St Mawes Castle

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St Mawes Castle

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St Mawes Castle and its sister fortress Pendennis Castle were built by Henry VIII to guard the important anchorage of Carrick Roads.
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St Mawes Castle is among the best-preserved of Henry VIII's coastal artillery fortresses, and the most elaborately decorated of them all. Built to guard the anchorage of Carrick Roads along with Pendennis Castle on the other side of the Fal estuary, it is now a fascinating visitor attraction with great views out over the water.

01/11/2026

It's the end of the season and St Mawes Castle is now closed for the winter.

Thank you to everyone who visited the castle this year and we look forward to next year!

31/10/2026

Happy Halloween from St Mawes Castle! 🎃

29/10/2026

It's almost Halloween so let's talk about the castle ghosts!

Visitors sometimes report feeling an energy or presence in the castle. Some people even said they felt a tap on their shoulder when looking up the chimney in the kitchen!

Former staff have reported items in the gift shop moving on their own and the smell of meat cooking coming from the basement underneath the shop.

Have you had any spooky experiences at St Mawes Castle?

26/10/2026

We've got our pumpkin ready for Halloween at St Mawes! 🎃

20/10/2026

The bats are out in full force today! 🦇

We have found bats in both rooms of the gunpowder magazine this morning! This does mean that the magazine is locked today to give the bats some peace but the rest of the site and the castle are still open so there's still plenty to see if you're visiting us!

18/10/2026

On this day in 1597 the Third Spanish Armada left from Spain heading for Falmouth.

The fleet was made up of 136 ships and 14,000 men and intended to take and hold Falmouth with the hope that this could be a base for invasion. England and Spain had been at war since 1585, largely due to religious differences as Spain was Catholic and England had been restored to Protestantism under Elizabeth I.

Ultimately, the fleet failed to attack Falmouth after they were scattered by storms off the Cornish coast. One Spanish ship was captured off the Isles of Scilly and the prisoners from it were brought to Falmouth, which was the first the English knew of the Spanish presence. A force of 700 soldiers did land in the Helford, near Falmouth, but they left after no more reinforcements arrived. Some of the fleet was swept north to Wales but they also failed to mount an invasion there.

Sir Walter Rayleigh had predicted in 1595 that Falmouth could a target for a Spanish invasion force. The same year, Hannibal Vyvyan, the captain of St Mawes Castle, wrote to request more guns and gunpowder saying “I cannot stay here without further supply.” In 1596, the captain of Pendennis castle requested greater fortification and supply there. As it is unclear whether any of these requests were met it might be lucky the invasion fleet didn’t make it to Falmouth!

17/10/2026

It's Members' Appreciation Week!

From Saturday 17th to Sunday 25th October English Heritage members get 15% off in our shop and can bring in a friend for free so now is the perfect time to visit St Mawes Castle!

13/10/2026

The bats must know it's October! 🦇

There was a bat having a nap in the gunpowder magazine again this morning! We have closed the gunpowder room so it can have some peace but the rest of the site and the castle are still open so there's still plenty to see if you are visiting today!

12/10/2026

On this day in 1537, Edward VI was born.

Edward was the long-awaited son of Henry VIII, with his third wife Jane Seymour who died shortly after the birth.

Henry’s quest for a son had created tensions with Catholic Europe, after he had broken with the Catholic church to annul his marriage to his first wife, and had made it necessary to fortify the coast, building castles like St Mawes.

Two of the five Latin inscriptions on the external walls of St Mawes Castle are in honour of Edward, who was the Duke of Cornwall when the castle was built.

The east bastion inscription reads
“GAUDEAT EDWARDO NUNC DUCE COMUBIA FELIX”
Which translates to “Let fortunate Cornwall rejoice that Edward is now her duke”

The West bastion inscription reads “EDWARDUS FAMA REFERAT FACTISQUE PARENTUM”
Which translates to “May Edward resemble his father in fame and deeds”

08/10/2026

It’s been 70 years since St Mawes Castle was disarmed!

During the Second World War, St Mawes Castle was armed with twin 6-pounder quick fire guns, intended to fire on motor torpedo boats and military landing craft. The battery was in operation from 1941 until 1945 when it was relegated to care and maintenance. Service am******on was withdrawn and returned to the Royal Army Ordnance Corps in 1953, however, some practice am******on was kept on site. In October 1956 the guns were cut up for scrap after the Coast Artillery had been declared obsolete. The battery and its ancillary buildings were demolished in 1957, to restore the setting of the Tudor Caste, and the site is now used for our overflow car park.

Did you know that St Mawes Castle was in military service through World War 2?

Address

Saint Mawes
TR25DE

Telephone

01326 270526

Website

https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/st-mawes-castle/

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