Restormel Castle

Restormel Castle stands beside the River Fowey near Lostwithiel in Cornwall. It is one of four chief Norman castles in the county, the others being Launceston, Tintagel and Trematon. The castle’s most striking feature is its perfectly circular shape, rare among English castles. Once a grand home for the Earl of Cornwall, it fell into ruin by the 16th century. During the English Civil War it was briefly reoccupied and fought over before being abandoned again. Today it is cared for by English Heritage and open to visitors. The castle is an unusually well-preserved circular shell keep built in the 12th and early 13th centuries. Only 71 such castles survive in England and Wales, and Restormel is the most complete. Its massive stone wall, 38 metres across and up to 2.4 metres thick, still stands to full height with a wall walk 7.6 metres above the ground. Inside, slate buildings curve against the wall, including a kitchen, hall, solar, guest chambers and an ante-chapel. Water from a spring was piped under pressure into the castle. Visitors walk along the battlemented parapet and see the ruined square gate tower that once guarded the entrance. On the opposite side, a projecting tower contains the chapel, later used as a gun emplacement. The motte beneath the castle is surrounded by a ringwork that once carried a garden walk. Beyond the walls the River Fowey flows past, and the deer park established in the 12th century still shapes the landscape.