Townapedia
Lostwithiel
Lostwithiel · Matnkat, CC BY 3.0
Golden Dynasty chinese takeaway shopfront, Lostwithiel, Cornwall - May 2024
Golden Dynasty chinese takeaway shopfront, Lostwithiel, Cornwall - May 2024 · Mutney, CC0
Queen Street, Lostwithiel, Cornwall - February 2026 (1)
Queen Street, Lostwithiel, Cornwall - February 2026 (1) · Mutney, CC BY 4.0
Golden Dynasty chinese takeaway, Lostwithiel, Cornwall - May 2024 (1)
Golden Dynasty chinese takeaway, Lostwithiel, Cornwall - May 2024 (1) · Mutney, CC0
12 Queen Street, Lostwithiel, Cornwall - February 2026
12 Queen Street, Lostwithiel, Cornwall - February 2026 · Mutney, CC BY 4.0
The Coronet hairdressers, Queen Street, Lostwithiel, Cornwall - February 2026
The Coronet hairdressers, Queen Street, Lostwithiel, Cornwall - February 2026 · Mutney, CC BY 4.0

Lostwithiel, United Kingdom

Lostwithiel is a town of 2,659 people in England, United Kingdom.

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Population2,659 GeoNames
RegionEngland
Elevation36 ft 11 m
Time zoneEurope/London
Nearest airportCornwall Airport Newquay (NQY) 14 mi
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Why visit Lostwithiel

Townapedia lists 10 museums and landmarks, 5 parks and trails, 14 places to eat, 2 places to stay and 1 attraction in and around town.

Highlights include Respryn Bridge, Restormel Castle, Lanhydrock House and Red Moor nature reserve.

About Lostwithiel

Lostwithiel (; Cornish: Lostwydhyel [lɔstˈwɪðjɛl] , meaning wooded tail) is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It stands at the head of the estuary of the River Fowey. At the 2021 census, the population of the parish was 3,070. The name Lostwithiel comes from the Cornish "lostwydhyel" which means "tail of a wooded area".

From the Wikipedia article Lostwithiel (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Travel tips from other travellers: Lostwithiel on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Photos of Lostwithiel

Things to do1

Respryn Bridge

Bridge · 2.3 mi

15th century bridge over the River Fowey in Cornwall, England, UK

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Museums and landmarks10

Restormel Castle

Monument and historic site · 1.0 mi

Castle, now ruinous, north of Lostwithiel, Cornwall, England, UK

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Lanhydrock House

Museum · 2.6 mi

Country house in Lanhydrock, Cornwall, England, UK

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Old Duchy Palace

Monument and historic site

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Taprell House

Monument and historic site

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Boer War Memorial

Monument and historic site

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Lostwithiel Museum

Museum

16 Fore Street, Loswithiel

Mo-Fr 10:30-16:30; Sa 11:00-15:00

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Lesquite Quoit

Monument and historic site · 2.7 mi

Portal dolmen in Lanivet, Cornwall, England, UK

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Restormel Roman Fort

Monument and historic site · 0.8 mi

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Wheal Fortescue

Monument and historic site · 1.1 mi

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WW2 US Rail Head (site of)

Monument and historic site

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Parks, trails and playgrounds5

Red Moor nature reserve

Park · 2.1 mi

Nature reserve near Lanlivery in mid Cornwall, England, UK

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Coulson's Park

Park

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Gillyflower Golf

Golf course · 0.7 mi

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Madderly Moor

Hiking and trails · 0.6 mi

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Shirehall Moor

Hiking and trails · 0.9 mi

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Restaurants and cafes14

Earl of Chatham

Bar and pub

39 Grenville Road, Lostwithiel

Mo-Tu 15:00-23:00; We-Th 12:00-23:00; Fr-Sa 09:00-23:00; Su 12:00-21:00

Open in Google Maps · +44 1208 872269

Q Street Coffee

Cafe · Sandwich

22 Queen Street

Mo-Fr 09:30-16:00; Sa 09:30-15:00; Su 09:30-14:00

Open in Google Maps · +44 7999 459383

Castle Brewery

Brewery and winery

Restormel Industrial Estate, Lostwithiel

Open in Google Maps · +44 7880 349032

Fowey Valley Cidery & Distillery

Brewery and winery

Restormel Estate, Lostwithiel

Open in Google Maps · +44 7708 681104

Asquiths Restaurant

Restaurant

19 North Street, Lostwithiel

We-Sa 18:30-20:30

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Kings Arms Hotel

Bar and pub

Fore Street, Lostwithiel

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The Mess Hall

Cafe · Coffee Shop

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Royal Oak

Bar and pub

Duke Street, Lostwithiel

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Moonlight Tandoori Indian Restaurant

Restaurant · Indian, Tandoori

35 Fore Street, Lostwithiel

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Duchy Coffee Shop

Cafe · Coffee Shop

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The Globe Inn

Bar and pub

3 North Street, Lostwithiel

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Community Cafe by Kernow Forno

Cafe

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2 more on the map.

History

Lostwithiel was founded in the 12th century by Norman lords who built the nearby Restormel Castle. Lostwithiel received its town charter in 1189. It was initially laid out as a pair of adjoining boroughs: Penknight or Penkneth to the south of South Street, which was founded by Robert de Cardinham as lord of the manor, and Lostwithiel to the north of South Street, founded by the Earls of Cornwall. Lostwithiel formally absorbed Penkneth in 1268. In the late 13th century, Edmund, 2nd Earl of Cornwall oversaw the building of the Stannary Palace, the bridge and the square church tower.

The Battle of Lostwithiel, an important battle in the First English Civil War, took place near Lostwithiel in 1644. In it Parliamentarian forces were defeated by the Royalists. The Parliamentarians would go on to win the war but Cornwall remained under Royalist control until 1646.

Jaques Bagratuni, a prince and ambassador of Armenia to Britain, died in Lostwithiel on 23 December 1943 but was buried at Brompton Cemetery in London.

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The Trinity Iron Mine was founded in the 1790s to mine haematite iron ore. In 1797 Philip Rashleigh found a sample of goethite here. Following a visit by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert it was renamed to the Royal Restormel Iron Mine in 1846. A horse-drawn tramway ran from the mine, to the old cattle market in the centre of town and on to the Town Quay on the River Fowey. Up to 120 people were employed in the mine and it produced 4,500 tons of ore annually. The mine closed in 1883.

From the History section of Lostwithiel on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

More about Lostwithiel

Geography

The town is situated in the Fowey river valley, positioned between the A390 road from Tavistock to Truro and the upper tidal reaches of the river.

Lostwithiel railway station is on the Cornish Main Line from Plymouth to Penzance. It is situated on the south side of the town, just across the medieval bridge. The line was originally built for the Cornwall Railway which built its main workshops here, but the surviving workshop buildings were transformed into apartments in 2004. A branch line takes china clay trains to Fowey.

The town contains the suburbs of Bridgend to the east and Rosehill and Victoria to the west of the River Fowey.

To the south of the town is the Shirehall Moor nature reserve which follows the course of the River Fowey and opens out to a wide salt marsh. The reserve is a haven for birdlife including swans, ducks, egrets, herons, kingfishers and Canada geese.

Arts and culture

The town has a playing field known as King George V Playing Field. Lostwithiel has several large parks including Coulson Park which was named after Nathaniel Coulson (the San Francisco property magnate) who was raised in Lostwithiel after being abandoned by his father.

The town is host to a number of annual cultural activities including an arts and crafts festival, a beer festival, a week-long carnival in the summer, food and cider festivals in October, and a Dickensian evening in December.

Education

There are two primary schools in Lostwithiel: St Winnow C E School and Lostwithiel Primary School. Both schools are academies. Lostwithiel Primary School is part of the Peninsula Learning Trust Multi Academy Trust and St Winnow C E School is part of The Saints Way Multi Academy Trust. The majority of children aged between 11 and 16 attend Fowey River Academy or Bodmin College.

Lostwithiel Educational Trust is a local charity which makes "grants to local schools and churches, as well as to individuals, for educational purposes"

From the Wikipedia article Lostwithiel, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Notable people from Lostwithiel

Born in Lostwithiel, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.

Where to stay2

Churches and places of worship9

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Shopping13

Schools, colleges and libraries4

Healthcare1

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Map of Lostwithiel

59 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.

Getting there and nearby towns

Cornwall Airport Newquay (NQY) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 14 miles away.

  • Bodmin 5 mi northwest, about 8 min by car
  • Fowey 5 mi south, about 8 min by car
  • St Austell 6 mi southwest, about 10 min by car
  • Roche 7 mi west, about 12 min by car
  • Polperro 8 mi southeast, about 14 min by car
  • Mevagissey 11 mi southwest, about 17 min by car
  • Saint Stephen 11 mi southwest, about 18 min by car
  • Pensilva 13 mi northeast, about 21 min by car
  • Camelford 15 mi north, about 24 min by car
  • Padstow 15 mi northwest, about 24 min by car

Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.

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Page built November 10, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.