Carn Brea Castle
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Carn Brea Castle, known in Cornish as Karnbre, bestrides a hilltop to the south west of the town of Redruth.
In Neolithic times, Carn Brea was the site of a large settlement which existed between 3700 and 3400 BC. A two acre inner enclosure was surrounded by a eleven acre outer area. The ramparts consisted of stone walls with an earth bank and ditch. The settlement housed a population of around 100-150 people. Traces of fourteen platforms on which would once have stood Neolithic long houses have been found by archaeologists within the ramparts. Pottery and flint artifacts from the period have also been excavated.
There is evidence to suggest that the Neolithic ramparts of the hill fort were partly remodelled during the Iron Age and a collection of stone round houses were built inside during that period.
Carn Brea Castle began life as a medieval hunting lodge, built in the fifteenth century (it may have been adapted from an earlier chapel which occupied the site) by the wealthy Bassett family of Tehidy. Over the proceeding centuries the castle has been extensively restored and extended to the point where it now resembles a folly. Since the 1980's the castle has operated as a restaurant.
The 90 feet (30 metre) high Celtic cross monument which stands by the castle was erected in 1836 to Francis Basset, Lord de Dunstanville and Basset, who petioned the House of Lords against slavery. It was financed by public subscription.
Image copyright Tony Aitken
Historic Buildings in Cornwall