Page 194 - Guildhall Coverage Book 2020-21

Dan said: "Obviously it is not quite the real thing but I think that these immersive
technologies, what they can do is they can give you a sense of something that is not
just static, you can move around, you can get a sense of the space and hopefully the
atmosphere and the location."

He added: "Now while we know there has been a castle of some kind here for
around 800 years, very little is documented about Rufus Castle and very few relics
have been found.

"A cannon ball which is around 500 years old is one of the few items that have been
found here it was found embedded in the cliffs underneath the castle."

Credit: ITV West Country

It is likely the castle's structure was built to defend Church Ope Cove from enemy
landings.

Talking to ITV West Country about the wealth of history, local archaeologist Gordon
LePard said: "It looks at first like a lump of rock stuck out into the sea, but from the
earliest times it was a favourite place for enemy ships to come and raid and they
raided it on numerous occasions which is why the castle was built here it's built to
stop enemy raiders."

He added: "You'll find references to the raiders being driven off, occasionally they
devastated the island it has been a to and fro situation over the centuries up until the
15th century."

It is expected to be around two months before the 3D scan will be online and
available to the public.