Marisco Castle, Keep And Bailey Walls

Marisco Castle, Keep and Bailey Walls, located on Lundy, is a castle keep and bailey walls built in 1243 by Henry III. The structure was remodeled into cottages around the mid-19th century and later converted into holiday cottages by the Landmark Trust in the late 20th century. The castle is constructed of stone rubble, with 20th-century corrugated sheet metal roofs inside the walls. The keep has an approximately square plan with projecting towers on the east and west sides. Inside the keep, fishermen's cottages were built against the outer walls on the north-east and south sides during the mid-19th century, although these have been largely rebuilt in the 20th century. In 1887, a lean-to outshut was added to the north side of the keep to accommodate the terminal of a telegraph cable.

The exterior features a low square keep with slightly battered walls, battlements, and round turrets at the corners, which also serve as chimneys. The center of the east side has a projection with a tower that breaks forward. The entrance to the keep is located on the west side, through the side of this projection. The walls of the keep are mostly blind, with only a few small windows and putlog holes on the east side. On the north side, there is an outshut, now a cottage, with a lean-to corrugated asbestos roof. Inside the keep, the cottages are two stories high and feature 20th-century two-light casements with glazing bars and brick-lined openings.

The bailey walls include remains of battered stone rubble revetments to the south, east, and north-east, along with a fosse on the landward side to the north-west where the gate was located. The interiors of the cottages date to the late 20th century.

Historically, Marisco Castle was constructed after Henry III executed William de Marisco for treason in 1242. The de Marisco family, who held Lundy from around 1220 to 1321, were known as pirates who terrorized the coast, and they claimed royal descent. The castle was refortified during the Civil War.