Trematon Castle

Trematon Castle is not open to the public, but can be viewed from the outside from Church Town Nature Reserve and around Forder Village.

The site of Trematon Castle predates the Norman Conquest with earthwork fortress on the site belonged to the Saxon earls of Cornwall. The current building is small Norman motte-and-bailey castle. The keep is oval and has walls 10 feet thick and 30 feet high.

When Sir Francis Drake returned from his circumnavigation voyage in 1580, he came into harbour in Plymouth, then slipped out to anchor behind St Nicholas Island until word came from Queen Elizabeth's Court for the treasures he had gathered to be stored in Trematon Castle. The hoard consisted of gold, silver, and precious stones, mainly emeralds, the result of piracy from Spanish ships along the west coast of South America. Before being moved for storage in the Tower of London, the treasure was temporarily stored in the Golden Hinde.

The castle is now a private home leased from the Duchy of Cornwall. It is a dramatic and atmospheric sight, perched on a hill above Forder Village.