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Lydstep Palace is a ruinous medieval hall house. Believed to have been built in the late 14th century or 15th century, the building was constructed from limestone and built in two levels, the upper floor containing a hall and the lower floor consisting of several barrel vaulted rooms, likely cellars. The two floors were not connected internally, only by external stone stairs. Speculation as to the purpose of the house varies, some sources attribute the building as a court of the Manor of Manorbier and Penally, but it has also been referred to as a hunting lodge of the Bishop Gower of St. Davids.
The house was traditionally known as the Place of Arms, and it is speculated that this became mutated to the Palace of Arms, leading to its current name of the Palace. The building is also referred to as The Old Palace.
The Château de Foix dominates the town of Foix. An important tourist site, it is known as a centre of the Cathars. Built on an older 7th-century fortification, the castle is known from 987. In 1002, it was mentioned in the will of Roger I, Count of Carcassonne, who bequeathed the fortress to his youngest child, Bernard. In effect, the family ruling over the region were installed here which allowed them to control access to the upper Ariège valley and to keep surveillance from this strategic point over the lower land, protected behind impregnable walls.
In 1034, the castle became capital of the County of Foix and played a decisive role in medieval military history. During the two following centuries, the castle was home to Counts with shining personalities who became the soul of the Occitan resistance during the crusade against the Albigensians.