Castles · South West England
Trematon Castle
Trematon Castle — a shell keep built on a motte and bailey castle.
Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 1.5 h–3 h
- Nearest railway station
- Saltash · 2.2 km
- Family-friendly
- Limited wheelchair access
About
Trematon Castle is a castle in the United Kingdom — fortified architecture from the medieval, Tudor, or Victorian-revival period. Built in the Norman architecture style. Heritage designation: scheduled monument. Wikidata describes it as: "a shell keep built on a motte and bailey castle". Coordinates: 50.4001°, -4.2380°.
Photo gallery
Heritage listing
Trematon Castle (Cornish: Kastel Tremen) is situated near Saltash in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It was the caput of the feudal barony of Trematon. It is similar in style to the later Restormel Castle, with a 12th-century keep. Trematon Castle overlooks Plymouth Sound and was built probably by Robert, Count of Mortain on the ruins of an earlier Roman fort: it is a motte-and-bailey castle and dates from soon after the Norman Conquest.
From the Historic England List Entry under OGL v3.
Protected designations
- Site of Special Scientific Interest: Lynher Estuary SSSI
- Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty: Tamar Valley
- Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty: Cornwall
Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.
From the Wikipedia article
Trematon Castle (Cornish: Kastel Tremen) is situated near Saltash in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It was the caput of the feudal barony of Trematon. It is similar in style to the later Restormel Castle, with a 12th-century keep. Trematon Castle overlooks Plymouth Sound and was built probably by Robert, Count of Mortain on the ruins of an earlier Roman fort: it is a motte-and-bailey castle and dates from soon after the Norman Conquest. It occupies a sentinel position one and a half miles south-east of Trematon village (grid reference SX41065801).
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
History
The site of Trematon Castle predates the Norman Conquest. James McKenzie writes that an earthwork fortress on the site belonged to the earls of Cornwall, while historian William Woolwater calls it an "ancient palace of the Cornish Kings", built before 959. Cornish historian Richard Polwhele called it one of the residences of Condor of Cornwall and the "ancient earls of Cornwall", along with Launceston and Tintagel castles, and said that it was built before the Conquest. It was either bestowed by William the Conqueror to his half-brother Robert, Count of Mortain, Polwhele said that Cadoc of Cornwall may have been restored to the earldom of Cornwall after Robert's son William rebelled in…
Description
Trematon Castle, like Restormel Castle, has a stone shell keep raised on an earlier motte. Although in ruins, much of the Norman walls remain standing, so that the original form of the Castle and keep are clear. The keep is oval and has walls 10 feet thick and 30 feet high. The internal diameter is approximately 21 metres. A rectangular gatehouse, built in 1270, has two floors and a portcullis. Both are in good condition. The military historian Sir Charles Oman said of the castle's situation "Trematon is high aloft, on one of the summits of the rather chaotic group of hill-tops which lie behind Saltash and its daring modern bridge." Within the castle courtyard stands a Georgian house built…
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 50.4001, -4.2380
- District
- Cornwall
- Parish
- Saltash
- Postcode
- PL12 4QW
- Parliamentary constituency
- South East Cornwall
- Nearest railway station
- Saltash — 2.2 km
Sources
- wikidata: Q7838051 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Trematon Castle (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- commons: Keep, Trematon Castle - geograph.org.uk - 1192900.jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Trematon Castle?
- Trematon Castle is in South-West England, United Kingdom (postcode PL12 4QW), in the parish of Saltash.
- Is Trematon Castle a listed building?
- Trematon Castle is officially recognised as scheduled monument listed.
- Is Trematon Castle a protected site?
- Yes — Trematon Castle is part of the Lynher Estuary SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest and the Tamar Valley National Landscape (AONB).
- Does Trematon Castle charge admission?
- Trematon Castle typically charges admission. Check the official site for current ticket prices and opening hours.
- How do I get to Trematon Castle?
- The nearest railway station is Saltash, about 2.2 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode PL12 4QW.