There are quite a lot of castles within the boundaries of what is modern-day Cornwall. Much of the reason for this is geography - Cornwall has a lot of coastline (just short of 300 miles) and this means potential avenues of attach from the sea. This meant a lot of coastal defences have been put in place over the years. The south coast of Cornwall faces the English Channel and attacks from Europe; the north coast faces the Atlantic and invasions across the Irish Sea.
Not all of the castles in Cornwall are coastal however, there are a few (generally older castles) that are built to protect different aspects. These include Norman installations to protect river crossings and Iron Age hill forts to protect the population and act as a defensive refuge, which are generally found on hill top locations.
Because the wealth of Cornwall has never really been in agricultural land, there are not as many Norman castles as some other areas of the country because that was the primary driver for installing these defences.
St Mawes Castle
St Mawes sits on the north east side of the Carrick Roads, partnering Pendennis castle on the opposite side. It is a clover leaf shape and was built by Henry VIII as part of the coastal defences aimed at preventing attack from France and Spain.
Carn Brea Castle
Carn Brea was built in the 14th century, although the hill top site near Redruth has been occupied since about 3700BC. The current building is a stone twin towered fortress, probably originally a chapel or hunting lodge. It has been altered and extended over the intervening years.
St Michael's Mount
Located in Mount's Bay and owned by the National Trust, St Michael's Mount is probably Cornwall's best known landmark. The castle sits atop a small island that is accessible by causeway at low tide. Originally a religious site it was held defensively several times before becoming a true castle when Henry VIII seized it as a result of the dissolution of the monasteries.
Tintagel Castle
The castle at Tintagel is probably best known for its link with the Arthurian legend as the birthplace of King Arthur. However, the current castle at the site near Camelford is the remains of a fortress built by the Earls of Cornwall, started by Reginald in 1145 and expanded in the 13th century.
Launceston Castle
The castle is located to protect the Tamar River crossing, and there has been defensive structures here since medieval times. The stonework you see today is mostly 13th century, built by Richard, Earl of Cornwall (who was also responsible for the expansion of Tintagel).
Pendennis Castle
Situated on Pendennis Point, this castle guards the Falmouth bank of the Carrick Roads and the entrance into Falmouth Harbour. As with St Mawes it was constructed around 1540-45 by Henry VIII as part of a chain of defences along the south coast of England.
Restormel Castle
Situated near St Austell, Restormel Castle was originally a Normal fortification, and it's beautiful round shape is a reflection of that, although the current stone walls were again a later addition of the 13th century.
St Catherine's Castle
Located at Fowey, St Catherine's was built to defend the harbour and was a part of the south coast castle chain commissioned by Henry VIII. It's a small artillery fort, now in ruins, and is located on the tip of a rock headland.
Chun Castle
An Iron Age hill fort originally created between 3000 and 2000 BC, it is notable because it is made of two concentric rings of the native granite rock. The occupation of this site near Penzance in west Cornwall, goes from this period through the Roman occupation of Britain into the Dark Ages.
This is not an exhaustive list of the castles of Cornwall, more minor or iron age remains can be seen at Bossiney Castle, Bottreaux Castle, Caerhays Castle, Cradinham Castle, Castle Dore, and the castles of Helston, Maen, Pengersick and Tremanton.
Thomas Craven is a freelance writer in the travel sector. He is currently writing for hotels in Cornwall on a range of Cornish subjects.
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