Guernsey - Castle Cornet
 Castles |
Castle Cornet figures prominently in the history of Guernsey, most particularly because this offshore castle acted as the principal defensive bulwark against sea raiders intent on the invasion of the island. It is the oldest site in St Peter Port, standing almost a half-mile out from the harbour.
When in 1204, King Philip of France took back Normandy from King John, Guernsey felt very vulnerable to attack from France, and began construction of a castle to bolster its defences; Castle Cornet was completed by the mid 13th century. The threat from across the channel was realised and in 1338, with the Hundred Years' War underway, Castle Cornet was captured by the French. Although Guernsey was recaptured by the English very quickly, the castle remained in the hands of the invader until 1345, the year before English success at Crecy.
A period of rebuilding was undertaken during the Tudor and Stuart reigns, which saw the castle evolve into something approaching its present form. Warfare had changed dramatically with the advent of gunpowder and cannon, and during Elizabeth I's reign (1558-1603), the great outer walls with their bastions and bulwarks were constructed under the governorship of Sir Thomas Leighton. Paul Ivy, who designed Jersey's Elizabeth Castle, was involved in redesigning Castle Cornet's defences; Ivy was the most eminent authority on modern warfare and castle defence of his day. Thicker masonry to absorb cannon fire, rounded and oblique defences to deflect cannon balls, and projecting bastions to provide gun platforms are his distinct trademarks.
During the English Civil War (1642-9), Castle Cornet, under the command of Guernsey's Governor Sir Peter Osborne, remained stubbornly loyal to the Crown, despite the rest of Guernsey taking-up the Parliamentarian cause. Besieged for nine years, with cannon from St Peter Port drawn down upon it, the castle garrison received supplies by sea from Royalist Jersey. Eventually, the castle was cut-off by sea by a Parliamentarian fleet and surrendered in 1651, the last part of the British Isles to fall to Cromwell.After the Restoration in 1660, Charles II ensured that Castle Cornet was fully maintained as a fortress. From 1661-70, Major-General Sir John Lambert, considered by many as a possible successor to Cromwell as Lord Protector, was imprisoned in the castle.
Castle Cornet lost a part of its majesty in the 17th century due to 'an act of God'. The medieval Donjon Tower, that proudly crowned the stronghold, was struck by lightning in 1672, which in turn ignited the gunpowder magazine stored therein. The resultant mighty explosion demolished the tower, blew the governor Lord Hatton on to the battlements, together with his bed, killed his wife, mother and five others of his household and brought down the keep, the chapel and the governor's residence. Not surprisingly, no governor has since resided in the castle.
During the period of the Napoleonic threat in the late 18th century, Castle Cornet, having been repaired, maintained an armed garrison of 300 men and 70 guns. After waterloo in 1815, with Napoleon imprisoned, the castle lost much of its front-line defensive role and remained mostly a barracks for disabled soldiers. In 1940, with the fall of France, Nazi Germany occupied and strengthened the castle's existing defences, as a result of which Castle Cornet became the only British castle to be bombed by the Royal Air Force.
Castle Cornet contains several interesting museums, among which are the Maritime Museum housed in the 18th century barracks, tracing the island's maritime connections from Roman times to the present day; the RAF Museum; the Royal Guernsey Militia Museum and the Hatton Gallery, full of paintings of past governors, merchants, the castle itself and dramatic seascapes.