Guide to Launceston Castle

1998 [2009]

Launceston Castle in Cornwall was placed in the guardianship of of the Ministry of Works in 1951. The first official ministry guidebook (by T.L. Jones) was published in 1959. It featured in a combined souvenir guide of Three Shell Keeps (1969).

Andrew D. Saunders, Chief Inspector in the Department of the Environment, prepared the replacement English Heritage guidebook. Although his main interests lay in artillery fortifications, he also prepared guides for Prudhoe and Norham castles.

The guidebook was first published in 1998 and revised from 2002. There are two main sections: Description and Tour; History of the Castle and Town. A plan of the castle appears inside the back cover. There are ‘boxes’ on Richard of Cornwall, and Famous Prisoners. One of the more famous prisoners was George Fox of the Society of Friends.