We are frequent visitors to Cornwall and we’ve visited Launceston many times over the years, but we’ve never visited Launceston Castle. The boy has been learning about castles at school, so whilst we were in the area we decided to pay a visit to the castle and learn a bit more about life there.
Launceston Castle is in the north Cornish town of Launceston. You can’t miss it, it’s right on the top of a hill and really dominates the surrounding landscape. It is believed there has been a castle on the site for around 1000 years. Launceston Castle was built after the Norman conquest but was redeveloped by Richard, Earl of Cornwall in the 13th century and was originally his administrative headquarters.
Launceston Castle is a motte and bailey style castle. The castle has a fairly unusual design. It has unusual keep consisting of a 13th century round tower which is set within an earlier circular shell-keep. The top of the tower is reached by an internal stone staircase and once you are up there you’ll find breathtaking views of the town and the countryside beyond.
Although Launceston Castle doesn’t have any on-site parking, you can park in nearby car parks. You access the castle through the 13th century southern gatehouse which leads you up to the bailey where the ruins of the great hall, kitchen and hall can be seen.
The wider grounds of the castle are free to access and explore. When we visited there were several families enjoying picnics and exploring the ruins of the great hall, kitchen and hall. If you want to visit the castle itself you need to enter via the shop. Entry is currently £5.20 per adult and £3.10 per child, with Gift Aid.
Walking through the shop area, the tour begins with a small exhibition space which is packed with information about the history of the castle. There are a number of artefacts which have been excavated from the site; as well as examples of the style of clothing worn by the inhabitants of the castle. For children, they can try their hand at brass rubbing and signing their name with a quill.
Moving on, we walked up the hill, or motte, crossed the wooden bridge by the well and climbed the 145 steps to the top of the castle. We explored the outer shell keep, before climbing the stone steps to the top of the high tower. I’m not going to lie and say it was an easy climb; but the view once you get to the top is spectacular.
Launceston Castle is a really interesting place to visit, especially if you’ve been recently learning about castles at school. Ben was able to tell us lots of facts about the construction and it was good for him to visit a real castle and see how things looked and worked there.
I’m not sure you could spend more than an hour or so exploring the castle; but if you’re in the area it’s worth visiting for the views from both the bailey and from the top of the high tower. My advice would be, take a picnic and enjoy it in the grounds. It’s a great place to sit and admire the undulating Cornish countryside and imagine being Earl of it all.
You can find out more about the history of Launceston Castle on the English Heritage website.
We paid for our visit in full.