St Catherine's Castle, Fowey, United Kingdom

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.

References:

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Castles and fortifications in United Kingdom

User Reviews

Greg Campbell-smith (2 years ago)
Great little walk. Ideal for families. Great views

D Boyd (2 years ago)
Short walk from readymoney cove,. Worth going just for the views of Fowey and out to sea. A place full of history, not very big but worth the effort.

PompeyStevieSoul (2 years ago)
So is it worth the short but steep climb from the beach to the castle ?- you bet it is, the pics speak for themselves! Not much of castle but a mere turret ruin but hey it's free people!! Don't be lazy and get those legs a pumping!

custardNM (2 years ago)
A short, but steep, walk up from Readymoney beach. Worth a look if you are on the beach for the day or doing a coastal path walk. Nice views overlooking the bay, it’s very small as far as castles go.

brit (2 years ago)
We loved it but it's worth noting there are not signs at every fork along the woodland access and both that and beach staircase are very steep!! Keep bearing left was the advice given to us ?

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