and its collections; and Saxon
Tamworth.
The dungeon with its stocks is completely misleading, there is no evidence that it was a dungeon. Rather prosaically
it is more likely to have been a secure store.
Policies that relate to these issues:
F6; F7; F8; G5; G11
2.3.32 Audience Development and promotion
A separate Audience Development Plan has been prepared as part of the Heritage Lottery Funded project. It has
become clear from consultation with local residents that, in common with many other heritage sites, it is under
used by local residents (and local schools). Partly this is to do with the cost of entry, partly the physical challenges
of getting up the motte and partly the effectiveness of the site promotion. However the HLF Project will enable the
quality of the visit and interpretation to be improved, which will provide an opportunity for enhanced promotion.
Already social media such as Twitter and Facebook are being used to build the local audience for events and
activities, in partnership with the castle grounds.
Policies that relate to these issues:
E5; G12; E7; E6; F1; J8
2.3.33 Access and Presentation
Access signage to the site (tourism brown signs) is not easy to follow, whether in a vehicle or on foot. There is a short
stay (one hour) car park at the base of the castle motte on the site of the castle mill, reached via Holloway. This is not
signposted for visitors to the castle as it is designated as a short stay car park for shoppers using the town. The one
hour length of stay is inadequate for visitors to the castle who need at least two hours.
Visitors arriving by car or coach to visit the castle are directed to the Jolly Sailor Car Park which is some distance to
the south of the castle. The visitor information signage at this car park is badly maintained and gives a poor first
impression of Tamworth and the castle. Visitors are signposted to cross the river by bridge and walk through the
Castle Pleasure Grounds to get to the castle. At various points along this route the castle is no longer visible and first
time visitors might easily lack the reassurance that they are following the right route.
A shorter route would be along the road leading across Ladybridge which provides a shorter, historic route to the
castle across the water meadows. From the railway station there is brown pedestrian signage to the castle, but again
this can leave the first time visitor stranded along the route to the castle. There needs to be downloadable advice on
how to reach the castle on the website.
There is a need for a dedicated disabled parking space/drop off point in the car park next to the castle and at the
base of the motte.
Tamworth Castle Conservation Management Plan www.marionblockley.co.uk
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