Visit Castle Acre Priory is part of my meta bucket list to visit all of English Heritages properties. Castle Acre Priory is one of the first ones of this bucket list that I have completed as it was one of the closest to me. This property is also really close to another English Heritage property in the village, Castle Acre Castle and the Bailiey Gate so it easy to visit them both in the same day.
History of Castle Acre Priory
Castle Acre Priory was a priory located in the small village of Castle Acre, Norfolk England. The priory was built and dedicated to St. Mary, St. Peter and St. Paul. It is believed that the priory was founded in 1089 by the 2nd Earl of Surrey. The original priory was originally situated in another English Heritage property, the Castle at Castle Acre. However this turned out to be too small and the priory was moved to its current site. As with so many religious places of the past it was dissolved in 1537 when Henry VIII dissolved all the monasteries in the country. However some parts of the original priory are still at the site today.
My visit to Castle Acre Priory
The site at Castle Acre Priory seems a little disjointed when you first arrive. You drive past what is the toilet block on your way to the car park. The car park itself is through a stone arch gatehouse and next to a building which acts as the entrance and also the shop. The shop is actually quite well appointed with lots of souvenirs of the Priory to choose from. Entrance to the site is free if you are a member of English Heritage else it is £9 for adults.
At Castle Acre Priory you can collect a small audio guide near the entrance which you can hang around your neck as you walk around. Throughout the site there are boards where you tap this audio divide on it and will play a small audio clip talking about that area of the priory. I find that listening to audio is far more immersive and helpful to me that reading text alone would be. The audio guide also guides you around the site, talking about important parts of the priory as it does so.
As you wander about what is left of the priory you can not help but to be in awe of what it must have been like for people visiting a thousand years ago. Even today the walls and windows are tall and impressive, that it is also with most of the walls damaged or destroyed. However there is a building that was joined to the Priory that survived the dissolution of the monastery as it was deemed to have not been religious so it was spared the destruction by the new owner.
One thing that did make me laugh was I saw a nice ruined building that had what I thought was a dried up river running though the centre of it. So I climb down to get a nice picture, however when I climb back out and find the sign with the audio tag I find out that it was actually the toilet block for the priory and I had just wanted down to where all the waste products used to fall.
Useful Information
Getting to Castle Acre Priory
Entrance
There is parking for 27 cars next to the shop / Entrance. It is also possible for you to park in the village if all the spaces at Castle Acre Priory are taken. The Priory is a short walk from the village.
Postcode: PE32 2XD
Latitude: 52.7008
Longitude: 0.685722
- Entry fee for English Heritage members: FREE
- Adult: £9.00
- Child: £5.40
- Family: £23.40
Opening Times
The table below lists the opening times at Castle Acre Priory throughout the year.
| Dates | Times | Days |
| 1 Apr – 30 Oct | 10am – 5pm | Everyday |
| 31 Oct – 31 Mar | 10am – 4pm | Sat & Sun |
| 24-26 Dec & 01 Jan | Closed | Closed |
Facilities
Here is a list of facilities that is available at Castle Acre Priory
- Audio Guide
- Picnic area
- Shop
- Toilets
- Parking