Penrice Castle
Encyclopedia
Penrice Castle is a castle
near Penrice on the Gower Peninsula
in south Wales
.
, which they made their main seat, whilst still retaining their Gower lands). The castle was damaged in the English civil war
.
The stone castle is a large, very irregular hexagon with a round keep on the west side, to which were attached two other towers and a partial mantlet
or chemise wall. At the northwest corner is a twin square towered gatehouse with another tower in the interior. The ground falls away steeply on the north, east, south and southwest sides, where there are various other turrets, though not very scientifically disposed. The whole structure is now in a dangerous condition but the south wall can be seen from the footpath that runs past the 18th-century mansion
on the estate (51.5742°N 4.1707°W), immediately to the south.
The mansion, built in the 1770s by the neo-classical
architect
Anthony Keck for Thomas Mansel Talbot of Margam and Penrice, is itself Grade I listed and one of the finest country houses in Wales
. The surrounding park is also Grade I listed and was laid out by William Emes
, a student of Capability Brown
, when the mansion was built. The mansion is lived in by the Methuen-Campbell family, who are direct descendants of the de Penrice family.
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...
near Penrice on 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...
.
History
Penrice Castle is the 13th-century successor to a strong ringwork to the southeast, known as the Mountybank. It was built by the de Penrice family who were originally given land at Penrice for their part in the Norman conquest of Gower. The last de Penrice married a Mansel in 1410 and so the castle and its lands passed to the Mansel family (who later bought Margam AbbeyMargam Abbey
Margam Abbey was a Cistercian monastery, located in the village of Margam, a suburb of modern Port Talbot in Wales.-History:The abbey was founded in 1147 as a daughter house of Clairvaux by Robert, Earl of Gloucester and was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The abbey was dissolved by King...
, which they made their main seat, whilst still retaining their Gower lands). The castle was damaged in the English civil war
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
.
The stone castle is a large, very irregular hexagon with a round keep on the west side, to which were attached two other towers and a partial mantlet
Mantlet
A mantlet was a large shield or portable shelter used for stopping arrows or bullets, in medieval warfare. A mantlet could be mounted on a wheeled carriage, and protected one or several soldiers....
or chemise wall. At the northwest corner is a twin square towered gatehouse with another tower in the interior. The ground falls away steeply on the north, east, south and southwest sides, where there are various other turrets, though not very scientifically disposed. The whole structure is now in a dangerous condition but the south wall can be seen from the footpath that runs past the 18th-century mansion
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
on the estate (51.5742°N 4.1707°W), immediately to the south.
The mansion, built in the 1770s by the neo-classical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Anthony Keck for Thomas Mansel Talbot of Margam and Penrice, is itself Grade I listed and one of the finest country houses in 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 surrounding park is also Grade I listed and was laid out by William Emes
William Emes
-Biography:Details of his early life are not known but in 1756 he was appointed head gardener to Sir Nathaniel Curzon at Kedleston Hall, Derbyshire. He left this post in 1760 when Robert Adam was given responsibility for the entire management of the grounds. During his time at Kedleston he had...
, a student of Capability Brown
Capability Brown
Lancelot Brown , more commonly known as Capability Brown, was an English landscape architect. He is remembered as "the last of the great English eighteenth-century artists to be accorded his due", and "England's greatest gardener". He designed over 170 parks, many of which still endure...
, when the mansion was built. The mansion is lived in by the Methuen-Campbell family, who are direct descendants of the de Penrice family.