Ghosts & hauntings · Historic castle
Berry Pomeroy Castle
Totnes · Devon
A late-medieval fortress, an unfinished Tudor and Jacobean mansion, and two of England’s best-known castle ghost legends – all gathered in one spectacularly atmospheric Devon ruin.
A romantic ruin with a very long afterlife.
Hidden in a wooded Devon valley, Berry Pomeroy Castle combines a defensible late-15th-century castle with the remains of an ambitious mansion begun by the Seymour family from the 1560s and enlarged again around 1600. The grand project was never completed, and by the end of the 17th century the site had become a ruin. Its atmosphere later attracted artists, sightseers and Gothic storytelling – including enduring tales of the White Lady and Blue Lady. Those stories now form a lasting part of the castle’s folklore and visitor experience.
Your visit at a glance
Visitor information verified 18 July 2026Advance booking is normally cheaper
Fortress, mansion, ruin
Berry Pomeroy is unusual because its most dramatic story is not one moment in time, but the way the site changed repeatedly: from a late-medieval defensive residence to a fashionable mansion, then into one of Devon’s most romantic ruins.
The Pomeroy fortress
The Pomeroy family built the castle on a previously unused site in the later 1400s. Its up-to-date artillery defences show that this was not simply a decorative residence: it was designed with serious defence in mind.
The castle was once thought to be Norman, but archaeology has shown that the surviving fortress belongs to the late medieval period.The Seymour mansion
After the Seymours acquired Berry Pomeroy, they began building an Elizabethan mansion within the medieval walls. Around 1600 an even more ambitious expansion was begun on a palatial scale.
The plan was never completed. Parts of the great new house still show where the intended building programme simply stopped.From home to romantic ruin
By the end of the 17th century the castle had been abandoned and stripped of reusable materials. During the 18th and 19th centuries, its picturesque ruins attracted visitors, artists and increasingly Gothic interpretations.
That romantic afterlife helped create the setting in which Berry Pomeroy’s famous ghost legends flourished.The White Lady and the Blue Lady
Berry Pomeroy is closely associated with two enduring apparitions: the White Lady and the Blue Lady. Their stories have been repeated for generations and now form part of the castle’s established visitor folklore.
The ruined castle’s dramatic setting, later Gothic reputation and long history of romantic storytelling all helped turn these figures into some of England’s best-known castle ghosts.
English Heritage itself includes the ghost stories in the site’s interpretation, including its audio tour, while its historical material carefully distinguishes those tales from the castle’s documented past.
A place where history and Gothic atmosphere genuinely overlap
The legends are attached to a substantial historic site that is worth visiting even without the ghosts, giving Berry Pomeroy an unusual overlap of documented history and Gothic atmosphere.
Serious castle history
The surviving remains include a late-medieval defended residence, an Elizabethan mansion and the unfinished remains of an ambitious Jacobean expansion.
Living ghost folklore
The White Lady and Blue Lady are not fringe stories hidden away in obscure sources. They have become part of the castle’s long-running public identity and interpretation.
A naturally atmospheric setting
Woodland, steep valley sides and roofless ruins give Berry Pomeroy an atmosphere that does not need embellishment. Even in broad daylight, it feels made for a ghost story.
Make the most of Berry Pomeroy Castle
Allow around one to two hours for the ruins, grounds and audio tour. The castle sits outside Totnes at the end of a narrow rural approach, so it is worth checking current opening information before setting off.
A simple way to explore
Start with the medieval defences, move through the mansion ruins, then use the audio tour and surrounding grounds to put the site’s history – and its ghost stories – into context.
Start with the fortress
Look first at the gatehouse and surviving defensive features. They make much more sense once you know this is a late-medieval castle, not the Norman stronghold earlier writers imagined.
Explore the mansion ruins
Move into the Seymour ranges and look for the contrast between the earlier Elizabethan house and the grander, unfinished expansion begun around 1600.
Listen for the legends
The free audio tour includes Berry Pomeroy’s ghost stories alongside the lives of the people who occupied the castle. Then take time to enjoy the grounds and woodland setting.
Getting there
Berry Pomeroy Castle lies about 2½ miles east of Totnes. Follow English Heritage road directions rather than relying blindly on sat nav, as the final approach uses narrow rural roads.
Accessibility & facilities
The grounds, shop and ground floor have partial wheelchair access, but the castle contains shallow steps, slopes, gravel, uneven paths and steep or spiral staircases. There is no lift.
Keep exploring Devon’s stranger landscapes
Carry the journey onto Dartmoor, where ancient woodland and modern cryptid reports offer two very different ways to explore the county’s stranger side.
Wistman’s Wood
Follow the walking route towards a remarkable high-altitude oakwood wrapped in moss, folklore and centuries of speculation.
View destination →The Beast of Dartmoor
Explore the moorland behind decades of reported big-cat sightings, physical evidence claims and the enduring question of what may roam beyond the roads.
View destination →Walk through one of Devon’s great haunted ruins
Check the latest English Heritage opening times and admission details before travelling, then explore more strange, historic and legendary places across Britain with ParaMaps.