Scheduled Monuments›England›Pendennis peninsula fortifications

Pendennis peninsula fortifications

England
List entry 1012134
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1012134
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
26.11 hectares
Grid reference
SW 82415 31877, SW 81976 32244, SW 82079 32165
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Pendennis Peninsula fortifications is a complex of military defensive structures located near Falmouth in Cornwall. The fortifications date primarily from the Tudor period, with Pendennis Castle itself constructed under Henry VIII in the 1540s as part of an extensive chain of coastal defences built against potential invasion from Catholic powers. The castle comprises a circular gun tower with substantial outer works and bastions, positioned strategically to command the entrance to the Carrick Roads and protect shipping in Falmouth Harbour. The site was significantly strengthened during the English Civil War and again during subsequent periods of conflict, with the addition of further earthwork defences and modifications to accommodate changing military technology.

Pendennis peninsula fortifications is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1012134. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Pendennis peninsula fortifications?

Pendennis Peninsula fortifications is a complex of military defensive structures located near Falmouth in Cornwall. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1012134.

Who is responsible for protecting Pendennis peninsula fortifications?

Pendennis peninsula fortifications is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1012134.

What other scheduled monuments are near Pendennis peninsula fortifications?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including St Mawes Castle (2.1 km), Early 20th century gun battery 150m north of St Mawes Castle (2.1 km), Holy well of St Mawes, 80m east of St Mawes Methodist Church (2.8 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Pendennis peninsula fortifications

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Pendennis peninsula fortifications's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

St Mawes Castle
2.1 km
Early 20th century gun battery 150m north of St Mawes Castle
2.1 km
Holy well of St Mawes, 80m east of St Mawes Methodist Church
2.8 km
Two crosses immediately west of St Budock Church
3.5 km
Round 240m south east of Norways Farm
4.8 km
Cliff castle on Rosemullion Head
5 km
Wayside cross in the churchyard of the parish church of Mabe, south of the church
6.3 km
Standing stone in the churchyard of the parish church of Mabe, 10m south west of the church
6.3 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Pendennis peninsula fortifications

Pendennis peninsula fortifications stands on Middle Devonian (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.

The wider landscape

Around Pendennis peninsula fortifications

Battle of Lostwithiel 31 August - 1 September 1644Battle (1644) · ~22.9 miles
Domesday entry for Treliever, Cornwall →
All Scheduled Monuments