Hemyock Castle

Hemyock Castle stands in the Culm valley on the west side of the village of Hemyock in Devon. Built by Sir William Asthorpe after 1380, it followed the fashionable quadrangular design of the time, roughly square with circular towers linked by thick stone walls. The gatehouse on the east side had twin towers and a portcullis, while at least five other towers stood around the walls. The structure was whitewashed with lime and included a spring-fed moat for protection. Despite its impressive appearance, the castle had flaws, such as a poorly designed gatehouse and unusable upper floors in the towers. By the early 16th century the castle had fallen into ruin, with only a few towers remaining intact when the antiquarian John Leland visited. During the English Civil War in the 17th century, it was seized by Lord Poulett and later used as a prison by Parliament. After the war, the castle was torn down in 1660. Within the castle walls, Castle House was built in the 18th century using materials from the original structure. General John Simcoe remodelled the house in a Gothic style around 1800. Today the site includes the remaining fragments of the original castle and Castle House, a private home restored at the end of the 20th century. The castle is protected under UK law as a Grade II* listed building and a scheduled monument. Visitors can see the remnants of the towers and walls, the gatehouse foundations, and the moat. The setting in the Blackdown Hills offers a quiet, rural atmosphere. Castle House stands as a reminder of the site’s layered history.