For many years, it was a given that school children taken to Nottingham Castle would be taken on a tour of Mortimer's Hole as part of a history walk around the grounds. However, in recent years, the tunnel has been closed as it underwent renovations designed to stablise the sandstone and improve the experience.
The historic hole will reopen this Saturday, October 14, to the general public with an all-new history tour on offer. It's taken six years for the restoration project to be successfully completed, although there is still ongoing work to be finished on the Brewhouse yard where the tour completes.
The restoration work has included establishing the sandstone, improving safety facilities such as the handrails but also improving lighting options. It has formed part of the larger works around the castle which reopened in 2021 after being closed for two years.
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Keri Usherwood, Project Manager at Nottingham Castle, explains the restoration project which saw logistical issues around how to install lighting.
"People will remember seeing a huge scaffold over the top of the Ducal Palace at the top of Castle Rock so there has been an enormous amount of work with being the roof back into good repair as this has been a really significant building. It's a scheduled ancient monument so everything has been done really carefully," he explained.
"One of the biggest challenges was getting proper lighting into the tunnel and it led to a lot of head scratching as to how we would actually do that. Obviously, you can't keep putting holes into sandstone because eventually there will be no tunnel left so someone came up with the idea of having lighting within the handrail which was technically challenging."
He added: "It's complete now with everything working which is great. Having a sturdy handrail is essential because it can be a bit tricky to get down a hole like that but it adds to the fun I think."
When it comes to cost, Nottingham Castle has had a £30 million makeover in recent years which has not only meant restoration but the development of many cave tunnels such as this.
Preparing to go down the hole is no easy task as it's surprisingly steep so flat footwear is a must-have. There are more than 127 steps littered with sand which makes the handrails absolutely essential. The tours start at the top of the castle overlooking the city where visitors are treated to some of the best views in the city.
The tour, which is led by expert guides, is designed to educate visitors about the historical significance of the tunnel which helped to change part of English history. The tunnel was used by King Edward III to capture Mortimer and Isabella. The tunnel has been remade into a historical experience that includes the fascinating story of Sir Rodger Mortimer and Queen Isabella of France - who was the wife of King Edward II - the reigns of King Richard and King John along with Nottingham's role in the Civil war and World War II.
Kevin Walker from Clifton is one of the tour guides and has excellent knowledge of the history of the castle. He remembers being brought to the castle to do the Mortimer's Hole tour as a child before going on to work leading the tour in the past year.
"I'm a big fan of history and Nottingham history especially. I'm very excited to not only show people around Mortimer's Hole but pass on the history too. It's exciting for us as staff and we get asked all the time about when we are due to open and now we actually are," he said.
"It's a key part of the history of the castle story and it's a very well-known one for people in Nottingham. I visited the castle when I was a child and did the tour so it's strange to now be delivering them myself."
When it comes to the next parts of the restoration project, Keri Usherwood outlines the next step will be the development of Brewhouse Yard where the tour completes.
"We are looking at the Brewhouse Yard next to improve that. You can see that externally, it's already been done but we are looking at the next few months to complete a few of the rooms then we can get it open as soon as we can."
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