An Illustrated Walkthrough of Berry Pomeroy Castle

Below are a selection of photographs that were taken during our visit. Warning - Many photos spell a long download time for slower modems.

This is the first view you get of the castle. It's the original gatekeep from back when it was apparently first built back in the 15th century.

This is the reverse side to the gatekeep. If you turn to the right as you enter the castle there are some small spiral steps that take you up onto the ramparts.

These are the ramparts where the White Lady is said to be seen walking, beckoning people to go down St. Margaret's Tower. Directly in front is the gatekeep and that rectangular shape on the wall is the original doorway that the guards walked through when patrolling around the castle ramparts.

At the opposite end of the ramparts are the Guards Quarters, but is now known as 'St. Margaret's Tower'. It was in here that Eleanor de Pomeroy imprisoned her sister Margaret in jealousy, incarcerating her and leaving her to starve to death. This is noted as being one of the oldest parts of the castle.

This is the entrance to St. Margaret's Tower.

These are the steps leading down into the basement area of St. Margaret's Tower.

This is the basement of St. Margaret's Tower. It is said that it was down here that Margaret was incarcerated, but looking at the stairwell this appears to be a very high improbability. It's much more likely that she was locked in the tower, not just the basement.

This window is on the second floor of the Guards Tower and has no floor underneath it any more. During a recent visit to the castle group members Mike and Chris were in the café when both spotted a white shape moving back and forth behind this window from within the tower. Soon after upon re-entering the castle they checked that it was this particular window that the shape had been seen through, thus ruling out the possibility that it was a visitor to the castle (unless they were 12ft tall).

If you leave St. Margaret's Tower and move straight on you enter the kitchen. In this area people in the past, including group member Mike, have experienced a sudden tightening of the throat to the point of being unable to breathe.

Just through the Kitchen is the East Range. The next photo relates to an unusual experience the group had whilst visiting the castle in the recent past.

This fireplace, immediately to your right as you enter the East Range from the kitchen, became the center of something unusual. During a recent walkabout in the castle group member Dennis told us how much this fireplace smelt of burning wood. All group members smelled the fireplace and it was exactly like a recent fire had burned there. Now, every time the group visits the castle this fireplace is checked out for a reoccurance, but to date none have been forthcoming.

This is the view if you're standing in the East Range and you look upwards. The remains of the previous levels are the only indications left to show how grand this building once was.

To the side of the East Range is a cordoned off area of flagstones. This was the castle courtyard and these flagstones are original to the castle, making them at least 300 years old.

This photo was also taken in the East Range and looks up to the windows that look out over the Courtyard.

There's a gap in the wall in the East Range where, if you follow the trail, leads you to another part of the original de Pomeroy part of the castle. Known as the 'Angle Tower' it's original purpose is uncertain although it's presumed to have been a watchtower.

This is the doorway from the East Range into the Parlour. It was through here that on the 19th of August, 2007, when Mike and Chris were visiting the castle, that Mike spotted a pink figurelike shape out of the corner of his left eye moving towards what is known as 'Pomeroy's Leap'.

This is 'Pomeroy's Leap', so called after two Pomeroy Brothers rode their horses over the edge and killed themselves rather than face defeat. A number of people have reporting hearing a thudding sound around this spot or the sound of screams.

This is the view of the 'Site of Great Stairs' / Great Hall. Through the unusually small doorway directly ahead is the Pantry and Buttery. Doesn't it look like there's a figure standing in the doorway with his hands above his head on either side? Sadly, it isn't that but rather a pattern of lichin on the wall beyond.

Just around from the old Pantry and Buttery is the original stairwell. You can still see the indents where the stairs were originally positioned as they wound their way up to the top level.

This is the Great Hall.

At the opposite end of the Great Hall is the Pantry and Buttery, built during the Seymour years (the previous Pantry and Buttery was by the de Pomeroys).

This was the kitchen and bakery. This particular area was cordoned off to the public until 2008.

Going into the newly opened area.

As you turn the corner you see two great fireplaces and a side door.

As soon as you enter on your left is what appears to be an old bread oven.

The room following on isn't that interesting, but...

You can now get a good, dramatic photo of the old Seymour Hall.

Something that visitors haven't seen for many, many year. The part of the building underneath the original wooden walkway.

This is the outer wall of the Seymour addition, turning the castle into a stately home. In the foreground are the original bases to the columns that stood in front of the side building containing the great hall.

This is the view of inside the original Gatekeep.

If you look to the left from that view there's a cordoned off area. On the wall is a surviving piece of original wall art dating back at least 400 years! It is a representation of 'The Adulation of the Magi'.

This is a view that Most Haunted fans will recognise - this is the spot where Derek Acorah was tied to the chair as he went into trance mediumship.

There are two basements in the original Gatekeep. The first is directly to your left as you enter the Gatekeep and the second is on the opposite side. These are the steps you walk down to get into the first basement.

This is the first basement. Not very exciting, is it.

These are the steps running down to the second basement.

This is the second basement. This is where Most Haunted grouped together whilst the television was running and subsequantly got turned off.

As you walk back up the steps from the second basement there's a corridor in front of you.

This corridor leads you to... the toilet! I wonder how many famous bums have sat on this very stone. Hmmm... where did they keep the toilet paper...

Carrying on from there is a spiral staircase. This is quite difficult to climb because of the steepness of the steps, the narrowness of the stairwell and the low proximity of the steps above.

This is what you see at the top of the steps. The steps do keep going up but since there are no more levels above this they've been blocked off. From here you get some nice views of the castle grounds.

Like this.

Inside the Gatekeep is a small model of what the castle is believed to have looked like in its heyday.

This is the backside to the model.

As you're leaving / entering, this is the building you pass. When Berry Pomeroy was lying in a state of ruin someone took stone and material from the catle to build this house. It's said that this building is haunted by some of the Berry Pomeroy ghosts because of this.

This can be seen in this photo. On the left is a window on the Seymour Hall part of Berry Pomeroy. On the right is a window from the house shown above. Notice that the frames are identical and that the decoration above each is identical.