Pendennis Castle
A Tudor artillery fort on Pendennis Headland above Falmouth, with a climbable keep, historic guns, wartime sites and sea views.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
Pendennis Castle was built for Henry VIII between 1540 and 1542 to guard the Carrick Roads, the large natural anchorage near Falmouth, against a possible attack by France or the Holy Roman Empire. The local landowner John Killigrew oversaw the work and became its first captain.
After a Spanish fleet threatened the coast, the engineer Paul Ivey added a ring of bastions and ramparts around the Tudor keep between 1597 and 1600. During the English Civil War the Royalist garrison held the castle until August 1646, when it surrendered because food had run out. The fort was modernised in the 1730s and reinforced in the 1790s, and in the 1880s an electrically operated minefield and quick-firing guns were added.
The castle was armed again in both world wars and was decommissioned in 1956. The Ministry of Works then opened it to visitors, and English Heritage has looked after it since 1984. Visitors can climb the Tudor keep, see big coast defence guns in the Field Train Shed, visit the batteries and a Second World War observation post, and learn about the soldiers of Fortress Falmouth.
Highlights
- Tudor keep with views over Falmouth and the coast
- Coast defence guns in the Field Train Shed
- Half Moon Battery and rock-cut tunnel
- Second World War Battery Observation Post
- Fortress Falmouth exhibition in the Royal Artillery Barrack Block
Permanent exhibitions
- Tudor keep – The Tudor keep can be climbed to the roof for views over Falmouth and the coast; it is the subject of a conservation project.
- Fortress Falmouth – A first-floor exhibition in the Royal Artillery Barrack Block about the soldiers who trained and worked at the castle, including the First World War.
- Guns and batteries – Coast defence guns from several periods in the Field Train Shed, with One Gun Battery, Half Moon Battery and a Second World War observation post.
- Founded
- 1540
- Operated by
- English Heritage
Admission & discounts
| Adults | £12.32 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | £11.56Concessions |
| Children & teens | £6.12Child ticket, off-peak advance price. |
| Families | £30.85Family ticket, off-peak advance price; one adult with children costs £18.53. |
Prices depend on the date and are lowest when booked online until midnight the day before (off-peak adult £12.32; standard days £13.85; peak days £15.38). Tickets bought on the day cost more, with an adult gate price of £14.50 off-peak, £16.30 standard and £18.10 peak. Prices shown exclude the optional donation. English Heritage members enter free. Visitors who arrive by bus, train or bicycle can get 20% off a walk-up ticket by showing a travel ticket or a bicycle helmet.
Accessibility
- Partially wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: not available
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
There are two steep steps at the ticket point, and the keep has steps and spiral staircases. The ground floor of the Royal Artillery Barrack Block is accessible and a lift serves its first floor, where the Fortress Falmouth and First World War exhibition is shown. Accessible toilets are available, but there is no adult changing area. Induction loops are fitted at the reception, shop and tearoom tills, and film subtitles are available. Parking for visitors with disabilities inside the grounds is limited and first-come, first-served, and visitors with reduced mobility can use the drop-off point at the castle gates. British Sign Language tours are not offered. Dogs on leads are welcome.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Family ticket | £30.85 · Family ticket, off-peak advance price; one adult with children costs £18.53. |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
- Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
- Hands-on stations
- Stroller-friendly
- Baby changing facilities
- Playground / play area
Family-friendly interactive exhibitions, a hands-on scale model, a Castle Explorers trail, a World Builder Challenge trail and a virtual children's audio tour. A small soft play area for under-5s is next to the café. High chairs, child-sized portions and bottle warming are available, and the ground is mostly flat and suitable for pushchairs, with some steps in the keep.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Falmouth Docks station · 750 m
Falmouth Docks station, the end of the Maritime Line from Truro, is about 0.5 miles (0.75 km) uphill from the castle. Bus 67 (Coastal Circular) from Falmouth Moor and the open-top Falmouth Coaster stop on Castle Drive, followed by a short uphill walk. A passenger ferry links Falmouth Prince of Wales Pier with St Mawes.
By car
Free parking
The main car park on Castle Drive has no parking charge and a 2.1 m height barrier. Limited accessible parking inside the castle grounds (postcode TR11 4LP) is first-come, first-served.
- Accessible parking
The castle is on Pendennis Headland, about 1 mile south-east of Falmouth; sat nav postcode TR11 4NQ. Follow the signs past the Ships & Castles Leisure Centre. Cycle routes are available via Sustrans and the National Cycle Network.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
- Museum shop
A tearoom in the Royal Garrison Artillery Barracks serves local Cornish food, with gluten-free and dairy-free options, and has outdoor seating. The shop sells books, gifts and souvenirs. Toilets and baby-changing facilities are at the rear of the shop and on the first floor of the Royal Artillery Barrack Block. There are informal gardens and a large lawn for picnics. Smoking, vaping, barbecues and naked flames are not allowed.
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
- Weddings / ceremonies
The site is available for event hire and civil weddings.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Photography is welcome, but some areas are restricted, so visitors whose main aim is photography should phone ahead. Drones may not be flown except by approved contractors. |
| Good to know | Volunteer-led tours with costumed characters are offered at times. Education visits must be booked in advance. The Tudor keep is the subject of a conservation project. |
