Key facts
- Operator
- Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council
- Condition
- Partial ruin
- Access
- Staffed, ticketed
Pinpoint
Tonbridge Castle, Castle St, Tonbridge TN9 1BG
Telephone 01732 770929
Website www.tonbridgecastle.org
Possible Opening hours
Opening times change. Always check the official website before you travel.
| Monday | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
| Tuesday | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
| Wednesday | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
| Thursday | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
| Friday | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM |
| Saturday | 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM |
| Sunday | 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM |
A Norman motte crowned by a well-preserved 13th-century gatehouse, sitting in free public grounds right in the middle of Tonbridge town - the gatehouse interior is the only ticketed part, brought to life with a costumed-figure recreation of the castle's medieval household. The riverside grounds around it function as a genuine local amenity as much as a historic site.
Worth the trip
The gatehouse interior and its recreated medieval rooms - the one part of the site you pay to see, and reviewers say it's worth the ticket when everything is working.
Before you go
At least one recent reviewer found the gatehouse room lighting out, making the dimly lit spaces hard to see without a phone torch - worth flagging with staff on arrival if it matters to you.
Reviewers describe Tonbridge Castle as a peaceful, attractive spot in the middle of town, with several highlighting the riverside setting and the impressive motte and keep as highlights. Most found the visit good value and well organised, taking around an hour to see everything with an audio trail. One reviewer noted the gatehouse rooms were unexpectedly dark due to a lighting fault, though this wasn't a widespread complaint.
Free grounds; ticketed gatehouse experience
“Quiet, pleasant ,serene in the middle of a beautiful town.”— Shraddha Gurram, visitor review
