Castle Cornet & Museums

Castle Cornet is Guernsey's ancient harbour fortress, which was isolated upon a rocky islet, until the construction of a breakwater and bridge in the 19th century. The castle contains a number of museums. The Maritime museum tells the story of Guernsey's relationship with the sea. It also includes a display about the Gallo-Roman wreck recovered from the nearby harbour mouth in 1985. The Story of Castle Cornet displays opened in 1997. They interpret the history of Castle Cornet, using a variety of reconstructions, replicas, models and original artefacts. Information Technology is also used to interpret the origin of the rock upon which the castle is built, browse an interactive guide to the castle or a database of castle illustrations. There is also an audio presentation about the great explosion of 1672, which destroyed much of the early castle. The Militia Museum tells the story of the Royal Guernsey Militia (later the Royal Guernsey Light Infantry) this museum houses many regimental relics. It is due to be redeveloped in 1998 and will incorporate many items from the unique Spencer Collection of Channel Islands military uniform, buttons and badges. Hatton Gallery is a spacious gallery in the Upper Barracks building, housing portraits of local relevance and several historic paintings depicting Castle Cornet.
201 Squadron RAF (Guernsey's Own) Museum - Currently the only RAF unit to retain such an affiliation, 201 Squadron's links with Guernsey date back to the 1930's, when their Southampton-based flying boats came on training flights and good-will visits. The museum is our most recent development in the castle and was opened on 12th July 2001 by Her Majesty the Queen.

Additional info

Castle Cornet also has a museum shop located in the old guard house and a refectory (in the Upper Barracks building) serving light meals and refreshments.