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The Great Britain Guide

Castles · South West England

Penstowe Castle

♿ Wheelchair: limited

Penstowe Castle — Castle in Cornwall, England, UK.

Penstowe Castle, castles in South West England

Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit
1.5 h–3 h
  • Family-friendly
  • Limited wheelchair access

About

Penstowe Castle is a castle in the United Kingdom — fortified architecture from the medieval, Tudor, or Victorian-revival period. Heritage designation: scheduled monument. Wikidata describes it as: "Castle in Cornwall, England, UK". Coordinates: 50.8769°, -4.4993°.

Photo gallery

Heritage listing

Penstowe Castle, also called Kilkhampton Castle, was a medieval fortification built near Kilkhampton, Cornwall, England, possibly during the years of the civil war in the 12th century known as the Anarchy.

From the Historic England List Entry under OGL v3.

Protected designations

  • Site of Special Scientific Interest: Steeple Point to Marsland Mouth SSSI
  • Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty: Cornwall

Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.

From the Wikipedia article

Penstowe Castle, also called Kilkhampton Castle, was a medieval fortification built near Kilkhampton, Cornwall, England, possibly during the years of the civil war in the 12th century known as the Anarchy.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

History

The precise date of Penstowe Castle's construction is uncertain, but it was built during the years of the Anarchy in the mid-12th century, either by Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester, feudal baron of Gloucester, who was certainly the tenant-in-chief of the manor of Kilkhampton, or by his tenants and relatives the Grenville family (possibly Sir Richard I de Grenville (d.post 1142) of Neath Castle, Glamorgan), which held the manor of Kilkhampton and the manor of Bideford in Devon from the Honour of Gloucester. Stowe House was the Grenvilles' residence at Kilkhampton, demolished and rebuilt in grand form in 1679 by John Granville, 1st Earl of Bath (1628-1701). Kilkhampton Castle was built to a…

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
50.8769, -4.4993
District
Cornwall
Parish
Kilkhampton
Postcode
EX23 9HR
Parliamentary constituency
North Cornwall

Sources

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Nearby

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Frequently asked questions

Where is Penstowe Castle?
Penstowe Castle is in South-West England, United Kingdom (postcode EX23 9HR), in the parish of Kilkhampton.
Is Penstowe Castle a listed building?
Penstowe Castle is officially recognised as scheduled monument listed.
Is Penstowe Castle a protected site?
Yes — Penstowe Castle is part of the Steeple Point to Marsland Mouth SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest and the Cornwall National Landscape (AONB).
Does Penstowe Castle charge admission?
Penstowe Castle typically charges admission. Check the official site for current ticket prices and opening hours.
How do I get to Penstowe Castle?
Drivers can navigate to postcode EX23 9HR. It sits within the North Cornwall parliamentary constituency.