The former Castle Museum in Taunton will re-open as the Museum of Somerset on Thursday. During the formal opening, a re-enactment will commemorate the part played by Taunton Castle in the Civil War in 1645, when it was besieged by Royalist troops.

The gates to the castle will then be thrown open to the public at about 12.15pm, and the first 100 visitors through the gates will receive a souvenir biscuit in the shape of a boot. This pays tribute to the famous words of Colonel Robert Blake who, while defending Taunton Castle for Parliament during the siege, declared that he would eat three of his four pairs of boots before he would surrender.

The new exhibition halls and other Castle re-developments have cost £6.93 million including £1.8 million from Somerset County Council. This means every household has contributed about £8.18 at a time of austerity, but it has provided Taunton with a fantastic new visitor attraction that is free to enter for the public.

Enjoy the biscuits!

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