Caerhays Castle is an English Heritage Grade 1 Listed Building which was built by the famous architect, John Nash, for the Trevanion family. Building work started in 1807 and was completed by 1810.

The Trevanions must have been stretched by the construction cost of Caerhays since, by 1925, they had taken out a mortgage (incumbrance) with The Bank of England for 20,000. Further mortgages accumulated along with their gambling debts and, by 1842, the Trevanion family fled to Bruges and their estates were acquired by their creditors.

By 1855 the roof had fallen in and the Castle was derelict with geese said to be nesting in the Drawing Room. At the second auction Michael Williams of Burncoose and Scorrier acquired the Castle and some of the estate. It was to take a further 4 years to refurbish and make the building habitable again.

What visitors will see today during the Castle tour is the Williams family private home as it has existed since, within the framework of the Nash design. It is not a piece of National Trust history and is still lived in by the family.

It would be inappropriate and spoil the tour for visitors to be able to read and see the tour on the website. However guide books can be provided on request to tour leaders bringing groups to Caerhays or (for a small charge) to those who are unable to visit in person.

Castle Tours pre booking advisable

The castle is fully accessible to wheelchair users and there are chairs on which more elderly people can rest during the castle tour. Visitors should ask for the appropriate help at the start of their tour.

Guided tours of the castle last about 45 minutes and these usually need to be booked well in advance to avoid disappointment as numbers are restricted due to the geography and layout of the house.Visits by tour groups are welcome outside of our normal spring opening season by prior arrangement.