Penhow Castle

Last updated
Penhow Castle
Penhow Castle from Church.jpg
TypeCastle
Location Penhow, Newport
Coordinates 51°36′49″N2°50′01″W / 51.6137°N 2.8337°W / 51.6137; -2.8337 Coordinates: 51°36′49″N2°50′01″W / 51.6137°N 2.8337°W / 51.6137; -2.8337
Built12th century onwards
Architectural style(s) castellated
Governing bodyPrivately owned
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official namePenhow Castle
Designated1 March 1963
Reference no.3078
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameBarn to south-west of Penhow Castle
Designated24 February 1976
Reference no.3056
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameL-shaped Byre Range to south-west of Penhow Castle
Designated24 February 1976
Reference no.17079
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameStable Block to far south-west of Penhow Castle
Designated19 December 1995
Reference no.17081
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameFive bay Barn and attached Byre to far south-west of Penhow Castle
Designated19 December 1995
Reference no.17080
Newport UK relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Location of Penhow Castle in Newport

Penhow Castle, Penhow, Newport dates from the early 12th century. Extended and reconstructed in almost every century since, it has been claimed to be the oldest continuously-inhabited castle in Wales. The castle is a Grade II* listed building.

Contents

History

The manor of Penhow was held by Caradog ap Gruffydd, prince of Gwent at the time of the Norman invasion of Wales. [1] The estate was seized by the Seymour family (anciently de St. Maur) and by 1129, Sir Roger de St Maur had built a fortified manor at the site. The house was extended and further fortified in the 15th and 17th centuries. [1] In the 16th century the manor passed to the Somersets. In 1674, it was purchased by the Lewis family of St Pierre. [2] Viscount Rhondda, an industrialist and conservator of ancient buildings in Wales, bought the castle in 1914. [3] By the mid-20th century, the castle was in a state of some dilapidation, until bought and restored by the film director Stephen Weeks. [4] During his tenure the castle was open to the public, while also serving as Weeks’ residence. In 2002 it was sold and reverted to a private home. [5] Penhow is frequently claimed to be the oldest continuously inhabited castle in Wales. [lower-alpha 1] [7] [4]

Architecture and description

The architectural historian John Newman, in his Gwent/Monmouthshire Pevsner, describes Penhow as "small and [un]convincingly defensive". [8] It is constructed of local Old red sandstone rubble. [1] The oldest portion of the castle is the west tower, which dates from the time of the Seymours. The two-storeyed hall range is later, of the 14th-15th centuries. [8] Further large-scale remodelling took place in the 17th and 18th centuries, when the castle was refashioned as a comfortable country house. The Cadw listing records notes the "exceptionally fine Restoration period interiors”. The castle is listed Grade II*. [1]

Two ranges of ancillary buildings contain some important agricultural structures, each with their own listings; the grouping immediately to the south-west of the castle includes a barn [9] and a byre. [10] The grouping farther from the castle to the south includes another barn, [11] a further byre [12] and a stable block. [13]

Notes

  1. ↑ John Newman suggests Cardiff Castle, Fonmon Castle and St Donat's Castle as alternative claimants. [6]

Related Research Articles

Raglan, Monmouthshire village in Monmouthshire, Wales

Raglan is a village and community in Monmouthshire, south east Wales, United Kingdom. It is located some 9 miles south-west of Monmouth, midway between Monmouth and Abergavenny on the A40 road very near to the junction with the A449 road. The fame of the village derives from Raglan Castle, built for William ap Thomas and now maintained by Cadw. The community includes the villages of Llandenny and Pen-y-clawdd. Raglan itself has a population of 1,183.

Penhow Human settlement in Wales

Penhow is a small village and community (parish) just inside the eastern edge of the boundary of the city of Newport, South Wales, within the historic county of Monmouthshire. The name Penhow is believed to be derived from the Welsh word Pen meaning head or top and How derived from the Old Norse word Haugr meaning hill or mound. The community includes the estate of Parc Seymour.

Llanvihangel Court Tudor country houseI in Llavihangel Crucorney, Monmouthshire, Wales

LlanvihangelCourt, Llanvihangel Crucorney, is a Tudor country house in Monmouthshire, Wales. The architectural historian John Newman, in his Gwent/Monmouthshire volume of The Buildings of Wales series described the court as "the most impressive and richly decorated house of around 1600 in Monmouthshire". The origins of the house are medieval, with a traditional date of construction of 1471. The building was given its present appearance by a substantial enlargement and re-casing of circa 1600 by Rhys Morgan, of the family of the original owners. In the very early 17th century it was owned briefly by Edward Somerset, 4th Earl of Worcester.

Castle House, Usk

Castle House in Usk, Monmouthshire, Wales, originally formed the gatehouse to Usk Castle. Much altered in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, it is now a private home and a Grade I listed building.

Grade I listed buildings in Monmouthshire

Monmouthshire is a county and principal area of Wales. It borders Torfaen and Newport to the west; Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the east; and Powys to the north. The largest town is Abergavenny, with other large settlements being Chepstow, Monmouth, and Usk. The present county was formed under the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994, and comprises some sixty percent of the historic county. Between 1974 and 1996, the county was known by the ancient title of Gwent, recalling the medieval Welsh kingdom. The county is 850 km2 in extent, with a population of 95,200 as of 2020.

Grade II* listed buildings in Monmouthshire List of buildings in principal area of Wales

Monmouthshire is a county and principal area of Wales. It borders Torfaen and Newport to the west; Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the east; and Powys to the north. The largest town is Abergavenny, with the other major towns being Chepstow, Monmouth, and Usk. The county is 850 km2 in extent, with a population of 95,200 as of 2020. The present county was formed under the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994, and comprises some sixty percent of the historic county. Between 1974 and 1996, the county was known by the ancient title of Gwent, recalling the medieval Welsh kingdom. In his essay on local government in the fifth and final volume of the Gwent County History, Robert McCloy suggests that the governance of "no county in the United Kingdom in the twentieth century was so transformed as that of Monmouthshire".

Moynes Court

Moynes Court is a Grade II* listed building in the village of Mathern, Monmouthshire, Wales, about 3 miles (4.8 km) south west of Chepstow. An earlier building was rebuilt as a private residence by Francis Godwin, Bishop of Llandaff, in about 1609/10, and much of the building remains from that period. Its grounds contain earthworks thought to be the foundations of an earlier moated manor house. The gatehouse to the court has a separate Grade II* listing.

Tregrug Castle Medieval castle in Monmouthshire, Wales

Tregrug Castle or Llangibby Castle is a ruin in Monmouthshire, Wales, located about 1 mile (1.5 km) to the north of the village of Llangybi, close to the settlement of Tregrug.

Tŷ Mawr, Dingestow

Tŷ Mawr, Dingestow, Monmouthshire is a complex of farm buildings dating from 1640. The farmhouse and attached barn are listed Grade II*. The gatehouse to the farm has a separate Grade II* listing.

27 Old Market Street, Usk

27 Old Market Street, Usk, Monmouthshire, forms part of a range of terraced houses which were originally the Great House of Roger Williams, High Sheriff of Monmouthshire in the mid-16th century. It is a Grade II* listed building.

Hygga House Dovecote, Trellech

The Dovecote, Hygga, Trellech, Monmouthshire is a late 16th-century dovecote, in an unusually complete state of preservation. Part of the service buildings for the, now demolished, Hygga House, the dovecote is a Grade II* listed building and a scheduled monument.

Pant-glas Farmhouse, Llanishen, Monmouthshire

Pant-glas Farmhouse and its associated barn at Llanishen, Trellech, Monmouthshire date from the early 16th and 17th centuries respectively and are both Grade II* listed buildings.

Tredean House, Devauden

Tredean House, Devauden, Monmouthshire is a country house dating from 1901-02. It was designed in an Arts and Crafts style by the architect Arthur Jessop Hardwick. The client was a Henry Simpson. The house, a Grade II* listed building, remains a private residence and is not visible from the public highway, although the gatehouse can be seen.

Ty-Hwnt-y-Bwlch Farmhouse, Cwmyoy

Ty-Hwnt-y-Bwlch Farmhouse,, Cwmyoy, Monmouthshire is a farmhouse in the north of the county dating from the late 16th century. Located on the hillside above the Church of St Martin, it is a Grade II* listed building.

Lower Dyffryn House, Grosmont

Lower Dyffryn House, Grosmont, Monmouthshire is a farmhouse dating from the 16th century. Owned by a Sheriff of Monmouthshire in the early 1600s, it was rebuilt by the Cecil family in the mid 17th century as a substantial mansion to the typical Elizabethan e-plan. Its fortunes declined in the 19th century by which point it had been reduced to a farmhouse and much of its external and internal fittings were removed or replaced. The farmhouse is Grade II* listed and a number of the ancillary buildings have their own Grade II listings.

Treworgan Manor, Llansoy

Treworgan Manor, Llansoy, Monmouthshire is a country house dating from the early 18th century. Its origins are older, from the 16th century. Long in the possession of the Prichard family, it changed hands a number of times in later centuries and remains a private residence. The house is Grade II* listed, its listing describing it as a "fine Renaissance house". An adjacent barn has its own Grade II Listing.

Blaengavenny Farmhouse, Llanvihangel Crucorney

Blaengavenny Farmhouse, Llanvihangel Crucorney, Monmouthshire is a farmhouse of late medieval origins. It is a Grade II listed building. Its adjacent barn and granary have separate Grade II listings.

Persondy, Mamhilad

Persondy , Mamhilad, Monmouthshire is a former parsonage dating from the late 16th century. It is a Grade II* listed building. The adjacent barn, now a separate residence called Ysguborwen, has its own Grade II listing.

Church Farmhouse, Caldicot

Church Farmhouse, Caldicot, Monmouthshire is a substantial grange building which was a working farmhouse before 1205. It is connected to both Llanthony Prima in Monmouthshire and Llanthony Secunda in Gloucester. It was established as a grange farm for Llanthony Secunda Priory in the 12th century with the lands in Caldicot being given to the monastery in 1137. It is a Grade II* listed building. The adjacent barn has its own Grade II listing.

Lower Celliau, Llangattock Lingoed

Lower Celliau,, Llangattock Lingoed, Monmouthshire is a farmhouse dating from the 16th century. It is a Grade II* listed building. The adjacent barn and shelter, and cowhouse and stable have their own Grade II listings.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Cadw. "Penhow Castle (Grade II*) (3078)". National Historic Assets of Wales . Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  2. ↑ "Penhow Castle". www.castlewales.com. Castles of Wales. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  3. ↑ "Penhow Castle (The Gatehouse Record)". www.gatehouse-gazetteer.info. The Gatehouse Gazetteer. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  4. 1 2 Staff writer (16 April 2003). "Has Penhow Castle got American owners?". www.southwalesargus.co.uk. South Wales Argus.
  5. ↑ "Castle closes gates to visitors". BBC News. December 31, 2002. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  6. ↑ Newman 1995, p. 552.
  7. ↑ "Penhow Castle". www.castlexplorer.co.uk. Castles of England, Scotland & Wales. Archived from the original on 14 April 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  8. 1 2 Newman 2000, pp. 464–465.
  9. ↑ Cadw. "Barn to south-west of Penhow Castle (Grade II) (3056)". National Historic Assets of Wales . Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  10. ↑ Cadw. "L-shaped Byre Range to south-west of Penhow Castle (Grade II) (17079)". National Historic Assets of Wales . Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  11. ↑ Cadw. "Five bay Barn and attached Byre to far south-west of Penhow Castle (Grade II) (17080)". National Historic Assets of Wales . Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  12. ↑ Cadw. "L-shaped Byre Range to far south-west of Penhow Castle (Grade II) (17082)". National Historic Assets of Wales . Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  13. ↑ Cadw. "Stable Block to far south-west of Penhow Castle (Grade II) (17081)". National Historic Assets of Wales . Retrieved 22 March 2020.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.