| Upton Castle | |
|---|---|
| Cosheston, Pembrokeshire, Wales | |
 A view of Upton Castle in 1872, after enlargement and alterations | |
| Site history | |
| Built | 13th century |
| Built by | Malefant family |
| In use | Private |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
Upton Castle is a 13th-century castle or fortified manor house with an associated chapel, located near Cosheston, Pembrokeshire in Wales. Although in private ownership, the gardens are open to the public.
Upton Castle is believed to have been built in the 13th century and stands close to a creek of the River Cleddau on land held by the Earls of Pembroke. The original holders were the Norman Malefaunt family, in whose hands it remained until the 16th century when it passed to the Bowen family. In the late 18th century, the house and estate was sold to John Tasker, [1] although Nicholas Carlisle described the building in 1811 as "now in ruins". [2] Between 1828 and 1860 there were considerable alterations to the building, including the insertion of a new door and the construction of two large wings. In January 1883 there was a fire at the castle, attended by a fire crew from the 23rd Regiment, Royal Welsh Fusiliers. The owner at the time was Mr H. H. Vaughan. The damage was confined to timbers, walls and chimney-piece. [3] [4]
Management of the gardens, which had been substantially improved in the early 20th century, was taken over by the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and opened to the public in 1976. [1] However, the park authority later withdrew their funding and since the property changed hands in 2007, the new owners and a team of volunteers have restored and reopened the gardens. [5] In the summer of 2012, the castle was investigated by a team of archaeologists from the Channel 4 television series Time Team , which confirmed that the chapel pre-dated the castle. [6] [7]
Too small to be described as castle in the strict sense of the word, most sources refer to it as a "fortified mansion" although its towers are unusually strong in comparison with other examples. [8] The medieval portion of the exterior stands to the north east of the range, which is dominated by three early towers, separated by short sections of curtain wall and surmounted by a plain parapet on corbels. Surviving internal medieval features include two fireplaces, a spiral staircase and a vaulted ceiling. It is a Grade II listed building. [1]
Close to the castle is Upton Chapel dedicated to Saint Giles. Dated to the 12th or 13th century, it consists of a small nave and chancel. Amongst the various memorials in the chapel are the effigies of William Malefant (died in 1362) wearing chain mail and another of a female member of the Malefant family. The interior was restored in 1978 by the owner of the castle. It is a Grade I listed building. [9]
Castle Howard is a stately home in North Yorkshire, England, within the civil parish of Henderskelfe, located 15 miles (24 km) north of York. It is a private residence and has been the home of the Carlisle branch of the Howard family for more than 300 years. Castle Howard is not a fortified structure, but the term "castle" is sometimes used in the name of an English country house that was built on the site of a former castle.
Pembroke is a town in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is both a community and one of the larger towns in the county with a population of 7,552. The names of both the town and the county have a common origin; both are derived from the Cantref of Penfro: Pen, "head" or "end", and bro, "region", "country", "land", which has been interpreted to mean either "Land's End" or "headland".
Abbotsbury is a village and civil parish in the English county of Dorset. The settlement is in the unitary authority of Dorset about 1 mile (1.6 km) inland from the English Channel coast. The village, including Chesil Beach, the swannery and subtropical gardens, is owned by the Ilchester Estate, which owns 61 square kilometres of land in Dorset. In the 2011 census the civil parish had a population of 481.
Llantwit Major is a town and community in Wales on the Bristol Channel coast. It is one of four towns in the Vale of Glamorgan, with the third largest population after Barry and Penarth, and ahead of Cowbridge. It is 4+1⁄2 miles (7.2 km) from Cowbridge, 9 miles (14 km) from Bridgend, 10 miles (16 km) from Barry, and 15 miles (24 km) from Cardiff. It had a population of 9,486 in 2011.
Pembroke Dock is a town and a community in Pembrokeshire, South West Wales, 3 miles (4.8 km) northwest of Pembroke on the banks of the River Cleddau. Originally Paterchurch, a small fishing village, Pembroke Dock town expanded rapidly following the construction of the Royal Navy Dockyard in 1814. The Cleddau Bridge links Pembroke Dock with Neyland.
Lamphey is both a village, a parish and a community near the south coast of Pembrokeshire, Wales, approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) east of the historic town of Pembroke, and 2 miles (3.2 km) north of the seaside village of Freshwater East. The 2011 census reported a population of 843.
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Picton Castle is a medieval castle near Haverfordwest in the community of Uzmaston, Boulston and Slebech, Pembrokeshire, Wales. Originally built at the end of the 13th century by a Flemish knight, it later came into the hands of Sir John Wogan. The Castle and estate is now run by the Picton Castle Trust, a registered charity, and is no longer occupied by Wogan's descendants, the Philipps family. It is of unusual construction and has been remodelled several times during its history. It is a Grade I listed building.
Cresswell Castle is a castle half a mile north of the village of Cresswell Quay, Pembrokeshire, west Wales. It is situated on the banks of the River Cresswell in what is currently private land. The buildings were originally a 13th-century stone fortified manorial complex, founded by the Augustinian Priory of Haverfordwest.
Haverfordwest Castle is a castle located in the town centre at Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, south Wales, located in a naturally defensive position at the end of a strong, isolated ridge. The castle was established during Norman times in 1120 but much of the architecture remaining today is dated to 1290. For centuries the castle was an English stronghold. There are several other notable castles in area; Wiston Castle lies 6 miles (9.7 km) to the northeast and Pembroke Castle lies 12 miles (19 km) to the south.
Carew is a village, parish and community on an inlet of Milford Haven in the former Hundred of Narberth, Pembrokeshire, West Wales, 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Pembroke. The eastern part of the parish is in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.
The Cantref of Penfro was one of the seven cantrefi of the Kingdom of Dyfed. It subsequently became part of Deheubarth in around 950. It consisted of the long peninsular part of Dyfed south of the Eastern Cleddau and the Daugleddau estuary, and bordered on its landward side by Cantref Gwarthaf. The name, meaning "land's end", derives from Pen and "fro". Its area was approximately 140 square miles (360 km2).
Cosheston is a village, parish and community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is situated on an inlet of the Daugleddau estuary, 3 km north-east of Pembroke. The parish includes the settlement of Bateman's Hill. The northern part of the community is in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. Together with Upton and Nash, it constitutes the community of Cosheston, which had a population of 713 in 2001, increasing to 828 at the 2011 Census.
Llanrhian is a small village, community and parish in Pembrokeshire in west Wales, near the coast, south of Porthgain village.
Anthony Keck (1726–1797) was an 18th-century English architect with an extensive practice in Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire and South Wales.
The Pele Tower in Angle, Pembrokeshire, in southwest Wales is a Grade I-listed stone fortified tower dating back to the 14th century and is the only remaining example of a pele tower in Wales.
Upton Chapel, close by Upton Castle, near Cosheston, Pembrokeshire, is dedicated to Saint Giles and is a Grade I listed building. Dating from the 12th or 13th century, it consists of a small nave and chancel. Amongst the memorials in the chapel are the effigies of William Malefant wearing chain mail and another of a female member of the Malefant family. There are several memorials to local families. There is a small piscina and a Jacobean pulpit. The masonry walls are from local rubble stone. The roofs are slated with tile ridges and there is a bellcote at the west end. The interior was restored in 1978 by the owner of the castle.
Upton, Pembrokeshire is a small, rural parish in Pembrokeshire, Wales, in which Upton Castle and Upton Chapel are significant buildings dating back to Norman times.
Llandough Castle is a 14th-century tower house located in the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales. Initially constructed as a fortified residential manor, the property is well preserved and has undergone many structural additions. It is currently a private residence, though the surrounding castle gardens, renovated and opened in 2018, are a notable public attraction. Llandough Castle was assigned Grade II* listed building status in 1981.
John Tasker (1742–1800) was a Welsh sea captain and shipowner who became the East India Company's Master Attendant at Bombay and purchased the Upton Castle estate in his native Pembrokeshire where he was High Sheriff in 1798.