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Great Hall & State Rooms

Our magnificent Great Hall and State Rooms stand true testament to the castle’s impressive legacy.
Armoury Passage

State Rooms

The castle interior is a great opportunity for guests to take a tour through the castle’s rich history. Our state rooms each have distinctive personalities that are a true testament to the opulence of a bygone era.  

Visit each room and enjoy the style, artefacts and portraits that all tell the story of the castle’s ownership through time. The decoration of the State Rooms chronicles the castle’s history from the 16th century right up until 1978. 

Explore the unique state rooms at your leisure or join one of our guided tours led by one of the very knowledgeable history team.  There is no additional cost for these and times can be checked on the notice board outside the Great Hall. 

State Dining Room

State Dining Room

The State Dining Room was built in 1763 to serve as a more intimate dining space than the Great Hall. It has since hosted members of The Royal Family - from Queen Victoria in 1858 to Queen Elizabeth II in 1996. Featuring an ornate white and gold ceiling, large windows, magnificent paintings and recently restored 18th century Genoese chandelier, this room showcases Early Modern design at its very finest. 

Great Hall Empty (4)

Great Hall

The Great Hall is the largest room in the castle and is steeped in six centuries of history. 

The Great Hall was constructed in the 14th century and has had many different uses since. Where once it would have had a fire at its centre with a hole in the roof to let out smoke, it was rebuilt in the 17th century to serve as a grand entrance hall for visitors to The Earl of Warwick. Following a restoration in 1871, after the fire destroyed the original, it stands as a monument to the grandeur of the original medieval hall.  

You can view the Great Hall from inside or from above if you follow the route through the Royal Weekend Party that takes you up to the minstrel’s gallery.  From above you really get a sense of the sheer scale of this room which is still regularly used for lavish dinners today.   

And take some time to admire the craftsmanship of The Kenilworth Buffet and explore the Earl’s renowned armour collection. 

Red Drawing Room

Red Drawing Room

The Red Drawing Room functioned as a reception room between the Great Hall and Cedar Drawing Room. The room houses our portrait of the famous Sir Fulke, the first Greville owner of the castle, who was killed by a stab wound inflicted by his manservant.  

The Greville’s ownership led to a positive turning point for the castle, which had fallen into disrepair under Tudor ownership. Their prosperity led to a period of significant investment in the castle again, and this can be seen in this room.  It was in the 1750s that Francis Greville redesigned this room in the grand style you can see today. 

This area is accessible to wheelchair users via the accessible lift. 

Entrance to the chapel is via 5 steps. Please note a small area of the armoury passageway is very narrow and wheelchair users may need to retrace their steps. Please speak to any member of staff for further details. Please note that this attraction features waxwork mannequins throughout.   

Touch tours are available free to sight-impaired guests and should be booked in advance. 

Braille information is available. 

There is a quiet time in this area between 3 and 4 pm.       

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