| Carn Brea Castle | |
| Coordinates: | 50.2225°N -5.2448°W |
| Location: | Carn Lane, Carnkie, Redruth, Cornwall, England |
| Designation1: | Grade II |
| Designation1 Offname: | Carn Brea Castle |
| Designation1 Date: | 9 April 1975 |
Carn Brea Castle on Carn Brea is a 14th-century grade II listed granite stone building which was extensively remodelled in the 18th century as a hunting lodge in the style of a castle for the Basset family. The building is in private use as a restaurant.
The castle is a small stone folly decorated in the romantic ideal style of a medieval/gothic castle. It has an irregular layout with four rectangular turrets round a core of the same height and an embattled parapet. The building is built into a large stone outcrop with a steep drop on the rear. The building was designed as a hunting lodge rather than a dwelling and measures 60by.
The castle was originally built as a chapel, in 1379, thought to be dedicated to St Michael.[1] Antiquarian William Worcester recorded that there were 32 castles on the Cornish peninsula, including Carn Brea which was described as a tower.[2]
The castle was extensively rebuilt in later periods, primarily in the 18th century by the Basset family as a hunting lodge.[3] It is considered a folly, due to the huge uncut boulders that make up part of its foundations, giving the impression of the building melting into the land.[4]
Its use as a beacon for ships was recorded in 1898 when stipulated in the lease, the tenant agreeing to show a light in the north facing window. The castle had periods of disuse and disrepair in the 1950s to 1970s, until private renovation in 1975-1980. The building was classed by English Heritage as grade II listed in 1975.
In the 1980s the building was converted into a Middle Eastern cuisine restaurant.[5]