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Salcombe Castle today

England · Ruin

Salcombe Castle

Salcombe Castle (also called Fort Charles) is a small coastal gun battery on a rocky promontory off North Sands, Salcombe, Devon. Built in the 1530s for coastal defence, its surviving fabric today consists of a semicircular multi-storey tower and an attached rectangular tower linked by a section of wall, accessible on foot at low tide.

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Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

Its prime

1539

Today

Ruin

As it stood in 1539

What Salcombe Castle looked like in its prime.

Perched on a low rocky outcrop reachable at low tide, the fort presents a broad semicircular, four-storey stone tower about 7 metres high with regularly spaced gun ports near its upper level. A short stretch of curtain wall joins this round tower to a squat rectangular tower roughly 6 metres high. The masonry is pale local stone, faces the sea on all sides, and at its prime the towers sat complete with gun embrasures opening toward the channel.

Its story

The story of Salcombe Castle.

Salcombe Castle, also called Fort Charles, was built in the 1530s on a rocky outcrop off the beach of North Sands, as protection against French raids. Unusually, it was raised by public subscription under Viscount Courtenay's direction, not as part of Henry VIII's 'Kinges Works', the royal programme behind most of the batteries and castles of the South and South West.

Its moment came in the Civil War, when Sir Edmund Fortescue of East Allington held out here for nearly five months against a besieging Parliamentary force.

The ruin that survives comprises a four-storey semicircular tower, 7 metres tall with gun ports near the top, joined by a section of wall to a rectangular tower 6 metres high. The outcrop is easily reached on foot at low tide, and the structure is a Grade II listed building and ancient monument within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Step inside

7 places to explore in 1539.

The record describes 7 distinct spots at Salcombe Castle, including the full exterior approach. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.

Approach from North Sands beachTidal causeway and rock approachSeaward view from the channelClose-up of the semicircular towerConnecting wall and rectangular towerTop of the semicircular tower / gun platformRocky base and tide pools at castle foot

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Nearby

Landmarks within reach of Salcombe Castle.

Buckfast Abbey, EnglandMonasteryBuckfast Abbey29 km awayHMNB Devonport, EnglandMilitary baseHMNB Devonport34 km awayEddystone Lighthouse, EnglandLighthouseEddystone Lighthouse35 km away

Questions about Salcombe Castle

What is the history of Salcombe Castle?

Salcombe Castle was built in the 1530s as a coastal defence against French raids. It was raised by public subscription under Viscount Courtenay's direction, rather than as part of Henry VIII's ‘Kinges Works’. During the Civil War, Sir Edmund Fortescue held it for nearly five months before the Royalist garrison surrendered in 1646; the castle was then slighted.

Why was Salcombe Castle built, and what was it used for?

Salcombe Castle was built to protect the coast against French raids. It served as a gun battery, with gun embrasures directed towards the channel. Although it was slighted after its surrender in 1646, it remained in operation as a gun battery until at least 1717.

Where is Salcombe Castle?

Salcombe Castle is just off North Sands in Salcombe, Devon. It stands on a rocky outcrop within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The outcrop can be reached on foot at low tide.

When was Salcombe Castle built?

Salcombe Castle was built in the 1530s, between 1535 and 1539. Its first-raised year is not recorded more precisely in the site's record. The fort was originally built as a gun battery.

Was Salcombe Castle ever attacked or besieged?

Yes, Salcombe Castle was attacked and besieged during the Civil War. Parliamentary ships raided it twice, and Parliamentary forces surrounded it on 12 July 1645, though the soldiers withdrew. In 1646, Parliamentary forces besieged the fort for nearly five months, and the Royalist garrison surrendered on 7 May when supplies were running low.

What did Salcombe Castle look like in its prime?

In its prime, Salcombe Castle had a broad semicircular, four-storey stone tower about 7 metres high, with regularly spaced gun ports near its upper level. A short curtain wall joined it to a squat rectangular tower roughly 6 metres high. The pale local-stone towers had gun embrasures opening towards the channel.

Is Salcombe Castle still standing or is it a ruin?

Salcombe Castle is a ruin today. The surviving fabric consists of a four-storey semicircular tower about 7 metres high, joined by a section of wall to a rectangular tower about 6 metres high. It was slighted after the Royalist surrender in 1646.

Can you visit Salcombe Castle?

Yes, Salcombe Castle can be visited on foot at low tide. It is accessible from North Sands across the tidal causeway and rocky approach. The surviving structure is a ruin on a rocky outcrop, rather than a lived-in building.

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