Old Beaupre Castle

Cowbridge, United Kingdom

Although called Old Beaupre Castle the structure is seen as a fortified manor house. The original house was an L-shaped building, now located within the inner courtyard, built circa 1300 and from this period until the 18th century it was owned by the Basset family. During the 16th century intensive remodelling was undertaken, started by Sir Rice Mansel, continued by William Basset and completed by William's son, Richard. This additional work added the impressive outer gatehouse, completed in 1586 and a three-storeyed Renaissance porch, completed 1600, along with the buildings around the middle court. The buildings on the west side of the middle court, now roofless, provided luxurious living accommodation with large windows, handsome fireplaces, a fine stone stairway, and numerous privies connected to a drain along which water still flows.

After the 16th century alterations little work was carried out on Beaupre, and after the English Civil War the Basset family fortunes went into decline. At the beginning of the 18th century, the Basset inheritance eventually passed to the Jones family. The Jones family decided not to settle in Beaupre Castle and chose to use the smaller and more convenient mansion of New Beaupre. Beaupre was sold in 1709, and by that time it was in a state of disrepair with only part of it still habitable. Nevertheless, there is some evidence that it continued to be at least partly occupied as various fireplaces and windows were blocked up, presumably to reduce the taxes payable. The southeastern block continues to be occupied up to the present time as a farmhouse and has a separate listing on the historic buildings register.

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Address

Cowbridge, United Kingdom
See all sites in Cowbridge

Details

Founded: c. 1300
Category: Castles and fortifications in United Kingdom

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.3/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

TL Lee (3 months ago)
Saw 3 cars squeezed in the layby on St Athens Road (opposite the white gate of a property). The entrance is not hard to find, just follow the sign. Cross the low wall into the 1st field, follow the public path, then cross a wooden balustrade into the 2nd field, walk for about 4-6 min, you will pass through a metal gate into the 3rd field, another 4-6 min you will see the castle. Saw a few cows in the 2nd and 3rd fields, no trouble from any farmers.
Garf (5 months ago)
Followed the advice of others here and parked in the layby on St Athens Road, just opposite a white gate. Overshot it first time, had to double-back. Only room for 3 cars so just about squeezed in. The sign and sty are overgrown but once you're in the layby you can't miss it. Cut across two fields of cows, no trouble from any farmers or anything, and you're there. Nice little castle, good for an hour at most.
Tailan Marchetto (10 months ago)
It is stunning, it’s free and you can walk freely in there, the architecture and history is impressive, the view is breathtaking . You can take very nice pictures there, there are good informations about the place and safety signs everywhere. To get there you have to walk through a land full of sheep, they are cute.
Toni P (17 months ago)
Its a great little Castle to look around. Its free too but you have to walk across a couple of fields as the farmer doesnt allow you to drive past his farm even though signs show thats the way and theres even a car park there but you cant use it so its baffling tbh.
Rebecca Doherty (18 months ago)
Completely impossible to access finding the entrance was a nightmare could have walked up the road to make things easier but it’s somebody’s farm. It could make a extra path for people to visit the castle rather than walking through a soggy field full of cows running up to you do not recommend if you have children that love castles but cannot get into it !
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