Restormel Castle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Restormel Castle |
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| Lostwithiel, Cornwall | |
Restormel Castle, seen from the west.
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 Restormel Castle
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| Coordinates | 50°25′20″N 4°40′17″W / 50.4223°N 4.6715°W |
| Type | Shell keep with bailey |
| Site information | |
| Owner | English Heritage |
| Controlled by | English Heritage |
| Condition | Ruined |
| Site history | |
| Materials | Shale |
Restormel Castle (Cornish: Kastel Rostorrmel) is an old castle near Lostwithiel in Cornwall, England. It's one of the four main Norman castles in Cornwall. The others are Launceston, Tintagel, and Trematon. This castle is special because it's almost perfectly round!
Even though it was once a fancy home for the Earl of Cornwall, the castle was mostly a ruin by the 1500s. It was used for a short time during the English Civil War. After that, it was left empty again. Today, English Heritage looks after it, and you can visit it.
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What Restormel Castle Looks Like
Restormel Castle sits on a high hill above the River Fowey. It's a great example of a circular shell keep. This was a special type of castle built a long time ago, between the 1100s and early 1200s. There are only about 71 of these castles known in England and Wales, and Restormel is the most complete one.
These castles were built by changing older wooden castles. The wooden fence around the castle was replaced with a strong stone wall. Inside, stone buildings were built close to the wall. These buildings were curved to fit the round shape of the castle.
The castle wall is about 38 meters (125 feet) across. It's also up to 2.4 meters (8 feet) thick. The wall still stands tall, with a path on top about 7.6 meters (25 feet) above the ground. The top of the wall, with its battlements, is also still in good shape. Around the wall is a ditch that is 15 meters (49 feet) wide and 4 meters (13 feet) deep. Both the wall and the buildings inside were made from slate rock. This rock probably came from a quarry nearby.
Inside the castle wall, there were rooms like a kitchen, a large hall, a private room (called a solar), guest rooms, and a small chapel. Water from a natural spring was brought into the castle through pipes. A square gate tower, which is mostly ruined now, protected the entrance. This gate tower might have been the first part of the castle built with stone.
On the other side of the castle, a square tower sticks out from the wall. This tower holds the chapel. It was probably added in the 1200s. It seems like it was later used to hold guns during the English Civil War. There used to be an outer wall made of wood and earth, but it's gone now. People also used to talk about a dungeon here, but it has also disappeared.
The castle seems to be built on a motte, which is a raised earth mound. Its huge walls were dug deep into this mound. This makes the castle look even taller.
A Look at Restormel Castle's History
Restormel Castle was part of the land owned by a powerful Norman lord named Robert, Count of Mortain. The castle was likely first built around 1100. It started as a motte and bailey castle, which was a common type of castle with a wooden fort on a mound and a fenced yard. It was built by Baldwin Fitz Turstin, who was the local sheriff. His family owned the land for almost 200 years.
The castle was built in the middle of a large deer park. It was in a very important spot, overlooking a main crossing point over the River Fowey. It might have been used as a hunting lodge as well as a fort.
Between 1192 and 1225, Robert de Cardinham owned the castle. He built the inner stone walls and changed the gatehouse to stone. This gave the castle its round shape that we see today. The village of Lostwithiel grew up near the castle around the same time. The Cardinham family owned the castle for many years. Later, Isolda de Cardinham gave the castle to King Henry III's brother, Richard of Cornwall, in 1270.
Richard died in 1271, and his son Edmund took over. Edmund made Restormel his main base. He built the inner rooms of the castle and called it his "duchy palace." During this time, the castle was like a "miniature palace." It had fancy rooms and even water piped in. It was also where the local tin-mining business was managed.
The Castle Becomes a Ruin
After Edmund died in 1299, the castle became property of the King. From 1337, it was one of the 17 important estates of the Duchy of Cornwall. It was not often used as a home. However, Edward the Black Prince stayed there in 1354 and 1365. He used these visits to meet with his important subjects.
After some land was lost in France, the castle's valuable items were taken out and moved to other places. The castle slowly fell into disrepair. By the 1500s, when a writer named John Leland saw it, it was already a ruin. People had even taken stones from it to build other things. Leland wrote that the wood was gone, pipes were taken, and walls had fallen down.
King Henry VIII later turned the castle's parkland back into regular countryside. Since the castle was no longer used, a manor house was built nearby in the 1500s. This house, called Restormel Manor, is still owned by the Duchy of Cornwall today.
Restormel Castle was only used in a battle once. During the English Civil War in the 1600s, soldiers who supported Parliament took over the crumbling castle. They made some quick repairs. But then, soldiers loyal to King Charles I, led by Sir Richard Grenville, attacked it. Grenville captured the castle on August 21, 1644. After the war, in 1649, a survey said the castle was completely ruined. It was too damaged to fix and not worth tearing down.
By the 1800s, the castle became a popular place for visitors. A French writer named Henri-François-Alphonse Esquiros visited in 1865. He said the ruins were "romantic." He noticed that people came there for picnics and parties. In 1846, the British royal family even visited the castle. They arrived on their yacht, the Victoria and Albert, up the River Fowey.
Restormel Castle Today
In 1925, Edward, Duke of Cornwall (who later became King Edward VIII), gave the ruined castle to the Office of Works. In 1971, there was an idea to restore the castle, but it was stopped because many people were against it. Ten years later, the castle was named a Scheduled Monument. This means it's a very important historical site.
The castle has never been fully dug up by archaeologists. Today, English Heritage looks after Restormel Castle. It is a popular tourist attraction and a great place for a picnic.
