Berry Pomeroy Castle
Berry Pomeroy Castle is located in Berry Pomeroy, in South Devon, England. The Pomeroy family held the lands in the 11thcentury. In the 15thcentury, they built a castle fortress complete with a dry moat, a drawbridge, a gatehouse, gunports, and curtain walls upon the site. In 1547, the estate was purchased by Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset. (Jane Seymour’s brother) Edward’s oldest son, Edward II, is the one who built the four-story Elizabethan courtyard house inside the walls of the castle. The extensions he made and envisioned were numerous and lavish until financial troubles led to the estate being abandoned in 1700 and falling into ruin. The remains of the estate include the Jacobean north wing, a part of the Great Hall’s arched loggia, the medieval wall art in the Gatehouse, and more. By the 18thcentury, the estate began to be visited by artists and tourists. There is a café and a picnic area, but Berry Pomeroy is closed to the public until mid-February.
