Pendennis Castle stands on the headland at the mouth of the Fal, guarding Carrick Roads and the sea approach to Falmouth. In Kernewek it is Kastel Penndinas. It was built between 1540 and 1542 by Henry VIII as part of the chain of coastal defences he raised against France and the Holy Roman Empire, and it is Grade I listed and cared for by English Heritage.
A castle at war
Stone ramparts and bastions were added around the keep in Elizabethan times. In the Civil War the castle stood for the king, and it surrendered to Parliament on 15 August 1646 after a siege. It held up to 48 guns during the Napoleonic Wars and kept a military role into living memory, finally being decommissioned in 1956. Few Cornish buildings have watched the sea for so long, or for so many different reasons.
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Last checked: 2026-10-11