Polruan Castle is a Grade II* listed building in the Cornwall local planning authority area, England. First listed on 21 August 1964. Fortification. 9 related planning applications.

Polruan Castle

WRENN ID
old-corbel-martin
Grade
II*
Local Planning Authority
Cornwall
Constituency
South East Cornwall MP: Anna Gelderd (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
21 August 1964
Type
Fortification
Address
Polruan Castle, West Street, Lanteglos
OS grid reference
SX 123 510
Coordinates
50.32972, -4.63812
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: sale history · EPC · related consents · flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

Polruan Castle is a blockhouse, now a maintained ruin, built around 1540 and last used in 1666. It was one of Henry VIII’s fortifications designed to guard the entrance to the Fowey River and was once connected to a similar blockhouse on the opposite side of the river by a large chain. The structure is constructed of rubble stone with ashlar dressings. Following the loss of its floors and roof, the castle now stands as a shell, with a square plan and three stories. The original entrance is located on the south-east side, featuring a chamfered round-headed arch, with a small rectangular loop embrasure to the right and three above. A portion of the oversailing parapet remains on the south corner. Other faces retain small rectangular embrasures, including two stone mullioned windows on the north-east and a musket-loop on the north-west. Remnants of stone newel stairs are visible on the east and south sides, and steps ascend from the headland on the west. A fireplace with a slate lintel can be seen on the first floor. The castle is now owned by the Polruan Town Trust and is designated as an Ancient Monument.

Local climate

Polruan Castle sits in a wetter-than-average part of the UK, with an average of 1,030 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 83% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 91% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 9 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 92% of listed buildings. Of these, 3 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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  • Full EPC report — heating system, energy costs, size, glazing, construction etc.
  • Sale history — 6 transactions since 2006
  • Related listed building consents — 9 applications
  • Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
  • Flood risk assessment
  • Radon risk assessment
  • Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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