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Pendennis was built in 1540 as one of King Henry VIII's so-called 'Device Forts', a series of small gun-armed forts designed to protect England against the imminent threat of France and Spain.
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The castle sits on the Pendennis peninsular in the county of Cornwall, overlooking Carrick Roads waterway at the mouth of the River Fal.
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The Device Forts were small buildings. Unlike medieval castles, they were designed to hold just enough people to man the guns.
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Explore this snug bedroom was the commander's quarters.
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This room would have contained a cannon in each of the bays.
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Pendennis saw service during the English Civil War, when it was held by the Royalists, and was only taken by Parliament after a long siege in 1646. The fortress was renovated once Charles II retook the throne in 1660.
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These guns face over the inlet towards St Mawes' Castle, another of King Henry VIII's Device Forts.
Portrait of Henry VIII of England (Around 1537) by Hans Holbein, the YoungerMuseo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza
Interested in the Tudors? Zoom in and explore Hans Holbein the Younger's portrait of Henry VIII.
