Castle Cornet stands on a former tidal island guarding the entrance to St Peter Port Originally only accessible on foot at low tide, in the mid C19th it became part of the harbour breakwater and reached by bridge.
When William, Duke of Normandy became King of England in 1066, the Channel Islands became possessions of the English Crown. In 1204, King John lost control of Normandy to the French. The Channel Islands elected to stay as self governing islands under the protection of the English crown. Being very close to the French Coast, there was a need to protect themselves against French attack.
St Peter Port was a busy trading harbour and subject to French attack and a fortification was needed to guard the harbour. Castle Cornet was built to defend entry to to the harbour.
The first castle was a simple structure built on the highest point of the island, with a small keep, chapel, two courtyards and a curtain wall.
Soon after being built, the castle was captured by the French who held it for seven year. It changed hands several times in the following years. The castle was extended in the mid C15th with a large donjon keep, great Hall and other buildings protected by the curtain wall with a barbican. The Gunner’s Tower was built to take cannons which were just beginning to be used in warfare.
By the Mid C16th cannon were more readily used both for defence and attack. They were also becoming heavier and more powerful. A new and more substantial curtain wall was needed with bastions and bulwarks for the increasing numbers of cannon, which could provide defence from both land or sea attack.
Chamberlain’s Mount at the highest point gave additional protection from land based guns.
During the English Civil War, Guernsey supported the Parliamentarian cause, while the Castle was a Royalist stronghold. It eventually surrendered in 1651. After Restoration of Monarchy, Castle Cornet was kept as a fortress. Major-General Sir John Lambert, who was commonly regarded as one of the most talented of the Parliamentarians and involved in the constitutional framework of the Protectorate had resisted the Restoration of the Monarchy, and was held prisoner here for ten years. He was a keen gardener and a garden bears his name.
In 1672, the donjon (keep) was hit by lightning which ignited gunpowder stored beneath it. The explosion demolished the donjon along with the chapel and the Governor’s residence and killed seven people. The donjon and Governor’s residence were never rebuilt.
Castle Cornet was upgraded during the Napoleonic Wars in the C18th when it was armed with over 70 guns and a garrison of up to 300 men. New barrack buildings added, which are best seen from the sea.
The Lower Barracks housed men of the Royal Artillery who manned the castle guns. The Upper Barracks housed four companies of infantrymen. A Hospital was built, which was used later used as a canteen in the C19th.
The citadel at the top of the Castle, contained a range of bombproof casemates built as a means of increasing barrack accommodation.
By 1800, the castle was considered to be inadequate as a garrison stronghold and replaced by Fort George on a hill above St Peter Port. The lower barracks continued to be used and Castle Cornet was also used as a prison. A guard house was built in the lower ward in 1850 (now the shop and ticket office).
In the 1860s the harbour was extended and a wooden bridge was built to give access to Castle Cornet.
German troops occupied the castle during World War II and it was renamed Hafenschloss. They built gun batteries for anti-aircraft guns as well as magazines and air raid shelters. The wooden bridge could be blown up if the castle was attacked from the town.
After the war, the wooden bridge was replaced by the present concrete structure and Castle Cornet was handed to the people of Guernsey by George VI in recognition for their loyalty during the Occupation. It is now part of the Guernsey Museums and Galleries.
The Castle is open 10-5 and there is a free guided tour at 10.30. The gun on the saluting battery is fired at noon day by gunners in C19th costume. There are also short living history performances.
There are four period gardens, four museums (Story of Castle Cornet, RAF museum, Royal Guernsey Light infantry museum and Royal Guernsey Militia Museum) as well as a shop and cafe
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