The Castle Heritage Centre

The Castle, Bude. Steeped in History. Come and Discover.

Welcome to The Castle, Bude’s Heritage Centre. Our Grade II listed building, one of Bude’s 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.

It’s imposing, yet elegant and unaltered, Victorian façade houses the Heritage Centre, Art Galleries, Café 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.

The Castle offers free admission and is open daily from 10am until 5pm everyday, owned and operated by Bude-Stratton Town Council.

Please note that the Cafe have different closing times to the Heritage Centre. They are currently serving food daily from 10am until 3.30pm for our lunch menu and until 4.45pm for drinks and cakes. 

A warm welcome awaits you here at The Castle.

What's happening this month........

Every month we have new artist’s showcasing their talents in our art galleries, new events, monthly favourites, children’s entertainment and a wealth of knowledge in our historic exhibitions. Café Limelight serves monthly specials alongside it’s delicious menu and our gift shop on the first floor is full of beautiful treasures and inspirational books. Click the link below to find out what’s in store this month!

Click Here to Find Out What's On
June
Café Insta Sized posts
Café Insta Sized posts (1)
June guide to whats on at the castle heritage centre
Brochure Out Now
Mystery Building Workshop
A Timeless Gathering
Brochure Out Now
Cream Tea
The Castle Sketchbook Insta
Abstract Florals
Deep Lanes
Bude Art Society
Pete Newell
Cornwall Watercolour
Museum Insta
Weathering the storm audio socials (2)
celebrating 60 years of Bude inner wheel group
25
The Storm Tower
All@C
Magical Tots
Fossil Fish Trail
Gift Shop (2)
Jigsaws
The Castle Book Launch
Gift Vouchers
Outreach
PLANNING YOUR VISIT

We have limited disabled parking onsite, as well as a lift to the first floor and the Cafe. If you have any other needs that you wish to discuss, please email: thecastle@bude-stratton.gov.uk or call us on 01288 357300.

Visit our What’s On page where you can view our monthly events guide and check out dates of any room closures that may affect your visit.

Click Here for Latest News and Events

VISITING THE CASTLE WITH YOUR DOG

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. We will always have dog free rooms for the Café visitors and we will be observing Dog Free Mondays. Our venue always accepts coated assistance dogs. 

We'd love your feedback!

Have you visited The Castle recently? Have you been in to see any of the Exhibitions, Galleries or been a guest at a Wedding? You may have popped in for a sweet treat at Café Limelight or bought a gift from our little shop. We have a host of workshops and events taking place over the coming months and we’d love to hear from you.
Your feedback helps us to ensure that The Castle remains a great place to visit, so whether, good or bad, we’d appreciate you taking the time to complete a very short questionnaire. It gives you the chance to offer some suggestions moving forward too ⭐
Click here to take our short survey

Heritage, Archives and Exhibits

Our award winning Heritage Centre houses artefacts and exhibits bringing the rich varied local history to life. Discover Bude’s inventive genius, Sir Goldsworthy Gurney, its unique geology, alongside a wonderful collection of Bude railway nostalgia, interactive models plus local military and maritime history.

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Art & Craft Galleries

We have two beautiful galleries that have a regularly changing programme with over 30 exhibitions taking place during the year, showcasing the talents of local artists and craftspeople comprising many areas including paintings, ceramics, photography, textiles and animations.
 
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Café Limelight & Gift Shop

After exploring The Castle, why not relax in Café 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.

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Weddings at The Castle

The Castle has three licenced beautiful rooms for you to choose to say ‘I do’. Each are unique, all have stunning views and vary in size to accommodate most sizes of ceremony. We also offer various buffet services for your special day.

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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

View our Events Page