Llawhaden Castle
| Llawhaden Castle | ||
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 The castle gatehouse seen from the village |
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| Alternative name (s): | Castell Llawhaden | |
| Creation time : | 12th Century | |
| Castle type : | Hilltop castle | |
| Conservation status: | ruin | |
| Construction: | Sandstone | |
| Geographical location | 51 ° 51 '20.2 " N , 4 ° 47' 51" W | |
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Llawhaden Castle ( Welsh Castell Llawhaden ) is the ruin of a hilltop castle in Wales . Protected as a Grade I cultural monument and a Scheduled Monument , it is located west of the village of Llawhaden, northwest of Narberth in Pembrokeshire .
history
Llawhaden was owned by the Welsh bishops of St David's before the Norman conquest of Wales . Bernard , the first Norman bishop of the diocese, probably had a first castle built in Llawhaden before 1115, which consisted of a rampart fortified with palisades . When the Welsh Lord Rhys rebelled against the English King Richard I in 1193 , the castle was conquered and destroyed by the Welsh. At the beginning of the 13th century, the castle was rebuilt by the bishops, with the fortifications now being made of stone. Presumably under Bishop Thomas Bek , further expansion of the castle began after 1280. At the end of the 14th century, Bishop Adam Houghton had the south wing and gatehouse built. The plans for this came from John Fawle , who also served as the castle's commander. The Palas was probably built under Bishop Houghton. Some of the new buildings protruded beyond the curtain wall , so that the round floor plan changed into an irregular, polygonal complex that was now more of a fortified mansion than a castle. The complex remained one of the main residences of the bishops of St David's until the early 15th century. In view of the rebellion of Owain Glyndŵr , the castle was occupied by a garrison in 1402, and the gatehouse was probably also expanded during this time. After the rebellion was put down, the castle was leased. The walls were partially razed in the 16th century under Bishop William Barlow . In 1616 Bishop Richard Milbourne received permission to demolish the castle. However, this plan was not carried out, but afterwards the castle fell into disrepair and served as a quarry for the villagers of Llawhaden. It wasn't until the end of the 19th century that measures were started to preserve the ruins. In 1971 it was placed under protection as a cultural monument. Today it is managed by Cadw and can be visited.
investment
The ruin is located on the summit of a partly steep hill above the Eastern Cleddau . It is surrounded by a moat about 20 m wide and 7 m deep , which dates back to the 12th century ramparts. The complex itself consists of the ruins of several buildings that surround an irregular courtyard. The outer walls of the buildings have been preserved, while many stones have been removed from the walls on the courtyard side. Access to the ruin is via a dam in the southwest, which replaced an earlier drawbridge . The gatehouse with two round flanking towers was built in three sections, with the main part being erected in the late 14th century. Living rooms were located above the guard rooms on the first floor of the towers. The remains of the walls on the west side are among the oldest surviving structures of the castle from the early 13th century. The west side was further protected by a round tower with massive walls up to 3 m thick, of which only remnants have survived. On the north side, more remains of the curtain wall and another small round tower have been preserved. In the northeast of the plant are the remains of the basement Palas . The vaulted cellar has been preserved from this, but only a little of the hall above. The kitchen was to the north of the hall and the bishops' living quarters to the south. On the south side of the complex are the ruins of another elongated wing with living rooms, which also contained the former castle chapel at the eastern end. Two octagonal towers on the south side protrude far into the moat, a square, five-story tower on the courtyard side served as a staircase and watchtower. The walls and towers were built from roughly hewn sandstone , later dark Caerbwdy stone was used for window frames and decorative bands in the masonry.
