 Castles in Powys Castles in Wales Castles in England Castles in Scotland |
||
 |
Tretower Castle | |
County |
Powys | |
How to get there |
3 miles North-West of Chrickhowell, off A479 | |
History
|
The first fortification on the
site was built by a Norman knight named Picard. A motte was raised which, unusually,
was faced with stone as it was constructed. The stone continued above the motte to
form a polygonal shell.
The castle was taken by the Welsh in 1233 but was returned to English ownership when the uprising was crushed. After this time a bailey was added. There were no earthworks but a stone wall with three towers, two which enclosed the gate. A keep was also constructed in the middle of the polygonal shell of the motte. The castle was seized again during a Welsh uprising in 1322 but was back in English hands in 1403 when it was listed as a defensible fortification for Henry IV. A year later the owner Sir James Berkeley successfully withstood an attack by Owain Glyndwr. Not long afterwards the castle passed to Sir Roger Vaughan. In the 14th century a manor house had been added to the castle but in the 15th century the Vaughan's rebuilt this. Tretower Court replaced the castle as the lord's residence and became one of the best examples of a fortified manor house in Wales. The Court remained the residence of the Vaughan family until 1783. Today the buildings are well preserved, although there has been some reconstruction. |
|
|
|