Castles & Country Houses in Cornwall

Cornwall's coastline and countryside are dotted with castles and historic houses spanning a thousand years, from Tintagel's clifftop ruins, long linked with the legend of King Arthur, to Tudor coastal fortresses and the grand country estates of Cornwall's landed families.

National Trust properties make up much of the list, including Lanhydrock, Cotehele, Antony House, Trerice and the island fortress of St Michael's Mount, while English Heritage looks after Tintagel, Pendennis, St Mawes and Restormel castles. Independent houses such as Prideaux Place near Padstow and Godolphin House near Helston, along with Launceston Castle and Pencarrow House & Gardens, round out the picture.

Browse by region

West Cornwall

Penzance

St Michael’s Mount

Explore the island world of St Michael’s Mount and discover legend, myth and over a thousand years of history.

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Penzance

Penlee House, Museum and Gallery

The only Cornish public gallery specialising in the Newlyn School artists, including Stanhope and Elizabeth Forbes and Laura Knight.

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Helston

Godolphin House

A beautiful and romantic historic house and garden, with a haunting air of antiquity across the surrounding estate.

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Falmouth

Pendennis Castle

A great-value family day out at one of the finest of the mighty fortresses built by Henry VIII.

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North Cornwall

Tintagel

Tintagel Old Post Office

An atmospheric 14th-century yeoman’s farmhouse with a famously wavy roof, nestled among Tintagel’s high street shops.

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Tintagel

Tintagel Castle

Set high on the rugged North Cornwall coast, offering dramatic views, fascinating ruins and a beach cafe.

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Newquay

Trerice House

An intimate Elizabethan manor and a Cornish gem, little changed over the centuries thanks to long periods under absentee owners.

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Launceston

Launceston Castle

Dominating the surrounding landscape from a large natural mound — the ultimate status symbol of medieval wealth and power.

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Bodmin

Lanhydrock House

The perfect country house and estate, with the feel of a wealthy but unpretentious family home.

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Bodmin

Pencarrow House & Gardens

For nearly 500 years the much-loved home of the Molesworth-St Aubyns, set in 50 acres of formal and woodland gardens.

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Padstow

Prideaux Place

This stunningly beautiful Elizabethan manor house overlooks the picturesque fishing harbour of Padstow.

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South Cornwall

Fowey

St Catherine’s Castle

One of a pair of small artillery forts built by Henry VIII in the 1530s to defend Fowey Harbour.

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St Mawes

St Mawes Castle

A charming, romantic castle defending the world’s third-largest natural harbour and one of Cornwall’s prettiest villages.

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Lostwithiel

Restormel Castle

A motte-and-bailey castle with a huge circular keep, sited on a hill above the River Fowey.

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Nr. Saltash

Cotehele House

One of Cornwall’s finest country houses, full of stories and legends — a magical experience where little has changed over the years.

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Torpoint

Mount Edgcumbe House & Country Park

The former home of the Earls of Mount Edgcumbe, set in Grade I Cornish gardens within 865 acres on the Rame Peninsula.

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Torpoint

Antony House

Still home to the Carew Pole family after hundreds of years, this early 18th-century mansion holds fine collections of paintings, furniture and textiles.

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