THE INTERIORS OF Hampton Court Castle in Herefordshire, the principal recording location used on the second half of the first series of Survivors, will no longer be accessible to visitors, as its owners pivot to focus exclusively on their wedding venue business.
For many years, Survivors fans have enjoyed the option to join a guided tour of the ground floor (and selected first floor locations) as day visitors to the Castle – by purchasing a combined garden and castle ticket.
When Hampton Court Castle closed for the winter break in 2024, there was no indication that it would not re-open as normal for its spring and summer season in 2025.
The timing of the change is particularly unfortunate as many fans are preparing to visit Survivors locations in Herefordshire this year – the fiftieth anniversary of the broadcast of the show’s first series back in 1975.
The location’s previous website has now been split in two, to create Hampton Castle (the wedding venue) and Hampton Gardens (the still-accessible gardens and grounds).
It is not yet clear what the change will mean for the plans – first announced in 2021 – to open ‘luxury holiday cottages’ in the castle grounds.
The gardens will open to visitors on 12 April 2025 and remain open daily (10:30-17:00) until 28 September 2025.
The Orangery Cafe will still be open for refreshments, and the established trails through the gardens and grounds appear to be unchanged.
This site offers a fully-illustrated guide to the interior locations at Hampton Court used to record episodes of Survivors‘ first series – which are now no longer accessible to visitors.