St Mawes Castle

St Mawes Castle
Falmouth, Cornwall, England
The Henrician castle, seen from the landward side
St Mawes Castle is located in Cornwall
St Mawes Castle
St Mawes Castle
Coordinates50°09′17″N 5°01′26″W / 50.15486°N 5.02377°W / 50.15486; -5.02377
TypeDevice Fort
Site information
OwnerEnglish Heritage
Open to
the public
Yes
ConditionIntact
Site history
Built1540–42
Built byThomas Treffry
In useEnglish civil war.
MaterialsSlate rubble, granite
EventsEnglish Civil War, Second World War
Official nameSt Mawes Castle
Designated9 October 1981
Reference no.1013807
Listed Building – Grade I
Official nameSt Mawes Castle, gatehouse, blockhouse, magazine and outer defences
Designated25 June 1985
Reference no.1136705

St Mawes Castle (Cornish: Kastel Lannvowsedh) is an artillery fort constructed by Henry VIII near Falmouth, Cornwall, between 1540 and 1542. It formed part of the King's Device programme to protect against invasion from France and the Holy Roman Empire, and defended the Carrick Roads waterway at the mouth of the River Fal. The castle was built under the direction of Thomas Treffry to a clover leaf design, with a four-storey central tower and three protruding, round bastions that formed gun platforms. It was initially armed with 19 artillery pieces, intended for use against enemy shipping, operating in partnership with its sister castle of Pendennis on the other side of the estuary. During the English Civil War, St Mawes was held by Royalist supporters of King Charles I, but surrendered to a Parliamentary army in 1646 in the final phase of the conflict.

The castle continued in use as a fort through the 18th and 19th centuries. In the early 1850s, fears of a fresh conflict with France, combined with changes in military technology, led to the redevelopment of the fortification. The out-dated Henrician castle was turned into a barracks and substantial gun batteries were constructed beneath it, equipped with the latest naval artillery. In the 1880s and 1890s an electrically operated minefield was laid across the River Fal, operated from St Mawes and Pendennis, and new, quick-firing guns were installed at St Mawes to support these defences. After 1905, however, St Mawes' guns were removed, and between 1920 and 1939 it was run by the state as a tourist attraction.

Brought back into service in the Second World War, naval artillery and an anti-aircraft gun were installed at the castle to defend against the risk of German attack. With the end of the war, St Mawes again returned to use as a tourist attraction. In the 21st century, the castle is operated by English Heritage. The castle has elaborate, carved 16th-century decorations including sea monsters and gargoyles, and the historian Paul Pattison has described the site as "arguably the most perfect survivor of all Henry's forts".

The castle is a scheduled monument[1] and Grade I listed building.[2]

  1. ^ Historic England. "St Mawes Castle (1013807)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  2. ^ Historic England. "St Mawes Castle, gatehoue, blockhouse, magazine and outer defences (1136705)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 6 April 2019.