Penhallam Manor

Visitor Guide

A small, free car park is provided at the head of a half-mile track leading to Penhallam Manor. The car park itself keeps restricted hours — 10am to 6pm from April to October and 10am to 4pm from November to March — though pedestrian access along the track remains possible outside these times during daylight hours. The walk in is through peaceful woodland, following the valley of a small stream, and is one of the quieter, more contemplative approaches to any English Heritage site in Cornwall.

On arrival, the moat itself is the most immediately striking feature, a broad, tree-lined ditch still holding water in places and crossed by a modern footbridge on the line of the medieval entrance. Beyond it, the grass-covered footings of the hall, private chambers, chapel and gatehouse can all still be traced, laid out much as they would have been when the de Cardinham family lived here in the 13th century.

There is no visitor centre, shop or shelter at Penhallam, and no mobile signal in the valley, so it rewards visitors who come prepared to enjoy its remoteness rather than expecting the facilities of a larger attraction. Allow around forty-five minutes to an hour for the round walk in, exploration of the site, and the walk back out, longer if combined with a wider woodland ramble. The nearest facilities, including a small shop and public toilets, are in the village of Week St Mary.

History

Penhallam Manor takes its name from the valley in which it stands and was built by the de Cardinham family, minor barons who transformed their standing in Cornwall through service to the crown in the early 13th century. Robert Fitzwilliam, Lord of Cardinham, became one of King John's principal agents in the county, using his position within the justice system to expand his family's wealth and influence considerably during a turbulent period of English royal politics.

His son Andrew de Cardinham inherited this enlarged estate, which by then also included Restormel Castle near Lostwithiel. Building at Penhallam took place across several phases from the late 12th into the early 14th century, but it was Andrew who carried out the principal building campaign in the 1220s and 1230s, creating the moated manor house whose complete ground-plan survives today. It has been suggested that this new, sheltered valley site may have replaced an earlier, more exposed earthwork castle associated with the family at nearby Week St Mary.

The manor's occupation, however, proved surprisingly brief. Andrew de Cardinham died around 1256 leaving no male heir, and his lands were divided among his daughters. By 1270 Penhallam had descended through the female line to the Champernowne family, who held numerous other properties and did not make it their principal residence. The manor was let to tenants, and by around 1330 the estate had been further partitioned, triggering the rapid abandonment of the buildings and the salvage of usable stone and timber by people living in the surrounding area.

This early and complete abandonment is precisely what makes Penhallam so valuable today. Because no later manor house or farm was ever built over the site, its 13th-century ground-plan survived beneath the grass largely undisturbed for over six centuries. Archaeological excavation between 1968 and 1973 uncovered and consolidated the remains of the hall, private chambers, chapel, gatehouse, kitchen and moat, revealing one of the most complete surviving plans of a minor medieval manor house anywhere in England. The site is now cared for by English Heritage as both a scheduled monument and a peaceful woodland nature reserve, freely open to visitors throughout the year.

Important Features

• The moat: a broad, water-filled ditch encircling the manor site, crossed by a modern footbridge on the medieval entrance line.
• The hall range: grass-covered footings marking the manor's principal domestic and reception rooms.
• The chapel: foundations of a private chapel forming part of the complete 13th-century ground-plan.
• The gatehouse: remains marking the controlled entrance into the moated enclosure.
• 1968–1973 excavation: the archaeological campaign that uncovered and preserved the site's complete layout.
• The woodland approach: a half-mile walk through a quiet valley, considered part of the Penhallam experience.

Visitor Information

Things to Do Nearby

Frequently Asked Questions

Official English Heritage Site

For the latest access information, events and any temporary restrictions, check the official English Heritage page for Penhallam Manor before you travel.

Visit the official English Heritage website