What’s Happening to Radford Castle?
Radford Castle
Regarding Radford Castle: On the 28th Feb 2010 Robin Blythe-Lord wrote to Vivien Pengelly, copy to Cllrs Mike Leaves, Ken Foster and David Holiday (Asset Management PCC), on behalf of Plym Valley Heritage
On behalf of the members of Plym Valley Heritage I am writing to you express our concern over the current state of Radford Castle and the dam upon which it stands.
We understand that Devon Historic Buildings Trust has pulled out from the sale due to the inability of Plymouth City Council (PCC) to grant access.
Currently this seems to be an unresolveable situation, given the self imposed isolation of the castle that resulted from PCC granting the controversial planning consent to Wain Homes for the houses at Lower Saltram. Consequently we would expect that the City Council will be doing everything in their power to preserve this unique and important building. However our concern emanates from a recent inspection that showed the building has been the subject of vandalism and that water is entering the interior.
We regret that DHBT were unable to purchase the building as this seemed to offer a very reasonable solution to its future. In the meantime we ask that you give us your assurance that, until such a time as it can be sold with access rights, PCC will be doing everything in their power to maintain both the Castle and the dam. Not least because of statutory legal requirements regarding the preservation of this Grade ll listed building that forms part of our local and national heritage.
On the 1st March a reply was received:
Thank you for taking the time to write to me with your concerns about Radford Castle.
See the PVH website for further information on the current state of Radford Castle
Please feel free to comment on this post with your views and any information you may have…
Category: News
Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
Hi Claire, Devon Historic Buildings Trust were interested in Radford Castle, unfortunately when they found out that PCC had sold off the access to the castle to Wainhomes they pulled out. More details here http://www.plymvalleyheritage.org/Radford_Castle.html
Hi, I was wondering if anything had happened regarding this since 2010. I have lived in Hooe and agree it would be very sad to let this building die. It would make a lovely cafe or local art gallery. Can National Heritage or the National trust not save it? It already has a car park area and many people walk the costal routes or walk with their dogs. Children would probably pop in for a drink or sweets on their walk home from school too. I am sure it was an art studio or something when I was a child. Please save it.
Kind regards
Claire
The ruins aould make a lovely cafe. Customers would be able to sit around the weir, and also on top of the folly itself to enjoy the wonderful views. Also jetty could be built near the site for a water taxi to mount batten and the barbican linking radford park to the city.
I have been going to Radford Castle for over ten years now dreaming of living in that gorgeous building. It seems that the attitude nationally is that they would rather it go into ruins than someone saving it by living in it, it is always about cost but hey easy way out sell it with restrictions, not restrictions that make thing impossible. I always wandered who it belong to and what the value of it is. I was there just the other day and it is not just the castle that is suffering but everything around it is neglected, the road, the path, the park, the estuary, the lake and the poor duck island, for crying out loud PCC!!! wake up, do something and get some ba…s to take some action and make decisions!!!! Save your history, save your heritage!
Hi Naomi,
Welcome to hooelake.org. Thank you for you comments & contribution to this website, it all helps to create a place of value and interest. Radford Castle certainly appears to fall in to a bit of a grey area where the Council is concerned. Hopefully the letters will eventually generate a positive response. Maybe we could even try & invoke a comment here from Plymouth City Council to explain the situation?
I wrote a letter of complaint to the council ages ago, not just about preserving radford castle, but also the ‘armoury’. tea-house and boathouse ruins on the far side of radford park lake which are swamped with ivy. I didn’t get a response. Any more than I got a response to two seperate and associated letters of complaint about litter, flotsam, lack of dog waste bin at radford castle, and bins in the park not being emptied. When I complained about the complaints not being answered I got a ‘sorry we will look into it ‘ letter and heard nothing more. The only action PCC did take was to come and weld shut the castle after I telephoned them and told them that the kids had broken in and if a young child got injured it would be their liability undr H&S. Keep up the good work – excellent site.
My proposal would be that councillors be lobbied at their surgeries or the Plymstock Area Committee/PACT meetings of which the next one is due at 7pm, 10th May, at Hooe Baptist Church.