📍 Photo via Google Maps

St Catherine's Castle

📍 Cornwall, England

3.8 ★★★½ 0 reviews

About

St Catherine's Castle is a Henrician castle in Cornwall, England, built by Thomas Treffry between approximately 1538 and 1540, in response to fears of an invasion of England by France and the Holy Roman Empire. The D-shaped, stone fortification, equipped with five gun-ports for cannon, overlooked the mouth of the River Fowey in Cornwall. It was protected by a curtain wall and the surrounding cliffs. The castle remained in use for many years until it was closed at the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815. Brought back into service in 1855 during the Crimean War, it was fitted with two new artillery positions, but it soon became obsolete and was abandoned. During the Second World War the castle was refortified and used to house a battery of naval guns, protecting the coast against the threat of German attack. At the end of the conflict the castle was restored to its previous condition and is now managed by English Heritage as a tourist attraction.

Built c.1538-1540 by Henry VIII as part of his coastal defence programme to protect Fowey harbour against French attack. A small D-shaped blockhouse with gun ports. The castle is freely accessible via a coastal path from Readymoney Cove. Managed by English Heritage. Offers spectacular views of Fowey harbour, the coast, and out to sea.