So there was this Flemish geezer called Wizo who, with a name like that sounds like he should be a wizard. Sadly he wasn’t. Despite his lack of magical abilities, he was granted a piece of land by Henry the first who had taken control of it from the previous owner who was in revolt against Henry. Wizo built a motte and bailey castle, ‘cos why wouldn’t you? It is considered one of the best examples of its type in Wales. It is situated in the Pembrokeshire village of Wiston in south west Wales which is named after Wizo – Wiston being an Old Flemish/Saxon for Wizo’s enclosure/town.
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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.
British Gothic Ruin: Tintern Abbey.
Beside the River Wye on the Monmouthshire side of the border of England and Wales is the ruin of the once magnificent Tintern Abbey. Walter de Clare, an Anglo-Norman nobleman and Lord of Chepstow founded the Abbey on 9 May 1131. It was the first Cistercian foundation in Wales, and only the second in Britain. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century, the Abbey fell into ruin once the lead from the roof had been sold.
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.
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.