Carn Brea Castle
Encyclopedia
Carn Brea Castle on Carn Brea
is a 14th century grade II listed granite stone building which was extensively remodelled in the 18th century as a hunting lodge in the style of a castle for the Basset family. The building is in private use as a restaurant.
The Castle was originally built as a chapel, in 1379, thought to be dedicated to St Michael
It has been extensively rebuilt in different periods since, primarily in the 18th century by the Basset family as a hunting lodge. It is considered a Folly
castle, due to the huge uncut boulders that make up part of its foundations, giving the impression of the building melting into the land.
Its use as a beacon for ships was recorded in 1898 when stipulated in the lease, the tenant agreeing to show a light in the north facing window. The castle had periods of disuse and disrepair in the 1950s to 1970s, until private renovation in 1975-1980. The building was classed by English Heritage
as grade II listed in 1975.
In the 1980s the building was converted into a Middle Eastern cuisine
restaurant.
The stolen Ford Anglia featured in the Harry Potter
films was found at the Castle in 2006.
Carn Brea
Carn Brea is a civil parish and hilltop site in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The hilltop site is situated approximately one mile southwest of Redruth.-Neolithic settlement:...
is a 14th century grade II listed granite stone building which was extensively remodelled in the 18th century as a hunting lodge in the style of a castle for the Basset family. The building is in private use as a restaurant.
Description
The Castle is a small stone folly decorated in the romantic ideal style of a medieval/gothic castle. It has an irregular layout with 4 rectangular turrets round a core of the same height and an embattled parapet. The building is built into a large stone outcrop with a steep drop on the rear. The building was designed as a hunting lodge rather than a dwelling and measures 60 feet by 10 feet.History
St Michael
St Michael was a brand that was owned and used by Marks & Spencer from 1928 until 2000.-History:The brand was introduced by Simon Marks in 1928, after his father and co-founder of Marks & Spencer, Michael Marks. By 1950, virtually all goods were sold under the St Michael brand...
It has been extensively rebuilt in different periods since, primarily in the 18th century by the Basset family as a hunting lodge. It is considered a Folly
Folly
In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but either suggesting by its appearance some other purpose, or merely so extravagant that it transcends the normal range of garden ornaments or other class of building to which it belongs...
castle, due to the huge uncut boulders that make up part of its foundations, giving the impression of the building melting into the land.
Its use as a beacon for ships was recorded in 1898 when stipulated in the lease, the tenant agreeing to show a light in the north facing window. The castle had periods of disuse and disrepair in the 1950s to 1970s, until private renovation in 1975-1980. The building was classed by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as grade II listed in 1975.
In the 1980s the building was converted into a Middle Eastern cuisine
Middle Eastern cuisine
Middle-Eastern cuisine, West Asian cuisine, or in some place in the United States, Persian-Mediterranean cuisine is the cuisine of the various countries and peoples of the Middle East . The cuisine of the region is diverse while having a degree of homogeneity...
restaurant.
Media interest
A 19th century East India trading ship was named after Carn Brea Castle. It was wrecked off the Isle of Wight in 1829 and reported in The Times as being involved in excise tax fraud.The stolen Ford Anglia featured in the Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
films was found at the Castle in 2006.
External links
- Time-lapse video of Carn Brea Castle.