Boston Castle officially re-opens.

From 11am until 3 pm on SATURDAY, JULY 7, the restored 18th century former hunting lodge will be the focal point of a great day out for all the family.

Apart from getting the chance to see the incredible restoration work inside the Grade II listed building, the castle will be the focal point for a range of entertainment that will include children's crafts, falconry displays, Georgian re-enactors and a heritage hunt.

The much-loved building has undergone an innovative £1.2 million restoration project carried out by contractors, Willian Anelay Ltd. of York.

The cost of the refurbishment project has been met by the  Heritage Lottery Fund with a grant of £590,000 and the rest being provided by Rotherham Borough Council.  

This amount also covers the cost of fitting-out the building as well as running activities within the castle for the next four years.

From Saturday, July 7, the castle will be open to the public every Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday until the end of September. 

Additional to these days there will also be a range of workshops and talks available for adults of all ages.

Fiona Spiers, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund, Yorkshire and the Humber, who along with the Mayor of Rotherham, will officially open the building, said: "This project has totally rejuvenated one of Rotherham's most important and interesting buildings. 

The programme of activities that will take place over the next four years will bring Boston Castle to the heart of the community for everyone to explore and enjoy. 

"HLF is dedicated to supporting projects that conserve and open up our heritage for the community and visitors to learn about."

The Mayor of Rotherham, Coun. Dave Pickering, added: "Boston Castle is a much-loved historic feature and I am absolutely delighted to see it refurbished and open for public use.

"It has taken quite a while to arrive at this point and my thanks and appreciation go to the various groups of people who have worked long and hard to bring on this wonderful project."  

The restoration work, which began last August, has seen the removal of the Victorian extension and the building of a new entrance foyer complete with a platform lift, stairs, toilets, storage and plant rooms.

The new foyer allows access to the various levels of the building, including the roof, which at 26 feet high now boasts a central platform that allows panoramic views across the River Rother valley.

The roof also gives a birds-eye view of the exterior courtyard area that has been transformed into a amphitheatre, where pupils from Canklow Woods Primary School will be dancing and students from Thomas Rotherham College will provide a short dramatical performance.

The work on the exterior courtyard area has been financed by a £50,000 Biffaward grant secured by the Friends of Boston Castle and Parklands.

The group's chair, Janet Worrall, said the restoration of Boston Castle will provide Rotherham with a new unique site where visitors can enjoy and experience culture and leisure we well as a new learning facility.

She added: "It has taken ten years for the project to come to fruition and the Friends of Boston Castle and Parklands have supported the Council in their bid for Heritage Lottery funding throughout the process.

"I hope the history of the building will attract visitors from far afield as well as locally and the people of our town will have both pride and take pleasure in the newly restored building, which has been a landmark for Rotherham for nearly 240 years."