Tours of Lancaster Castle win top UK tourism award
Lancaster Castle has been awarded one of the UK’s leading tourism accolades for its ‘flawless’ guided tours.
The castle tours have received the title of Best Told Story at the 2025 VisitEngland Accolade Awards – an honour that celebrates excellence in storytelling and visitor engagement across the UK’s top attractions.
Presented by England’s national tourism board, the VisitEngland Accolade Awards are a mark of excellence, reserved for attractions that deliver truly outstanding visitor experiences.
The recognition for the tours at Lancaster Castle follows a glowing assessment by VisitEngland in 2024.
With origins dating back to Roman times, Lancaster Castle has stood for nearly 1,000 years as a symbol of power, justice and resilience.
Owned by the Duchy of Lancaster, the castle has served as a royal fortress, a centre for law and order, and one of Europe’s longest operating prisons.
Its walls have witnessed everything from medieval warfare and royal visits to infamous trials, including those of the Lancashire Witches in 1612.
Today, its guided tours offer visitors a vivid journey through centuries of British history, exploring courtrooms, cells and stories that shaped the nation.
Lancaster Castle’s guided tours were singled out by the assessor for their exceptional quality. The assessor awarded the tour an impressive 92% with top marks in four out of five categories.
In their report, the VisitEngland assessor described the tour as ‘extremely well structured’, with all areas visited described as authentic, and the ‘immaculately maintained courtrooms’ highlighted as a standout feature.
Particular praise was reserved for tour guide James Houghton.
The assessor wrote: “The tour guide’s exceptional knowledge, skill, good humour and enthusiasm brought all areas to life with a careful blend of facts and anecdotes. The guide was a natural storyteller and had a captive, engaged audience from start to finish.
"Barring a couple of small tweaks to the conclusion, this tour was flawless.”
James and Dr Colin Penny, museum manager at Lancaster Castle, attended the official awards ceremony hosted at the British Motor Museum on November 12.
“It’s a real privilege to share the stories of Lancaster Castle with our visitors every day,” said James.
“To know that the experience resonated so strongly means a great deal.
"This award is a reflection of the whole team’s passion and commitment – I’m proud to be part of it.”