Last weekend, Louise Joy got a first look at Warwick Castle’s new Horrible Histories Maze during its opening weekend.
The sun began to shine just as we arrived, meaning it felt like a warm spring day as we explored the new Horrible Histories maze. On approach, I immediately knew I was going to have fun.
Although the attraction is aimed at children, the big kid inside me couldn’t help but be excited by the winding passages and dead ends. We said hello to a member of staff in character, collected our passports and were on our way.
Each participant is given a Horrible Histories passport which outlines what areas can be found in the maze and a couple of fun facts about the maze and Horrible Histories overall.
We planned to get each stamp in the order listed on the passport but this seemed to be near impossible, so we allowed our feet to guide us around each area instead.
The maze compromised of five sections – Measly Middle Ages, Slimy Stuarts, Vicious Vikings, Terrifying Tudors, Frightful First World War and Stormin’ Normans. The Measly Middle Ages was a personal favourite of mine as it was dotted with different facts about witches and peasants.
Unfortunately I fear that this might have led to the reasoning for me being accused of being a witch in front of a judge at my later visit to The Dungeons attraction.
As the maze is multi-sensory as well, it appeals to both a younger and older audience. Visiting little ones ran around trying their hands at different interactive puzzles and reading Terry Deary’s facts that wouldn’t be amiss in his Horrible Histories books.
There was lots to learn, too. Slimy Stuarts taught us about the Gunpowder plot, whereas Terrifying Tudors offered an insight into Tudors and the laws they had to follow to avoid finding themselves in the stocks. The Stormin’ Normans area focused on ranks of the Norman army and the weapons once used at Warwick Castle.
But the things we learned on our way around – as well as the astonishing attention to detail – definitely appealed to us as adults, even if we were acting like kids when trying to escape the maze.
And despite the fact that we could see over most of the ‘walls’, this didn’t deter us as the benefit of being tall did not help one bit!
Our visit to the maze lasted around half an hour. However families with a younger audience will no doubt be in there for much longer because of how the maze is so multi-sensory.
The location of the maze was ideal, also. The castle’s walls loomed in the background, providing plenty of photo opportunities, especially as the mound was covered in bright daffodils during our visit.
Oh, and just a note, when you complete your passport with a stamp from each area and eventually manage to escape, you can use this to get yourself an official badge upon leaving the castle.
About the castle
As well as the brand new Horrible Histories Maze, there’s also plenty to do during a visit to Warwick Castle.
Included with every standard ticket is the chance to explore the battlements, towers, turrets and interiors of the castle, daily tours and shows such as a birds of prey display and the multimedia Time Tower tour, on-site restaurants, the Mill and Engine house and the Castle Dungeons.
The Medieval castle was built by William the Conqueror in 1068 and has been subject to different owners and royals over the years. It was besieged in 1642 and later damaged by fire in 1871. It was finally opened to the public in 1982, with a royal weekend party attraction taking place inside the grounds.
For more information visit www.warwick-castle.com.
