With fascinating history to uncover through knowledgeable guides, peaceful grounds to wander through, an intriguing range of exhibitions, and an excellent lunch ready at the on-site café, Hartlebury Castle is the ideal destination for group tours.
Group Tour Facilities
- Free coach parking
- Free entry for both your coach driver and for carers (subject to group size ratio)
- Dedicated point of contact
Hurd Library Talk and Bishop’s Palace Tours (half to full day experience)
Visit Hartlebury Castle and enjoy these unique experiences with your group:
- Gain exclusive access to the Hurd Library, the only Anglican library still on the shelves in the room it was built for, otherwise closed to the public. Let our Librarians guide you through its creation by Bishop Hurd and see some of his beautiful books up close in a private talk.
- Step back in time on your journey through the former Bishop’s Palace. Home to the Bishop of Worcester for over 1000 years, explore grand State Rooms and the beautiful Chapel with stories and additional gems of information revealed by our friendly volunteer guides.
- At your own leisure, discover more about our county’s history and people in the wonderful collections of Worcestershire County Museum – from the Victorian schoolroom to three centuries of fashion. Plus, explore the upper floors of the Bishop’s Palace to see a stunning view of the Chapel, a bedroom furnished for royalty and more.
- Follow in the footsteps of Queen Elizabeth I, King George III and Queen Charlotte on a walk through the grounds and gardens to find our moat, wildlife and views that change with the season.
- If you’d like to visit as a group without a guided tour, see here for self-led ticket prices.
Group tour ticket prices
Tickets cost £18.50 per person for a minimum of 6 people and include access to whole Castle site. To make a tour enquiry, contact us on 01299 250797 or email Chantel at events@hartleburycastle.com.
Self-Led Group Visits (discounted admission)
Explore the Castle at your own pace and build your own experience based on how you wish to spend your time. This includes the Bishop’s Palace, where talking portraits and a charming audio guide bring its stories to life; Worcestershire County Museum, where you’ll find hands-on displays and room sets that immerse you in the past; and the grounds and gardens, featuring two special, nearly 300-year-old mulberry trees!
With the average visit taking four hours or more, there’s something to capture everyone’s imagination.
Ticket prices
Adult – £13
Concessions (Over 60s & Students) – £11.25
Child – £7.40
Tickets are valid for one day only (cannot be used as Annual tickets for free return visits). To receive these discounted prices, your group must be a minimum of 10 people and your visit must be pre-booked. If any of your party would like to visit again as many times as they like over 12 months, they can upgrade to an Annual ticket. See here for these Whole site admission prices.
Please note that self-led visits do not include access to the Hurd Library.
Enquiries
If you would like to discuss, book or check availability for a group tour or self-led group visit to the Castle, please contact us on 01299 250797 or email Chantel at events@hartleburycastle.com.
It may also be possible to arrange a visit on an evening or a Monday when we are usually closed – please get in touch if this may be a better fit for your group.
Collections Centre Tours (approximately 1 hour)
Museums Worcestershire offers pre-booked groups a special behind-the-scenes tour of the Collections Centre, an off-site treasure trove containing thousands of fascinating objects from Worcestershire County Museum and Worcester City Museums, unable to be displayed all at once.
These tours with Museum’s Worcestershire’s knowledgeable curatorial team cost £10 per person and are for a minimum of 8 people.
For more information, please see the Museums Worcestershire website here. Please contact Jo at jboulton@worcestershire.gov.uk with any enquiries about these tours.
Refreshments
The on-site café, Hayley’s Kitchen, welcomes groups and offers a range of delicious homemade meals and light bites. The café also has a lovely outdoor seating area.
To find out more, visit our café page here.
Please call 01299 251901 in advance of your visit to discuss refreshment options.
Getting Here
Coach or Car
Hartlebury Castle offers free coach and car parking. We are located off the A449 in the village of Hartlebury, just 20 minutes from both the M42 (Junction 1) and M5 (Junction 6). Post Code: DY11 7XZ
Train
Hartlebury Railway Station is a 15-20 minute walk from Hartlebury Castle, with hourly trains from Birmingham and Worcester. Please be aware that trains run less frequently on Sundays. Kidderminster Railway Station is also 15 minutes away by car.
Be sure to browse our gift shop before you leave, for the ideal souvenir to remember your trip. Choose from sweet treats, books, cards, handmade items, Hartlebury Castle branded items and more.
Talks for External Groups
Are you part of a group who loves history talks? We offer the chance to have Hartlebury Castle Trustee and author, Doug Smith MBE, visit your venue and share a talk that ties into our site’s intriguing past. You can choose from the following topics:
- Cheer Boys it’s Hartlebury – The story of the soldiers and nurses at the Castle when it was a military hospital in the First World War
- Most Poorly and Cowardly – Hartlebury Castle in the War of the Three Kingdoms, 1642-1651
- The Beauty of Holiness – The Life of Bishop Richard Hurd, 1720-1808
- Bishop Wulfstan – The last Anglo-Saxon Bishop after the Norman Conquest
Please email Chantel at events@hartleburycastle.com for more details and to book.