In 1570 the Isles of Scilly were leased the islands to Francis Godolphin for a period of 38 years. Queen Elizabeth I granted the lease, terms of which were an annual rent of £20. In 1573, work was started on the fortification now known as The Garrison, bit originally called "The Hugh" (pronounced "Hoo"), which means "elevated ground" or "promontory". This heavily defended headland lies on the western side of St. Mary's, almost cut off from the rest of the island. The fortifications were erected to command the entrance to St. Mary's Pool, the relatively calm area of water between the main islands. The Armada had been vanquished in 1588, but England and Spain were still at war. The Spaniards were making occasional raids on English coastal settlements, and the Queen anticipated that they might use the Isles of Scilly as a base. With this in mind, she instructed Francis Godolphin to build the fortification on St. Mary's.
Godolphin started building Star Castle in the summer of 1593 and used stone from Ennor Castle as a cheap source of building materials. He provided almost £600 of his own money towards the building of Star Castle, whilst the Queen granted an allowance of £400, since she realised there was an urgent need for some form of fortified protection.
Star Castle – Vintage Postcard of 1639 Illustration
The castle was completed within 18 months, and Robert Adams, an engineer, and England's leading expert of the day on coastal defences, had to travel five miles a day to the fortress to keep an eye on the masons, who "do not conceive such walling". Star Castle provided quick and cheap protection to the islands, particularly since some of the stone came from the now disused Ennor Castle at Old Town. The castle was originally called "Stella Mariae" (Star of Mary), owing to its form of an eight-pointed star. Surrounded by a moat cut into the rock, it was a fortress within outer walls, its ramparts containing 96 loopholes. A narrow pathway divides the central building from the thick curtain wall, which is also in the form of an eight-pointed star. At each re-entrant angle there was once a gun-port, but these have been blocked with masonry.
Entrance to Star Castle
The castle is entered by a short flight of steps across a small stone bridge over a dry moat and has a projecting gatehouse with a portcullis recess inscribed "ER 1593". The central building originally had a basement for storage, two floors for accommodation of the garrison, and an attic. The inner ends of the joists of the first floor rest upon a central pillar of masonry, in which were the fireplaces. Two of these remain on the ground floor, in the present kitchen and lounge. The original stone stairway may have ascended between two sections of the central pillar, but if so, it was removed when the present stairway was made after the Restoration. There are no longer any original windows in the castle, although some date from the same time as the stairway. Guardhouses stand on the top of the curtain, with a bellcote. The bellcote is an 18th century addition, as are the lead cisterns, which are similar to the ones outside St Mary's church.
Star Castle – Vintage Postcard showing Actual Photo
The castle had a garrison of 25 in 1637 with a further 25 Cornishmen for six months. Charles I came here, while he was prince, along with the Duke of Buckingham. Early in 1646, Prince Charles, later to be King Charles II, fled here from Pendennis Castle in Cornwall. After being captured by Parliament later in 1646, Star Castle served as a prison for the Duke of Hamilton and other Royalists. In 1660 Sir Harry Vane was imprisoned here by Charles II. In 1669 there was a garrison of 200 men, and later it was used as the governor’s residence. Star Castle was converted into a hotel in 1933, and, while most of the sleeping accommodation is in outbuildings, there are a few rooms available inside the actual castle. The restaurant is also in the castle, and there is a bar in the dungeon – a place well worth visiting, but those over 6ft tall should mind their heads.
Star Castle, from the sea – July 2000
Further details, including an aerial view of the castle, can be found at http://www.star-castle.co.uk/html_site/welcome.html .
Bibliography
Gibson, Frank – My Scillonian Home – Beric Tempest & Co. Ltd., First Edition, 1980.
Kinross, John – Discovering Castles in England & Wales – Shire Publications Ltd., First Edition, 1973; Second Edition, 1984; Reprinted, 1990 & 1995.
Mumford, Clive – Portrait of the Isles of Scilly – Robert Hale & Co., First Edition, 1967; Second Edition, 1968; Third Edition, 1970; Reprinted, 1972 & 1976.
O'Neil, B.H. St. J. – Isles of Scilly – HMSO., First Edition, 1949; Second Edition, 1961; Seventh Impression, 1978.
Ratcliffe, Jean – Scilly's Archaeological Heritage – Twelveheads Press, First Edition, 1992; Second Impression with Minor Amendments, 1995.
Salter, Mike – The Castles of Devon & Cornwall – Folly Publications, First Edition, 1999.</font>
