Narberth Castle

Narberth, United Kingdom

Narberth Castle is a ruined Norman fortress in the town of Narberth. The current ruins are undoubtedly Norman and seem to date from the 13th century, having been built by Andrew Perrot. However the castle is mentioned in the third branch of the Mabinogi as the place where Rhiannon was imprisoned and forced to carry travellers through the gates as penance for killing her son. Although there is some controversy over the actual location of the castle in the Mabinogi (there are at least two other earthworks nearby that are contenders, but neither are in good defensive positions compared to the site of this one), the Normans often built castles on top of earlier defensive structures and it is plausible that the original was obliterated.

The castle never changed hands throughout the Glyndŵr Rising in 1400–1415 and was slighted after being taken by Oliver Cromwell in the English Civil War. Excavations have found more than 20 graves on the north side dating from the 12th century to the 13th, hinting that the area may have once been the site of a church.

In the early part of the 20th century, the annual town fair held a procession which ended in the castle, with dancing and music. In 2005, the castle was opened again to the public after being taken over by the council and made safe.

The castle has provided a good deal of building material for the surrounding houses and the remains are mostly single and double storey walls, with the barrel-vaulted kitchen cellars intact. No upper storey rooms are intact. There is an early engraving visible on an information board at Narberth railway station (and possible elsewhere in the town) which shows now-vanished tall chimneys of a Flemish style that can still be seen at the well-preserved Manorbier Castle.

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Details

Founded: 13th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in United Kingdom

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.2/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Simon (6 months ago)
You can’t access Narbeth Castle at the moment because there are boards saying it’s a dangerous building. However, I was able to take some photos with a long zoom lens through the barriers. It’s a shame as there are probably some interesting stories to tell here, but only one board remains at the moment. Narbeth itself is a smashing town with lots of interesting independent shops.
Pete / Hel (17 months ago)
Thought this was a great ruin, you can make a lot out of it, a few good stories of it, The castle never changed hands throughout the Glyndŵr Rising in 1400–1415 and was slighted after being taken by Oliver Cromwell in the English Civil War. Excavations have found more than 20 graves on the north side dating from the 12th century to the 13th, hinting that the area may have once been the site of a church. Plenty of information boards around. The entrance for it was difficult to find, as it is beside a house and they park their cars in front of the entrance (wooden gate) and have put road signs in front of it to block it and staked on top of each other, there is no council or cadw sign saying the site is closed.
Scott Harrison (2 years ago)
There is little left of the ruined Castell/Castle, what is there though is easy to imagine it still stood there as you look through the old windows down on view before you, imagining the armies marching toward you from atop the opposite hill and down through the woods. Reading the plaques that have been plotted about the site it's easy to see life in the old ruins, I only wish there were. Although the grass is well kept I can't help feeling that this place has/is being neglected and used a walk through for shoppers more than anything else. Come on people! I know it's not a huge Castell/Castle but it's still of cultural importance and has many stories to tell or imagine. What about a small skirmish reenactment or a hobby horse making day with facepainting etc?
JG Taylor (3 years ago)
Worth a visit if you are in Narberth but would not go out of my way otherwise. Could do with a sign to give u directions as we was looking how to get in even tho we could see the castle from the street. Lucky for us we ran into a local who directed us. Dog poo let this down loads had to watch where we were walking and its obviously a local place for dog owners .
Duncan Harvey (4 years ago)
Very interesting remains of a remarkably large castle tucked away at the far end of town. Grounds are reasonably well maintained in terms of grass and brambles, but there was quite a lot of litter.
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