Launceston

Launceston (pronounced ‘Lance-son’) is the ancient capital of Cornwall and was once the site of the Royal Mint and the only walled town in Cornwall. Situated on the Devon and Cornwall border and between two moors - Bodmin and Dartmoor - the town allows easy access to West Devon, the Tamar Valley and North and South Cornwall. It is a town of contrasts, from the antique to the ultra modern, overlaid with a sedate, well-to-do charm. The architecture is stunning and can only be appreciated on foot.

It was here, shortly after the Norman Conquest, that William I’s half-brother, Robert of Mortain, Earl of Cornwall, built a massive castle overlooking the River Kensey. A place from which Robert tried to govern the fiercely independent Cornish people, Launceston Castle was subsequently the base of the Earls of Cornwall. Visited by the Black Prince and seized by the Cornish rebels of 1549, the castle changed hands twice during the Civil War before becoming an assize court and prison that was famous for imprisoning and executing ‘on the nod’.  It was here, in 1656, that George Fox, the founder of the Society of Friends, was held for several months. Launceston developed around its castle, which still dominates the skyline from the top of a grassy mound just west of the centre, though all that now remains is the rough-hewn cylindrical keep and round curtain walls. The outer bailey is now a public park. During World War II the castle was used as a military hospital.

North of the castle, Castle Street was described by John Betjeman as ‘having the most perfect collection of 18th century townhouses in Cornwall’. Its red brick buildings include Lawrence House Museum, a graceful setting for some well-displayed local exhibits, which includes items relating to John Couch Adams, co-discoverer of the planet Neptune, who was born in nearby Laneast (also see Laneast). The museum is closed during the winter.

East off Castle Street, on Church Street, the 16th century St Mary Magdalene Parish Church is almost all the work of a local squire Sir Henry Trecarrel and is noted chiefly for its ornately carved granite faŤades – no mean feat, considering the unyielding qualities of granite. Portraits of Sir Henry and his wife can be seen on the south side of the porch, while under the east window is a recumbent figure of Mary Magdalene; according to local lore, if you throw a stone over your shoulder and it lands on the effigy’s back, you will receive good luck. Highlights inside the church include the fine Perpendicular pulpit painted red, black and white, and contrasting Art Nouveau carved bench ends. The tower is much older, being part of the original church built by Edward the Black Prince in the 14th century.

To the west of the town, and running through the beautiful Kensey Valley, the Launceston Steam Railway takes visitors on a journey back in time. Travelling in either open or closed carriages, passengers can enjoy a round trip along 5 miles of narrow-gauge track to Newmills and back. The locomotives used to haul the trains were built in the 1880s and 1890s by the famous Hunslet Engine Company of Leeds, and worked on the slate-carrying lines high in the mountains of North Wales. In addition to a station buffet (cream teas a specialty), the railway also has a model railway display, workshops open to the public, a transport museum and a book and gift shop. There are also veteran cars and motorcycles on show in the small transport museum here. Close to the station at Newmills is a riverside farm park with indoor and outdoor games for children.

Just off the A30, 3 miles west of Launceston, Trethorne Leisure Farm – ‘The Gateway to Cornish Leisure’ – has a great variety of farm animals. Visitors are encouraged to touch them and to bottle feed lambs. There are also pony and shire horse rides, ballpool, fun castle, indoor maze and tenpin bowling. Open every day (except three days over Christmas), all year round.