The Castle and walls to the north-west and south-east

The Castle is a house built in 1830 for Sir Goldsworthy Gurney, with alterations in the late 20th century. It was constructed from stone rubble with hipped slate roofs concealed behind a parapet, brick chimneys, and slate pots, and has sections hung with large slates to the rear. The building has a picturesque, irregular design, featuring a piano nobile and basement to the main range, and two storeys elsewhere.

The long, low, asymmetrical front has a three-bay main range, with a slightly advanced, castellated entrance wing to the left, approached by a double flight of steps behind piers and walls. Two further set-back bays to the left are also castellated. To the right of the main range are two set-back bays, a castellated turret that links to a further two-bay castellated block, and a single-bay castellated block at the far right. The front is approximately one and three windows wide; the centre of the front projects forward, with an original six-panel front door to the right of the entrance wing. Three round-headed basement windows have high transoms and barred glazing in the heads. The first floor has three 19th-century windows, which are twelve-pane hornless sashes with repaired voussoirs in cement. A platband under the parapet, also repaired with cement, incorporates slits. A long 19th-century four-pane sash window is present in the entrance wing to the left of the front door, with horned sashes to the right-hand wing.

The interior has been altered for use as Council Offices. Boundary walls with castellated tops extend to the north-west and south-east.

Sir Goldsworthy Gurney, a doctor, engineer, and philanthropist, developed steam carriages to improve public transport. Between 1839 and 1842, he was granted a patent for the Bude Light, using manganese, and later designed the lighting and ventilation for the Houses of Parliament. He also developed safety schemes for the mining industry. The Castle was built on land leased from Sir Thomas Dyke Acland. Early concrete foundations were used to counteract the instability of the sandy site, and the Bude Light was developed at the Castle.