Castle Horneck is a

Grade II* In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

, and refurbished Georgian mansion to the west of the Cornish town of Penzance. It is currently owned by the Youth Hostels Association (YHA) and has been used as a

youth hostel A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory, with shared use of a lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex and have private or shared ...

since 1950.

Toponymy

Castle Horneck derives from ''Castelhornek'' in a 1335 manuscript and ''Kestel Hornek'' from a 1395 manuscript.

History

Also referred to as Castle Hornocke (

Early Modern English Early Modern English or Early New English (sometimes abbreviated EModE, EMnE, or ENE) is the stage of the English language from the beginning of the Tudor period to the English Interregnum and Restoration, or from the transition from Middle E ...

) and Iron Castle; it may be the site of a castle, which may have existed, near

Penzance Penzance ( ; kw, Pennsans) is a town, civil parish and port in the Penwith district of Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is about west-southwest of Plymouth and west-southwest of London. Situ ...

. Castle Horneck is said to have been built by the Tyes family in the 12th century, and in the 13th and 14th centuries the Tyes were the Lords of the

Manor of Alverton The Manor of Alverton was a former manorial estate located in the hundred of Penwith, west Cornwall, England, UK. History The first historical details of the manor were recorded in the Domesday book which stated that before the Norman conquest ...

. The first mention of Penzance is in 1284 and the Manor of Alverton was influential in the history and development of the town. In the early 16th-century Thomas Lavelis of Castle Horneck, inherited Trewoofe (near

Lamorna Lamorna ( kw, Nansmornow) is a village, valley and cove in west Cornwall, England, UK. It is on the Penwith peninsula approximately south of Penzance. Lamorna became popular with the artists of the Newlyn School, including Alfred Munnings, ...

) when he married Joanna, the youngest daughter of John de Trewoofe. Castle Horneck is the ancient home of the Borlase family, and in circa 1720 the front of the house was rebuilt by Dr Walter Borlase. In the 1860s the Borlase family were listed as one of two major landholders in the parish of

Morvah Morvah is a civil parish and village on the Penwith peninsula in west Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. Geography The village is centred approximately eight miles (13 km) west-southwest of St Ives and north-west of Penzance.Ordnance Su ...

and by 1893 the Misses Borlase were the ladies of the manor at Morvah. The house was modernised in 1879 with larger windows on the front of the house and annexes built on the east and north. At that time there was extensive grounds with good specimens of giant redwood (''

Sequoiadendron giganteum ''Sequoiadendron giganteum'' (giant sequoia; also known as giant redwood, Sierra redwood, Sierran redwood, California big tree, Wellingtonia or simply big treea nickname also used by John Muir) is the sole living species in the genus '' Sequoiad ...

'') and the largest

hollies The Hollies are a British pop rock band, formed in 1962. One of the leading British groups of the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. Allan Clarke and Graham Nash founded the band ...

(''Ilex aquifolium'') in the neighbourhood. In April 1880 the house was leased to the Reverend Franklyn Tonkin, the vicar of

Madron Madron ( kw, Eglos Madern) is a civil parish and village in west Cornwall, Great Britain. Madron is named after Saint Madern's Church. Its annual Trafalgar Service commemorating the death of Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson was started on 27 Oc ...

. When the house was leased in 1880,

William Copeland Borlase William Copeland Borlase (5 April 1848 – 31 March 1899) was a British antiquarian and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1880 until 1887 when he was ruined by bankruptcy and scandal. Early life Borlase was born at Cas ...

who was born at Castle Horneck in 1848 was living at nearby Laregan House.

References

External links

Cornish dictionary
− hornek = Cornish for iron, ferric {{Portal bar, Cornwall, United Kingdom, Architecture, border=no Buildings and structures completed in the 12th century Buildings and structures in Penzance Castles in Cornwall Former buildings and structures in Cornwall Former castles in England Grade II* listed buildings in Cornwall Houses in Cornwall Youth hostels in England and Wales Grade II* listed houses