Castle Cornet

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. For more information about the castle's history, please click here. For information about the name 'Cornet' click here. and for details about the daily noonday gun ceremony click here. The castle contains a number of museums, including:

• Maritime Museum - Located in the Upper Barracks building, this tells the story of Guernsey's relationship with the sea and also includes a gallery of marine art. The museum also features a display about the Gallo-Roman wreck recovered from the nearby harbour mouth in 1985.
  
• The Story of Castle Cornet - Located in the lower barracks building, these 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
• 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.
• Militia Museum - This is really two related museums on different floors of the castle's hospital building, though only one is currently open. The Royal Guernsey Light Infantry Museum is on the ground floor and tells the story of Guernseymen who fought in the Great War. It is a completely new display which opened to the public for the first time on 11 July 2009. The upper floor displays, telling the story of the Royal Guernsey Militia which existed prior to WW1, are scheduled for completion in 2010. Anyone wishing to view Militia items from the collection during the museum's closure for the purposes of research, or to view items relating to their family not on display in the RGLI Museum, should contact the Social History Officer to arrange access.
• Hatton Gallery - a spacious gallery in the Upper Barracks building, housing portraits of local relevance. The gallery is not normally open to the public, except for specific advertised events. As a space, it can be booked for corporate and private functions; please contact the museum office for further details.

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

The castle opens during the period March 26 - October 31, daily 10:00 - 17:00 hr., for full details and admission charges click here.

Castle Cornet and its museums are accredited visitor attractions in both Guernsey and UK schemes: