Star Castle
Star Castle is one of Britain's most extraordinary historic buildings — a genuine Elizabethan star fort that has been converted into a boutique hotel without sacrificing a single ounce of its remarkable character. Perched on the Garrison hill overlooking Hugh Town on the island of St Mary's in the Isles of Scilly, the castle commands sweeping views across the archipelago in every direction. It is considered one of the finest and best-preserved examples of a star-shaped fortification in the entire country, and its unusual eight-pointed design makes it instantly recognisable from the air and from the sea. The building now operates as a hotel, allowing guests the rare opportunity to sleep within the walls of a genuine sixteenth-century military fortification while enjoying the singular tranquility of island life far out in the Atlantic.
The castle was built in 1593 on the orders of Queen Elizabeth I, designed by the military engineer Robert Adams as a defensive response to the perceived threat of another Spanish Armada following the near-invasion of 1588. The star shape — a hallmark of Renaissance military architecture — was a practical solution to the problem of cannon fire, as the angled bastions eliminated blind spots and allowed defenders to cover every approach with overlapping fields of fire. The site chosen on the Garrison was perfect: elevated, commanding all approaches to the islands, and with a natural defensive perimeter. In 1646, during the English Civil War, the castle served as a refuge for the young Prince Charles, later Charles II, who sheltered here for six weeks before fleeing to France. Sir John Grenville, who controlled the islands for the Royalists, used Star Castle as a base of operations until the islands finally fell to Parliamentary forces in 1651 — among the last Royalist strongholds to surrender in the entire war. The castle also once held as a prisoner Sir Francis Godolphin, a former governor of the islands, demonstrating the facility's occasional use as a place of confinement.
Approaching the castle today, visitors walk up through the Garrison walls along a lane that winds past sub-tropical gardens and ancient ramparts. The star-shaped moat and the outer defensive walls are still clearly defined, giving the whole site a dramatic and unmistakable silhouette against the Atlantic sky. The building itself is constructed from the rough grey granite that characterises so much of Scillonian architecture — solid, weathered and deeply embedded in the landscape. The interior has been adapted sensitively for hotel use, with low ceilings, irregular stonework, thick walls and the feeling of centuries pressing gently in from every side. The rooms within the old castle are atmospheric rather than luxurious in a conventional sense, and the creaking of old timbers and the distant sound of the sea create an experience that is unlike almost any other hotel in England.
The surrounding landscape is one of the most distinctive in the British Isles. St Mary's is the largest of the Isles of Scilly, a small archipelago of islands and rocks lying some 28 miles southwest of Land's End. The islands sit within an area of outstanding natural beauty, with a climate softened by the Gulf Stream that allows palm trees and exotic plants to thrive in sheltered spots — something that feels genuinely surreal given how far north the islands technically lie. From the castle's ramparts there are views across to the neighbouring islands of Tresco, St Agnes, Bryher and St Martin's, as well as an apparently endless expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. The Garrison itself is encircled by a walking path along the old defensive walls, one of the finest short walks on the islands, offering constantly changing panoramas.
Getting to Star Castle requires a degree of commitment that only adds to its appeal. Visitors arrive either by ferry from Penzance (a journey of around two and a half hours on the Scillonian III, which runs seasonally) or by short flight from Land's End, Newquay or Exeter airports to St Mary's Airport, a small facility just outside Hugh Town. From Hugh Town itself, the castle is a comfortable ten to fifteen minute walk uphill through the Garrison gate. There are no cars available for hire on St Mary's in the traditional sense, and the island's gentle pace means that walking and cycling are the primary modes of transport. The hotel operates its own gardens, which supply produce to the kitchen, and offers both rooms within the historic castle itself and in converted outbuildings nearby. The Isles of Scilly are at their best from late spring through to early autumn, with May and June particularly glorious for wildflowers and sea birdlife.
One of the more fascinating aspects of Star Castle's history is the remarkable continuity of its preservation — it has never been significantly demolished or rebuilt, making it a genuinely intact Elizabethan structure rather than a restoration project. The castle is a listed building and a scheduled ancient monument, and the Garrison as a whole is a site of considerable archaeological significance. The hotel's owners have worked carefully within these constraints to offer modern amenities while respecting the fabric of the building. It is also worth noting that the view from the castle's parapets at dusk, when the light turns golden across the outer islands and the sea takes on a deep blue-green colour, is frequently cited by visitors as one of the most memorable sights in the whole of Britain's southwestern extremity — a place where history, architecture and natural beauty converge in a way that is genuinely difficult to find elsewhere.