The Castle
THE CASTLE, CASTLE STREET
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- I
- List Entry Number:
- 1168856
- Date first listed:
- 14-Nov-1969
- List Entry Name:
- The Castle
- Statutory Address:
- THE CASTLE, CASTLE STREET
Location
Location of this list entry and nearby places that are also listed. Use our map search to find more listed places.
Use of this mapping is subject to terms and conditions .
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale.
What is the National Heritage List for England?
The National Heritage List for England is a unique register of our country's most significant historic buildings and sites. The places on the list are protected by law and most are not open to the public.
The list includes:
 |
Buildings |
 |
Scheduled monuments |
 |
Parks and gardens |
 |
Battlefields |
 |
Shipwrecks |
Images of England Project
- Date:
- 2002-03-26
- Reference:
- IOE01/06640/05
- Rights:
- © Ms Gail Lithgow. Source: Historic England Archive
Local Heritage Hub
Unlock and explore hidden histories, aerial photography, and listed buildings and places for every county, district, city and major town across England.
Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- I
- List Entry Number:
- 1168856
- Date first listed:
- 14-Nov-1969
- List Entry Name:
- The Castle
- Statutory Address 1:
- THE CASTLE, CASTLE STREET
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- THE CASTLE, CASTLE STREET
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Devon
- District:
- South Hams (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Totnes
- National Grid Reference:
- SX 80027 60505
Details
1. 5180 CASTLE STREET (East Side) ------------ The Castle SX 8060 NW 1/42 SX 8060 SW 1/42 SX 7960 NE 1/42 14.11.69.
I
2. A motte and bailey castle, presumably with timber fortifications, was constructed by Judhael of Totnes shortly after the Conquest. It occupied the north-east corner of the Anglo-saxon burgh. The earliest shell-keep, built by Reginald de Braose circa 1219, was extensively rebuilt together with the rest of the castle by Baron Zouche in 1326. The castle was later owned by the Edgecombes of Cothele and the Seymour family, by whom it was placed in the guardianship of the Ministry of Works in 1947. The main function of Totnes castle was to act as a centre for the manorial courts under the constable, and as a base for the administration of the family estates. The earliest remains, apart from the motte and bailey earthworks, are masonry footings on the top of the motte of an Cll or C12 square, timber tower. The surviving upstanding masonry is mostly of C14 date and comprises a circular masonry shell-keep and sections of the bailey curtain wall. Keep of Devonion limestone rubble with red sandstone dressings and battered external face. Crenellated battlements with merlons pierced for loom; approached by 2 stairways in the thickness of the wall. Garderobe chamber also within the thickness of the curtain and projecting beyond the line of the wall; lit by pair of crossed loops. Bailey curtain-wall of pitched limestone rubble. The hall and other domestic buildings which formerly stood in the bailey no longer survive. Flanking the entrance to the site are 2 granite pillars possibly taken from the Exchange built in 1616 and pulled down in 1878. Scheduled Ancient Monument.
Listing NGR: SX8002760505
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 99088
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 12-Jun-2026 at 03:37:46.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.