A castle has stood at Pengersick since the Middle Ages and sometime around 1550 it was rebuilt and fortified as a Tudor manor. The tower of this building was four storeys high with the top floors being for domestic use and the ground floors mostly defensive. A grand ‘newel stair’ links the floors and uninvited guests should beware of burning oil or other noxious substances being poured on them from the drop-slot above the main doorway. A project is in place to reconstruct a ‘ Knot garden’ to link the history of Pengersick Castle to a Medieval Herb Garden.
Ghosts and strange phenomena are said to haunt the castle and its grounds. The main bedroom has an eerie reputation for being a ‘most haunted room’. Among the many ghosts associated with Pengersick Castle are two women reportedly seen in the bedroom near the four poster bed. One of the women is believed to be the ghost of a gentlewoman murdered century’s ago and the other woman is thought to be her maid. A Demonic Black Dog, ghostly mists and strange orbs appearing on photographs taken of the castle are yet more examples of supernatural appearances linked to Pengersick Castle. Conflicting stories abound about the black-robed Monk allegedly seen in the castle and its grounds, perhaps he is the ‘Hailes Abbey’ monk denied his tithes in 1330 from Henry Pengersick. Or is he a monk who fell in love with Engrina of Pengersick and was brutally murdered and now destined to remain earthbound. Ghosts from the wrecked ship St. Anthony are allegedly searching for treasure from the ship and there is some evidence that at one time treasure was indeed kept at Pengersick Castle, perhaps in a secret passage.
The custodians of Pengersick Castle welcome visitors but the nature of the buildings makes it possible only to admit small numbers, strictly by appointment, and insist that children of all ages must be accompanied by a responsible adult.