Ancient Plymouth landmark is 'worth the visit'

A Plymouth castle that’s hundreds of years old still stands in one of the city’s first ever settlements. Now a small ruin high up on a grassy mound with timeless views, the castle is still in fairly good shape - considering it was built in the twelfth century.

Plympton Castle stands in the St Maurice area - now on the outskirts of the city, but Plympton itself was already a thriving settlement back in the days when Plymouth was still grassland and marshes.

The old Plympton Castle is thought to have been built over 900 years ago. The original structure was probably built by the medieval Normans between 1100 and 1130 - and back then it was probably made of timber.

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Plymothians that have visited the castle have reviewed it highly online. One visitor wrote (on Google reviews): “The castle is a vivid representative of Norman castles. It has similar features to the castle in the city of Totnes, but is smaller and much worse preserved. Although it has a more turbulent history. A good option for a walk for several hours. There is also a lot to see around.”

David Lawrence also reviewed the castle on Google, he wrote: “Revisited (Plympton Castle) today after 40 years, glad to see they haven't built houses on it! Many a great afternoon spent playing cricket there when I was a kid. The Normans actually invented cricket, the Bailey making a perfect boundary.”

Also reviewing on Google Anne Smith wrote: “Plympton Castle is a ruin high up on a mound with beautiful views. Only able people can get to the top. Very steep and big steps - but worth it. On the board is the history. You can see where the moat once was.”

In 1136, the King of England Stephen of Blois, otherwise known as King Stephen, demolished most of the original castle - and a few years later a stone structure was probably built.

Then, Baldwin de Redvers (the son of Norman nobleman Richard de Redvers) became the first earl of Devon in the 1130s. Baldwin was a pirate and even seized Exeter (also in Devon) at the time.

It’s thought that King Stephen sent hundreds of knights to take control of Plympton in 1136 after a rebellion against the king was orchestrated by Baldwin de Redvers. Plympton Castle’s ruin that still remains was likely to have been built by Baldwin, it was once surrounded by a moat full of fish.

Further sieges over the centuries would have played out on the top of the hill and around the castle. Prince Maurice of Bohemia (born January 1621) came to England to fight for his uncle, King Charles I of England, during the English Civil war - he used Plympton Castle as headquarters.

But it was during this civil war period (from 1642 to 1651) that the outer castle walls were destroyed - and the castle was abandoned. The remains that we see today date back to the attack on Plympton Castle in the 1600s.

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