Launceston Castle

Launceston, United Kingdom

Open to visitors

The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.

Strollie cannot guarantee access — always check before you travel.

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Launceston Castle, situated in the Cornish town of Launceston, originated as a Norman fortification probably built by Robert the Count of Mortain after 1068, initially comprising earthwork and timber structures dominated by a large motte. Serving as the administrative centre of the earldom of Cornwall, it was reconstructed in stone during the 12th century and substantially redeveloped by Richard of Cornwall after 1227, notably with a high tower affording views of the surrounding lands. The castle's fortunes declined after Edmund, Richard's son, relocated the earldom's administration to Lostwithiel; by 1337 it had become largely ruinous, functioning primarily as a gaol and judicial venue. After capture during the Prayer Book Rebellion of 1549 and garrisoning in the English Civil War, the castle deteriorated further, eventually serving as Cornwall's county gaol—notorious enough to earn the epithet "Castle Terrible"—before closure in 1842. Following landscaping as a park by the Duke of Northumberland and mid-20th-century use by military forces, the site reopened to visitors in 1956. Now operated by English Heritage and owned by the duchy of Cornwall, substantial remains survive including the motte, keep, tower, gatehouses, curtain wall sections, and archaeologically revealed bailey foundations.