Berry Pomeroy Castle

Berry Pomeroy Castle stands on a limestone outcrop above the wooded valley of the Gatcombe Brook, about a mile north-east of the village of Berry Pomeroy in South Devon. The site began as a traditional castle built in the late 15th century by the Pomeroy family, who had held the land since the 11th century. Their deer park enclosed the hilltop, and the oldest parts—the gatehouse, St Margaret’s Tower and curtain wall—still show the gun ports and masonry of that time. A wall painting of the Adoration of the Magi, hidden behind vegetation in the gatehouse, dates from around 1490–1500. By 1547 the Pomeroys sold the estate to Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, and the castle passed into the Seymour family. The castle’s later owners transformed it into a grand Tudor mansion. Between 1560 and 1580 Sir Edward Seymour built a four-storey house in the fashionable style, and his son added the North Range around 1600. The family lived in style until the Civil War, when Royalist supporters were raided and estates sequestered. After the Restoration the fourth baronet moved to Wiltshire, stripping materials to rebuild Bradley House and leaving the castle to decay. By 1701 it was described as demolished, its once splendid dining room with alabaster figures lying in dust. Today the ruins remain a picturesque ruin celebrated since the 19th century. Archaeologists uncovered the site between 1980 and 1996, revealing the castle’s layered history and correcting earlier misunderstandings. Visitors walk among the gatehouse, tower and curtain wall, with the wooded valley below and the remains of the Tudor mansion above. The overgrown ivy and crumbling stone give the place a quiet, romantic air, while the Adoration of the Magi painting offers a glimpse of the art once hidden inside.