Pendennis Castle — Attraction in Falmouth

Pendennis Castle is THE major historic attraction in Falmouth, and a must-see upon visiting this small town on the Cornwall coast. Historically, the exhibits cover a period from between the reign of Henry VIII up to WWII, as Pendennis was still used as a military fort in the 1940s. In short: If you love cannons (And who doesn't!), you will want to visit this place! Also, you get splendid views of Falmouth Bay.

The main castle compound is rather small indeed, and most of the "minor rooms" (like the quarter of the commandant) are essentially empty. No attempt has been made to re-create some of the furniture or objects to allow us a glimpse into how soldiers lived and worked during those days, which is what costs Pendennis Castle the fifth star in the rating, and even the printed information in the individual rooms is rather sparse. The main tower does feature a sizeable selection of historical cannons, and a (rather lame) black-and-white back projected attempt at an animation of how the soldiers were working the batteries. More impressive are the other military displays around the compound, and the fairly large grounds that you'll spend time walking in. These are mostly weapons from WWII, but there is another historic battery, too (some of the cannons are currently being restored). The area itself is a beautiful corner of Cornwall, and the views in and around the castle in themselves certainly merit a visit and the about UKP 10 you have to pay for them.

The presentation is a tad old-fashioned, which also concerns the smallish gallery of barracks life, a building that also houses the rather lovely café with its nice outside seating area. All in all, Pendennis Castle makes a great day out for the family when the weather is good.

A small shop features the usual souvenirs and you can also by a book-quality guide of the history of Pendennis Castle for a rather competitive UKP 4. There are no audio guides available.

The staff were really nice and helpful when I visited, the atmosphere is very relaxed. See my pictures for a more detailed impression of the individual objects and...

Was a little disappointed with our visit. Whilst the castle's history is incredible and I don't regret going, the overall care of the site leaves a lot to be desired.

Firstly, there's a talking telescope to look out over the sea front, but the audio didn't work. In the Battery Observation Post, theres 2 phones that "ring" but the ringer was broken on one of the phones, again affecting the experience. There were also supposed to be sets of binoculars as part of the display in the BOP, but there was nothing there. The power assisted doors in both the Royal Artillery Barracks and the Cafe didn't work, so they had to be manually opened. Whilst not an issue for me personally, that will be an issue for other disabled folk. There also needs to be so many more benches around, especially in the Half Moon Battery. Creating accessibility for those less able to stand would be really beneficial, and there are places where you can provide seating for under shelters. I had to sit on the floor.

Due to the weather, the top floor of Pendennis Castle was off limits, which can't be helped but was still disappointing. Take the weather into consideration when planning a visit.

I don't know whether it's because we visited in January that these issues arose due to being off peak season and less attentive, but it doesn't affect the price of the entry fee so we should be receiving the same experience.

Overall, if you like the history, it's worth a visit, and the (majority of) staff are welcoming and polite, but the overall experience was a little...

The parking signs for the disabled parking are ambiguous and incorrect,so it's not very clear. Friendly staff and great afternoon spent looking round Penndennis Castle and grounds. Whilst looking around the fun room within the main part of the castle we were approached by Don,one of the English Heritage staff who could see that our disabled daughter was enjoying reading the information in each room. He approached me and asked if we wanted an explanation and tour of the castle, which we agreed. He was fabulous taking time to explain what each room was for and pitching it at a level that our daughter could understand and relate to. He checked in after each room to ensure she had understood the information.He was interesting and very informative and especially kind and compassionate with our daughter as he took time and effort to ensure she took something from the experience. I asked if he had any experience with Additional needs as he was so good with our daughter, he hadn't I'm particular but had experience of working with young people. Don was definitely an asset to English Heritage and made our trip informative and memorable. The grounds and views were amazing and we felt very much connected to that part of history from his storytelling. The station the teashop were also good and cakes delicious.. All staff were friendly and great,I'd it hadn't of been for the confusion over the signage for disabled parking I would have given this a 5 star review. Definitely...