4 Old Ruins to Explore in Cornwall

Bodmin Jail has played an important role in Cornwall’s history and this bold re-development gives visitors the chance to delve into an intriguing hidden history. Explore the many cells and features that make your visit to the Jail a fun and educational adventure, and just a little bit scary. The Jail you see today was built with the help of the prisoners who brought 20,000 tons of granite from Bodmin’s Cuckoo Quarry.

The National Trust's Cotehele, Cornwall, is a Tudor house with superb collections, garden, quay and estate. The house was probably founded around 1300 and various alterations were made in the early fifteenth century. It includes a mill, 15 century chapel and Cotehele Quay. They receive around 100,000 visitors a year to its Barn Restaurant and Edgcumbe Arms Tearoom.

Restormel is one of the most remarkable castles in Britain. The present circular structure, built in the late 13th century, was a luxurious retreat for its medieval owners and was twice visited by Edward, the Black Prince. Today the remains of the castle rooms reveal clues to its past grandeur. Large fireplaces, high windows and the Great Hall, used for gatherings, give a sense of the once luxurious surroundings. It offers fantastic views across the valley of the River Fowey and is a favourite

St Mawes Castle is a four-story artillery fort, like its counterpart across the bay, and was built in the 1540s as part of the largest national coastal defence programme since the Roman era. It stands solidly above the rocky coast, once a deterrent to hostile ships that might have sought to venture up the river passage. The castle continued in use as a fort through the 18th and 19th centuries.