Mountfitchet Castle & Norman Village — Attraction in Uttlesford

This place again was on my list of places to visit pre covid.

I am starting to get the list alot shorter now and we had a great time here.

Car parking is quite large and best to park down the far end for long stay, the parking area nearest the entrance to Mountfichet is a short stay of 2hrs.

The rates for long stay is very good I think 9hrs was around £5

When we paid a visit it was during the Halloween setting, this had a stamp book for the kids to get stamped in 11 locations to get a free prize.

Entrance to the main reception and gift shop is sloped so easy access for wheelchairs, on entry they have some old medieval props and handmade items for sale while you are queuing, also the walls are quite detailed explaining the history of the fort and castle.

Entrance price was Adults £13.50 Children £11.00 Senior citizens £13.00

It was an additional £1.00 if you wanted to visit the haunted house in the Toy museum and an additional £2.00 if you wanted multi feed bags to feed the animals that roam the grounds, top tip dont let the bag get too close to the goats lol just give them a handful at a time.

Once through the reception area you come into a cafe and gift shop, we will cover the gift shop at the end, food was reasonably priced, but for this visit we brought a packed lunch, plenty of inside and outside eating areas that can sit around 100 people.

When you leave the main entrance you go outside to the seating area that has a small play area fort for the children and several areas to grab a photo opportunity, the seating area is also located here along with the toilets block and a excavator machine that children can use at a cost.

Moving onto the entrance for the fort, this looks absolutely amazing from the outside towers, flags and battlements, access to the main entrance to the fort is via a spring action single gate and a steep hill that is not completely flat, this will be an issue for wheelchair access.

Once inside you are taken back many years at the authenticity of the creation of the fort, when I looked up about this place before I went I could see that they used to have actors around the place interacting with the public, I can only assume that post covid this doesn't happen anymore, that was the negative.

Inside they have two interactive archery ranges that the kids can use, the animals are roaming freely around the customers and the area is littered with building and information explaining what each building was and who used them, great history experience for the kids, once indies some of the towers you have great photo opportunities to capture the whole area and the skyline view is amazing, the tower to the right of the fort entrance has Helmets the children can try on.

They have wood burning pits that set the scene of the smell from them and the stone ovens.

Going on from the main area you enter a smaller area where the grand hall is and on the outside of the the siege equipment.

The vist we had lasted a good 4/5 hrs this was to have a good look around soak up the environment and have some lunch as well as a visit to the toy museum, dinosaur area and...

My advice for future visitors: start with the Toy Museum first to avoid the same frustration we had. My wish for the staff: please be a little more welcoming and respectful of visitors’ time, especially towards the end of the day. Mountfitchet Castle & Norman Village is an amazing place to visit. According to the official website, it is the only Norman village in the world authentically recreated on its original historic site, which is especially impressive. The castle and village are recreated in incredible detail — from the baron’s hall to the peasant huts and the dungeon. Lifelike figures “come alive” when you approach, sharing stories of their lives, while deer, peacocks, chickens, and other animals roam freely across the grounds. It really makes history feel alive, and both adults and children can enjoy it. We started our visit exploring the village, seeing life in Norman times from the wealthy lord and his entourage to humble workers. The children loved the little “stamp quest,” stamping their booklet themselves as they discovered each hidden station. After spending several hours wandering the grounds, we went to the Toy Museum at the end — unfortunately, this is where our day turned frustrating. Although the museum officially closed at 4:45 p.m. (last entry 4:15), the staff started preparing for closure early. When we couldn’t find the last two stamps, the staff member helped us complete them, then quickly ushered us through to the final stamp and escorted us out at 4:10 p.m. A few minutes later, when we returned to see the last section, the doors were already locked and the lights off. Considering we had traveled 1.5 hours one way and paid a high entrance fee, this was very disappointing. Another drawback is that children over 13 are charged the full adult price, which feels unfair to families. In our case, we had to pay the full adult price for two children, which made the visit quite expensive. On top of that, the visitor parking area is very small and not clearly marked, so it’s difficult to know if you’re even allowed to park there. I am not sure I would return again because of the unpleasant experience at the Toy Museum, but for anyone visiting for the first time, Mountfitchet Castle is definitely a fascinating place that gives both children and adults a real glimpse into...

Was trying to park in the car park this evening and was waiting patiently for several staff members from the castle to pull out so I could park.

Whilst waiting a member of staff approached me and said I cannot park where she is as she is putting a cone there. I simply asked if they were for staff only, (I was genuinely curious as was not aware of this). She replied they are not, but she wants her space for the morning and staff park there. None of this was said in a nice tone or friendly manner! She then asked why can I not park elsewhere, of which I replied there are no spaces and I am going to pay to park, plus I’ll only be an hour. She said to park elsewhere and walked off.

I then said I find her extremely rude and she is representing the castle in her uniform infront of her workplace. She then shouted that her boss is in the other car if i want to speak with her. Honestly, I was so shocked by her manner and tone, if one of my staff members interacted like that with a member of the public, I would be embarrassed and appalled. She could have had that conversation in a totally civil and polite way, her approach from the start was abrupt and rude. Before she even approached me she was giving me rude looks, as she knew I was waiting for a space.

I parked in one of the spaces the other staff member left. I was gone for half an hour and by the time I had returned someone else had already moved the cone to park there! Most probably because there are no signs to say they are for staff only and are pay and display parking spaces.

I think the castle is such a lovely place and an asset to stansted, but quite honestly if staff behave like that and she clearly thought her boss would approve of her behaviour, then it puts me off ever visiting the...