Paul Smith revealed as Nottingham Castle’s first rebel voice

Nottingham Castle Trust, the not-for-profit charity responsible for the operation of Nottingham Castle, has revealed it will be welcoming fashion entrepreneur Paul Smith back to his hometown, in conjunction with the Design Museum, as its first major exhibition since its £30m redevelopment.

Tickets, which include access to the Castle visitor experience as well as “Hello, My Name is Paul Smith”, are on sale from today (24 May 2021).

The Hello, My Name is Paul Smith exhibition takes visitors on a journey through the world of the fashion designer with more than 1,500 objects that reflect his personality, curiosity and energy. Looking at the impressive scale of its global operation today, the exhibition draws on Paul Smith’s personal archive, from the company’s beginnings in Nottingham to its international prominence today.

Sara Blair-Manning, CEO of Nottingham Castle Trust, is set to speak at our Invest Midlands online conference on Wednesday 16 May, during a panel session called Selling the Midlands to the World. Click here to book your tickets.

Debbie Beardall, director of commercial and customer cervices at Nottingham Castle Trust, said: “We’re delighted to finally release tickets for sale and to reveal the first international touring exhibition, as well as providing further detail on the unique visitor experience that guests can expect.

“Nottingham Castle has been transformed into a heritage and culture tourist attraction of international standing and, as operation is moving from Nottingham City Council to Nottingham Castle Trust as a self-sustaining charity, tickets are a vital source of income with funds going directly back into education, upkeep, preservation and improvement of the Castle, its collections and landscapes.

“We are pleased to be able to offer a ten per cent discount to Nottingham residents in postcodes NG1 to NG9 and NG11 and we hope they will take advantage of our regularly changing outdoor trails, temporary exhibitions, and activities. The Trust is also committed to using a proportion of ticket income to increase the diversity of its visitors, especially local audiences which are currently less engaged in arts, culture, and heritage.

“One of the main attractions that visitors from around the world will be able to see within the ticket price is the world-class exhibitions that we are now able to accommodate due to the specialist gallery space that has been created. Being able to welcome Paul Smith, one of the city’s own legends and true success stories, as the very first to grace the amazing new Temporary Exhibition space is the perfect fit. It reflects our aim of truly championing and putting our unique city, and its rebellious voices, on the map for international heritage and culture tourism. With over a thousand fascinating objects on show, combined with Paul’s personal touch on the curation of the installation in his hometown, this will be an exhibition not to be missed.”

Beardall added: “Plus, there is so much else to see and do. The Castle will offer visitors more than it ever has before, including the immersive and interactive Robin Hood Adventures, brand-new adventure playground Hood’s Hideout, Castle Cave tours, Explore! outdoor family trails and a calendar of special events, not to mention artefacts and artworks that simply can’t be seen anywhere else in the UK.”

Nottingham City Council Portfolio Holder for Culture, Councillor Eunice Campbell-Clark, said: “As we get ever closer to the day when we reopen our Castle, this is really significant news. Our work to transform the Castle has been three years in the making but it’s been a huge achievement to create this truly world class heritage attraction which will bring tremendous benefits to our City.

“It’s really great for Nottingham, bringing new jobs and business opportunities for local people and will help drive our ambitious plans to regenerate our city centre over the coming years. Nottingham people can feel very proud of this highly significant moment in Nottingham Castle’s long history.

“After several years of transformation work on this historic site it’s been a huge achievement to complete the project on budget and on time despite the Covid pandemic. I’m absolutely delighted that people will shortly be able to see what’s been achieved and enjoy a wonderful day out exploring the grounds, caves and new galleries and experiencing 1,000 years of the history of this historic site.”