Launceston Castle

Launceston Castle stands on a high mound in the middle of Launceston, a town in Cornwall. Built after the Norman conquest, it began as an earthwork and timber fort before being rebuilt in stone in the 12th century. The castle served as the administrative heart of Cornwall’s earldom, with a busy community living within its walls. Richard of Cornwall enlarged it in the 13th century, adding a tall tower for views over his deer park. Later, it became a prison and court, earning the grim nickname ‘Castle Terrible’. The castle’s defences remain impressive. The original motte still rises above the town, topped by a keep built in the late 12th century. Two stone gatehouses guard the entrance, and fragments of the curtain wall survive. Archaeologists have uncovered the foundations of the great hall and other buildings inside the bailey. The high tower offers a clear view of the former deer park to the south, once stocked with deer from nearby parks. Visitors walk along the surviving walls and through the bailey, where traces of medieval life are still visible. The gatehouses and keep stand as reminders of the castle’s power and later decline. The site was landscaped into a park in the 19th century and later used by the military. Today, it is cared for by English Heritage, open to those who want to explore Cornwall’s past.