Kenilworth Castle

Kenilworth is an attractive historical town in the English county of Warwickshire. Beginning as a settlement nestled in the Forest of Arden, Kenilworth grew up around the now-ruined castle that is a striking centrepiece to the town, notable for being the seat of power of revolutionary baron Simon de Montfort.

Get in

By train

• 1 Kenilworth railway station. Is central. Frequent trains run north to Coventry and south to Leamington Spa. Change at Coventry for Birmingham New Street (40 min) and London Euston (90 min). (updated Apr 2024)

By car

Exit A46 between Warwick and Coventry onto A452 north into town. A452 continues north towards Birmingham, and south to Leamington Spa.

By bus

Stagecoach buses connect Kenilworth to Coventry, Warwick, Warwick University, Leamington Spa, and the British Motor Museum at Gaydon. Change in Coventry for further afield.

See

Kenilworth Castle in winter

• 1 Kenilworth Castle, Castle Green, off Castle Road CV8 1NG (S of village off B4103), ☏ +44 1926 852078, fax: +44 1926 851514. Mar-Sep: 10AM-6PM; Oct: 10AM-5PM; Nov-Dec & Jan-Feb: Sa Su 10AM-4PM; Mar 10AM-4PM. An impressive castle ruin, built by the Normans, re-built by the Lancastrians & Elizabethans: its glory days were in the 1570s when Dudley entertained the Queen here, and hoped to marry her. It was dismantled by Cromwell. You enter from the south along a causeway that once dammed a great defensive lake, and was used as a tilt-yard for jousting. Within the ruins are two exhibitions: on the castle's history especially under Dudley, and on the modern Lord Kenilworth, John Davenport Siddeley (1866-1953) the motor & aviation magnate. Adults £12.50, children £7.50, concessions £11.30. (updated Jun 2018)

Do

• 1 Priory Theatre, Rosemary Hill, CV8 1BN, ☏ +44 1926 863334. Community-run theatre, staging comedy, panto and rep. (updated May 2018)

Eat

• 1 The Famous Virgins & Castle, 7 High St CV8 1LY (just N of Abbey Fields), ☏ +44 1926 853737. M-F 11AM-11PM, Sa 9AM-midnight, Su 9AM-10:30PM. One of the oldest pubs in Warwickshire. Excellent English and Filipino food. Pub quiz on Monday nights. £5-15. (updated May 2018)
• 2 The Green Man, 168 Warwick Rd CV8 1HS, ☏ +44 1926 863061. Su-Th 10AM-11PM, F Sa 10AM-midnight. Pub in mock-Tudor building, does pizzas, burgers, fish, etc. (updated May 2018)

Sleep

• 1 Holiday Inn Kenilworth, 212 Abbey End CV8 1ED, ☏ +44 1926 855957. 3-star, very central. £80. (updated May 2018)
• 2 Arden Guest House, 21 Queens Rd CV8 1JQ, ☏ +44 1926 855388, info@ardenkenilworth.co.uk. Four double rooms, one twin, one single, all en-suite. (updated May 2018)

Go next

Map of places with Wikivoyage articles nearby

Take the bus to Warwick and visit Warwick Castle or to the spa town of Leamington

Routes through Kenilworth

Stratford-upon-Avon ← Warwick ←

SW  NE

→ Coventry