Category: Castles

Brilliant Place To Be A Kid! Skenfrith Castle

Skenfrith Castle

The ruin of Skenfrith Castle, or Castell Ynysgynwraidd in Welsh, sits alongside the River Monnow in Monmouthshire in Wales on the border of Herefordshire in England. It began its existence as a wooden structure with earthworks after the Normans invaded England in 1066. It was intended to protect the route between Wales and Hereford.

At the end of the 12th century, the castle was rebuilt in stone. Skenfrith Castle, like its sisters White Castle and Grosmont Castle, is a Norman castle built shortly after 1066 to protect the route from Wales to Hereford.

We really enjoyed making this film of a splendid castle in a really lovely village. Everyone should grow up with a castle as a playground.

Super Special Weobley Castle (It’s Not Quite A Castle)

A 14th-century fortified manor house on the Gower Peninsula, Wales built between 1304 and 1327 by the de la Bere family.

As with so many castles in this part of the world, Owain Glyndŵr had a bash at destroying it in the early 15th century and although he and his forces did some damage, most of it was left standing. It’s thought by some that John de la Bere who died in 1403 was a casualty of Glyndŵr’s incursion.

It’s a castle that isn’t really a castle which has some smashing views and a bizarre assortment of window styles.  Clearly the De La Bere family couldn’t make up their minds about what sort of windows they preferred so had a variety.  It must have been the medieval version of letting your teenage daughter paint their bedroom black because they are going through a goth phase. 

Kidwelly Castle – Norman Stronghold, Filmset and Scenic Ruin

Like so many Castles in Wales, Kidwelly was built by the Normans to defend against the Welsh. You would have thought that the Normans would have realised that this was a futile gesture because the Welsh were not prepared to learn to speak French. I’m sure there were other reasons they were disgruntled about the invasion but this seems like a fairly good one to me.

The remains of the castle we see today were constructed between 1111 until about 1476. It saw quite. bit of action in the twelfth century, falling to the Welsh on a number of occasions. In 1403 Owain Glyndŵr unsuccessfully besieged the castle with the aid of troops from France and Brittany. After just three weeks the Norman Army turned up and put a stop to these shenanigans. The gatehouse was damaged and was later rebuilt on the instructions of King Henry V.

Tretower Court and Castle

A Castle Tower AND an Intact Medieval Manor House!

The castle, a motte and bailey was founded by Picard, a follower of Bernard de Neufmarché in the 12th century. Picard’s son, Roger Picard I, replaced the motte with a shell keep. By about 1230 a tall cylindrical keep was added to the inside of the shell keep, possibly by his great-grandson, Roger Picard II. At the beginning of the 14th century, the Picards tired of loving in a cramped castle, and so the north range of Tretower Court was built. They sit in the village of Tretower, near Crickhowell in modern-day Powys, previously within the historical county of Breconshire or Brecknockshire.

Coity Castle – Home of Sir Payn “the Demon” de Turberville

Vaulted stone ceilings, a deep moat, and a Lord with the best nickname for a Lord you ever did hear!

All this and More at Coity Castle! This is a very impressive 12-century Welsh ruin nestled in the middle of a town called Coity, near Bridgend in South Wales.

Carreg Cennen Castle – On A Rocky Outcrop With A Cave.

Castell Carreg Cennen, Welsh for Castle on the Rock above the River Cennen in the village of Trap near Llandeilo in Carmarthenshire, Wales. A freshwater spring rises in the cave deep below the castle, which would have been a useful supplement during dry weather.

Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a consensus on the date of the first castle on this site. Certainly, there was something built here in the 12th century but it is highly likely that there were structures built of wood that predate this. There is evidence of Roman and prehistoric occupation. There is also speculation of an iron age hill fort on this site.

Llawhaden Castle. A Castle Built By A Bishop Called Bernard.

Llawhaden Castle or Castell Llanhuadain in the native Welsh tongue is a sprawling ruin of a castle in Pembrokeshire in southwest Wales. It and the surrounding lands were owned by the Bishopric of the Diocese of St David and was the only ecclesiastically-ruled Marcher Lordship. A motte and bailey were built by the first Norman Bishop, Bernard, in 1115 of which only the moat survives.

Dryslwyn Castle – A Proper Welsh Castle

Dryslwyn Castle is a 13th-century castle, thought to be built by one of the Welsh princes of Deheubarth. It sits upon a hill overlooking the Twi Valley and commands some stunning views, even on a cold and rainy day such as this one.

It is one of the most important structures built by a Welsh chieftain still remaining. It is an excellent defensive position and is thought perhaps to have been a fortification in prehistoric times, although no evidence of this remains.

The Beautiful, but Windy, Ogmore Castle

Ogmore Castle, or to give it it’s Welsh name- Castell Ogwr, is a 12th-century ruin near Bridgend in Glamorgan, South Wales. It sits on the banks of the River Ewenny but takes its name from the nearby River Ogmore.

It’s a blowy but very sunny day and the castle looks stunning.  There are pony trekkers crossing the river at the all-important ford heading for a ride on the beach at Ogmore By Sea.  Despite the cold, we thoroughly enjoyed our visit to this castle.

Construction of the castle is thought to have begun in 1106 prior to the Norman conquest. It was in use until the 19th century, latterly as a court of justice and a prison.

Why is Chepstow Castle so big?

Chepstow Castle is the oldest surviving post-Roman stone fortification in Britain. Situated in Monmouthshire in Wales on cliffs overlooking a bend in the tidal part of the River Wye, it was the southernmost of a chain of castles built in the Welsh Marches. Construction began in 1067 under the instruction of the Norman Lord William FitzOsbern. It was originally called Striguil, which means River Bend.