Pennard Castle
Encyclopedia
Pennard Castle is a ruined castle
, west of the village of Pennard in the Gower Peninsula
, in south Wales
. The castle was established from the 12th century, likely commissioned by Henry de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Warwick
, after being granted the Lordship of Gower
. The castle is believed to have been built as a ringwork
castle with wooden palisade
s but subsequently rebuilt in locally quarried limestone and reddish sandstone
during the late 13th or early 14th century probably by de Braoses who held the castle for part of the 13th century.
The castle consisted of a curtain wall surrounding a central courtyard and featured a twin towered gate-house, a small semi-circular turret and a square tower. A singular entrance on the East-side consisting of an archway between two half-round towers with square inner-sides permitted access. Despite these features, there is evidence of little understanding of military architecture and amateurish execution of some of the castle's features such as ineffective arrow-slits.
The castle was vulnerable to sandblow and encroachement led to its abandonment by 1400. Today only ruins of the castle remain including parts of the Norman stone hall, tower, gatehouse, and curtain wall survive as ruins.
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
, west of the village of Pennard in the Gower Peninsula
Gower Peninsula
Gower or the Gower Peninsula is a peninsula in south Wales, jutting from the coast into the Bristol Channel, and administratively part of the City and County of Swansea. Locally it is known as "Gower"...
, in south Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. The castle was established from the 12th century, likely commissioned by Henry de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Warwick
Henry de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Warwick
Henry de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Warwick was a Norman nobleman. Henry was the younger son of Roger de Beaumont and Adeline of Meulan, daughter of Waleran I, Count of Meulan. He was given by his father the modest lordship of Le Neubourg, in central Normandy...
, after being granted the Lordship of Gower
Gower (Lordship)
thumb|350px|right|Map of the Lordship, showing the area detached , the area added and the Town and Franchise of Swansea. The language boundary is shown as a dotted line....
. The castle is believed to have been built as a ringwork
Ringwork
A ringwork is a form of fortified defensive structure, usually circular or oval in shape. Ringworks are essentially motte-and-bailey castles minus the motte...
castle with wooden palisade
Palisade
A palisade is a steel or wooden fence or wall of variable height, usually used as a defensive structure.- Typical construction :Typical construction consisted of small or mid sized tree trunks aligned vertically, with no spacing in between. The trunks were sharpened or pointed at the top, and were...
s but subsequently rebuilt in locally quarried limestone and reddish sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
during the late 13th or early 14th century probably by de Braoses who held the castle for part of the 13th century.
The castle consisted of a curtain wall surrounding a central courtyard and featured a twin towered gate-house, a small semi-circular turret and a square tower. A singular entrance on the East-side consisting of an archway between two half-round towers with square inner-sides permitted access. Despite these features, there is evidence of little understanding of military architecture and amateurish execution of some of the castle's features such as ineffective arrow-slits.
The castle was vulnerable to sandblow and encroachement led to its abandonment by 1400. Today only ruins of the castle remain including parts of the Norman stone hall, tower, gatehouse, and curtain wall survive as ruins.
External links
- Pennard Castle (Castles in Wales)