Time Tower at Warwick Castle

The weather is starting to brighten up and the cold days are relenting giving way to warmer trips outdoors, so when my little family were invited along the Time Tower un-veiling at Warwick Castle over the weekend, we were very excited to spend the day at one of our favourite local attractions.

We have visited the historic grounds a handful of times over recent years, and each time a little bit more is opened up to us as Leo is that little bit older. The last time we visited especially to meet the one and only Mike the Knight and we dedicated a whole day to the activities that were on offer, this time are purpose for visiting was to be one of the first people to see the brand new attraction. Time Tower.

Time Tower is the brand new attraction to Warwick Castle,  it is unlike anything else that is currently on offer to visitors of the historical grounds, and offers a sophisticated technical time travel experience for families to hurtle right from 914AD, right through to modern day, combining all of the stories from the middle ages, War of The Roses, The Tudors and the Victorian Era. There are so many myths and legends surrounding Warwick Castle’s past, and for the first time…ever. The true story of Warwick Castle’s dark history of death, treachery and bloodshed will be told in full in the Time Tower.  I’ll elaborate on this exciting development a little later on!

We arrived at the castle around 11:00am ready for an exciting day of discovery, and with Leo leading the way (only dropping behind occasionally because his feet hurt…) we were ready for a day full of family fun. We were directed to the Conservatory which is nestled on the Castle grounds overlooking the beautiful gardens, it’s a new venue that will be opening to the public very soon for food and beverages. We were lucky enough to get to enjoy some of the delicious cakes that will be on offer, and between the 3 of us, we wolfed down the entire selection! If you are visiting Warwick Castle soon, I must insist that you pop in and enjoy a cake (or two!) while looking out at the beautiful gardens.

It was here that the rest of the press group were gathering ready for our Time Tower preview, so after everyone had over indulged in the rather generous selection of goodies available, we were shown over to the Time Tower.

We all lined up and were split into smaller groups to accommodate for the audience sizes, and group by group we were lead in. Our group was the last group to get inside, and once we went through the gates we found ourselves in a room with screens and seating. Everyone sat down and looked ahead… patiently waiting. Leo was on his best behavior, he sat on the bench next to me and curiously asked questions about what was going on. Within a few moments the screens in front of us sprung to life and we were walked through the history of the castle in a series of clips, video footage and graphics. I for one learnt a thing or two that I didn't know before!

With the introduction over you make your way out of the back of the room and head up some windy spiral stairs (typical castle staircases!) to another room that features a model of the grand Castle. This is what really impressed me, how the model castle was used to demonstrate the destruction and peace that has been part of Warwick Castle’s past. This is where the technical aspects make Time Tower a visual master piece, and I couldn't take my eyes off the model castle as the history unfolded right before my very eyes. Leo was asking so many questions and watching the model so intently.

Figment Productions who are the creative team behind the LEGO Factory Toy Experience at LEGOLAND Discovery Centres and Octonauts at SEA LIFE, has used their 3D Scanning and modelling experience to create a scale model of Warwick Castle, that transforms through the times with projection mapping and 4D effects. This is all complimented by Green Screen filming, CGI and visual effect techniques! 

Time Tower may be aimed at older children, but there is nothing stopping younger children going along and enjoying the experience all the same.

When your time finishes in this room you head down a further stair case where you come across a number of portraits (screens). The portraits reminded me of what you would find in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and given the castle settings I didn’t think that was too farfetched! Once the group has assembled again, the portraits walk you through more of the castles colourful history, and just like Harry Potter, the occupants of the portraits can move among each other and even communicate! Certainly a magical experience for the children in your group!

I won’t go reveal much more of the details as I don’t want to give too much away, but Time Tower is visually stunning, informative and really interesting. It is going to make a fantastic addition to the already jam packed itinerary at Warwick Castle, and I think it is safe to say that it is going to be greatly received by the general public when it opens its doors on the 28^th March 2015.

The rest of the day was spent enjoying the castle grounds and climbing the Ramparts, this was a first for Leo as each visit before had seen us bringing the pushchair, and we didn’t want to risk climbing the 530 steps only to find Leo wanted carrying! So on Saturday, Leo…My 3 year old climbed the 530 steps to the very top. He saw it more of an adventure than something he had to do, he absolutely loved it. He maneuverer around Guys Tower like a boss, and pretended to shoot the rather big gun out of the watchman’s tower.

We enjoyed a very lovely lunch in the State Room, which is right within the castle itself. As you can see from the photos, it’s absolutely gorgeous and we had a real feast. After lunch we informed Leo that Mike the Knight was indeed in the building (Or should I say Castle!) that day, and we made our way over to the meet and greet.

We saw so much more of the castle on this occasion and we had such a lovely family day together. Leo always has the most amazing time when we visit, so we will be sure to come again in the not so distant future.

Disclaimer: We were invited along to Warwick Castle for the press preview of Time Tower. All views and opinons expressed are completely honest and my own.

Mike the Knight - Journey to Dragon Mountain

September has been a busy month as far as events go, and Leo and I love nothing more than meeting up with our fellow blogging friends and enjoying a great day out. On Saturday we were very excited to be visiting Warwick Castle, and Mike the Knight. Leo had been invited along to watch Mike’s very first feature film, Journey to Dragon Mountain! As big Mike fans, I knew that Leo would absolutely love this experience.

We visited Warwick Castle with Leo last June to visit Mike last year, and we had such a super day. Leo had just turned 2 and up until then, we hadn’t really sat down together and watched Mike. Of course this all changed after he met Mike on the day, and a year later he is our favourite knight. A year later we arrived back at Warwick Castle,  and my little man remembered his first visit there, right down to the fact he had been bought an ice cream after last year’s event!

We made our way into the Coach House where Leo managed to misplace his black jumper, and we met with the rest of the group who were here to watch the new film, and of course enjoy the rather tasty jam tarts that had been left out for us all. I may have had a few more than my fair share when it came to the jam tarts, but they were absolutely amazing, and that alone is my excuse for over indulging…

With a Mike the Knight goody bag and many a flag, we made our way into the screening. With many bloggers and their children all in one room and shouting ‘hoozar’ as the film began, Leo shot me an excited smile. With his flag waving and the film rolling, I could see without a shadow of a doubt just how much he was enjoying it.

Mike the Knight Journey to Dragon Mountain see’s Mike’s Dad arrive back from his travels, I for one was super impressed to see him as I have always wondered whether we would ever meet Mike’s very busy Father. Yes they are thoughts that have crossed my mind when Leo has been watching and my mind has run away with me…

The king has been off protecting the Glendragon and of course ran into trouble with the troublesome Vikings, who had very cheekily stolen a shiny crystal from Dragon mountain. The Vikings thought think the crystal is actually a shiny ball, and as they excitedly ran away they throw the crystal to one another while singing along merrily.

The dragon of Dragon Mountain has realised that their most prized crystal is missing, and he is scouring the kingdom in a bid to get it back. This dragon is the biggest dragon to ever have graced the Glendragon skies and the kingdom is on high alert. Of course when the King sets off on his mission to locate the crystal and return it to the mountain, Mike and Evie decide to go along for the adventure. The King leaves Glendragon followed closely by Mike who in turn is followed by Evie, and the procession continues with Sparkie pulling along a cart full of delicious jam tarts, with Squirt perched on the top!

Squirt is worried that Mike has gone away and left him as he doesn’t feel he is a ‘real’ dragon. He thinks Mike needs a dragon who can breathe fire and be brave, and this sets the scene for the film. Squirt is on a mission to prove to himself that he can be the dragon that Mike needs him to be.

All Mike really wants to do is to show his Dad all of his new knightly tricks and demonstrate how his training has been coming along, Evie wants to demonstrate her wizardry, which of course only causes more problems for the poor King along the way.  When things don’t go to plan they must all work together in order to re-unite the Dragon and their crystal jewel again.

I actually found the movie a nice one to watch with the family (or in my case a room full of bloggers and their little ones). Leo thoroughly enjoyed the movie, and has enjoyed it again since our visit to Warwick Castle as they very kindly gave him one to take home.

The entire day at Warwick Castle was absolutely fantastic, this being Leo’s second visit I was really impressed to discover that he still had a great recollection of last year’s trip. We walked around and had a look around the castle, Leo wasn't too fond of the Kingmaker exhibition, but this may be down to me taking him on the Pirate Adventure at Drayton Manor a few weeks ago…He just kept on saying ‘no boat Mummy! I scared!’, so we made a quick exit out and made a dash for lunch.

Leo got treated to a Mike the Knight fancy dress set complete with helmet and sword, and I have to say that this was my best buy of the day. Leo looked every inch the knight as he wore his attire and strutted his stuff around the castle grounds. Not to mention how Leo’s day was made complete when he didn't just get to meet Mike himself once, but twice!

Mike the Knight is visiting Warwick Castle throughout September, the weekend of the 13^th and 14^th was the first in the series, and it is running right up to the 27^th and 28^th. It really is a great day out for the entire family, Leo spent so much time building up tall towers in the Mike the Knight activities that have been put together especially for Mike’s visit. These activities alone provided both Leo and his cousin hours of fun, and to make the day even more amazing, as soon as we got into the car to go home, both of our boys decided to take a much needed nap, providing us with coveted silence the entire way home.

A big thank you to White Tiger PR, Warwick Castle and of course Mike the Knight for such a super day!

Disclaimer: We were invited along to Warwick Castle where we were provided with complimentary entrance and a goody bag. All views and opinions expressed are completely honest and my own. This post features a compensated link.