Polscoe

Lostwithiel’s strategic position, as a riverside port and important crossing point, led to the building of Restormel Castle. The magnificent Norman keep of local slate shale rock was built in the early 12th century by Edmund, Earl of Cornwall, and with walls that are 8 feet thick in places and a deep moat surrounding the whole fortress, this was certainly a stronghold worthy of the powerful Earls. Twice visited by the Black Prince, it finally saw action during the Civil War in 1644. By that time the castle was already in a sorry state, and Royalist forces under Sir Richard Grenville found it easy to prise it out of the hands of the Earls of Essex’s Parlimaentarian army. The bailey disappeared many years ago, as did the park, where there were once 300 deer. It’s a peaceful, panoramic spot, an easy walk from Lostwithiel and good for a picnic.

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