The inner arch leads from the
gatehouse into the courtyard. It is made of high quality carved Pentewan
stone and contrasts strongly with the local shillet stone used to make
the remainder of the castle. It is obvious from the ragged edges to
other doors and windows, that other fine stone has been robbed from
the castle over the years.
Pentewan lies on the south coast of Cornwall on Mevagissey Bay, to
the south of St Austell. The quarry there is long disused. The stone,
noted for its extreme hardness, was mined there since medieval times
and has been used throughout Cornwall and the U. K., including many
manor houses and Holy Trinity Church in St. Austell town. It is an elvan
stone similar to granite but of much finer grain and can be carved freely
into intricate shapes. It would have been quarried and brought to Restormel,
a distance of some 10 miles.
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