The Castle, Bude. Steeped in history. Come and Discover.
Welcome to The Castle, Budeâs Heritage Centre. Our Grade II listed building, one of Budeâs finest and oldest, is nestled in the sand dunes overlooking Summerleaze Beach and runs alongside the Bude Canal. The Castle, which it was named when it was built in 1830, is steeped in history and is a great place to visit whether young or old.
Itâs imposing, yet elegant and unaltered, Victorian façade houses the Heritage Centre, Art Galleries, CafÃĐ and shop. Our rooms and exhibition spaces are light and airy and sympathetic to the Victorian period style. Our lawned area and bandstand are the site of many community events, open throughout the year.
A warm welcome awaits you here at The Castle.
The Castle offers free admission and is open daily between 10am until 4pm, owned and operated by Bude-Stratton Town Council.
New! - What's On
New for 2023! We now have an online calendar where you can see all the fun and exciting events that we hold every year. Plus, you can plan your day around what is going on here at The Castle.Â
New - Dog Friendly Venue Status
We all know that our town is renowned for being a dog friendly town. We would like to invite you to bring your beloved four-legged friends with you when you visit. Now our trial is over, we can announce that we have now become a dog-friendly centre. We will always have dog free rooms for the CafÃĐ visitors and we will be observing Dog Free Mondays.
Please bear with us, as the changing over of our external signage will take a bit more time, so please ignore any signage that doesn’t suggest that we are now a dog-friendly establishment.
Heritage Centre
Our award winning Heritage Centre houses artefacts and exhibitions bringing the rich varied local history to life. Discover Budeâs inventive genius, Sir Goldsworthy Gurney, its unique geology, alongside a wonderful collection of Bude railway nostalgia, interactive models plus local military and maritime history.
Galleries
Cafe Limelight
After exploring The Castle, why not relax in CafÃĐ Limelight, with our stunning conservatory offering idyllic views across the Canal, Barrel Rock and Summerleaze Beach, with an outdoor patio area, nestled within the original garden walls and kitchen garden. Our Gift Shop is a great place to pick up gifts or mementos of your visit to Bude.
Weddings at The Castle
The Castle has three licenced beautiful rooms for you to choose to say âI doâ. Each are unique, all have stunning views and vary in size to accommodate most sizes of ceremony.
Live Music and Events
Throughout the year, Bude-Stratton Town Council, of which The Castle is owned and run by, host and organise a number of events. All these events are for the local community to enjoy and helps celebrate our heritage and being a part of Bude & Stratton and the surrounding area.
You can also hire the lawn area, bandstand, The Blanchminster Room and The Willoughby Gallery for your own events. Get in contact with us to find out more: KTaylor@bude-stratton.gov.uk