Take A Look At Loughor Castle (Pronounced Lucker)

Loughor Castle is a ruined, medieval fortification located in the town of Loughor, Wales. It was built around 1106 by the Anglo-Norman lord Henry de Beaumont, during the Norman invasion of Wales. Although it looks like a motte and bailey it actually started out as a ringwork which was then filled in and the stone keep was built on top with building material nicked from the nearby Roman fort of Leucarum. The original structure was made of wicker.

A Romantic Norman Ruin – Grosmont Castle

Third Largest Settlement You’ve Never Heard Of (In South Wales). In 1405 Grosmont was the scene of a major battle in the rebellion of Owain Glyndŵr. Rhys Gethin, Glyndwr’s ally, raised a force of around 8,000 men who descended on Grosmont burning the town to the ground. At the time Grosmont was the this largest settlement in South Wales but the battle saw the burning of maybe 100 homes. Grosmont never recovered. In retaliation, a force dispatched by Prince Henry who would become Henry V, and led by John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, Sir William Newport and Sir John Greynder from Hereford, intercepted the Welsh and defeated them, killing between 800 and 1000 men. Grosmont Castle, like its sisters White Castle and Skenfrith Castle, is a Norman castle built shortly after 1066 to protect the route from Wales to Hereford.

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.