Amroth Castle is a Grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire ( ; cy, Sir Benfro ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and the rest by sea. The count ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. It is a castellated country house dating mainly from the 18th century built on an earlier, probably 15th century, residence, and is now a holiday venue.

Situation

The building stands on the north side of an unclassified coast road east of the village of Amroth and northeast of

Tenby Tenby ( cy, Dinbych-y-pysgod, lit=fortlet of the fish) is both a walled seaside town in Pembrokeshire, Wales, on the western side of Carmarthen Bay, and a local government community. Notable features include of sandy beaches and the Pembroke ...

. It is surrounded by a high wall with an entrance archway at the south-western corner. The present building is a 19th-century country house built in the style of a mock castle which possibly replaced a small stone castle dating from the 12th century. The gatehouse is much restored. The ruinous remains of the house are a Grade I listed building.

History

The building now known as Amroth Castle was a feudal residence in the early medieval period and was noted by Fenton (in 1810) as being in the hands of John Elliott of Eareweare (the local name for the estate) in 1690 who paid tax on five hearths. It was acquired by the Elliott family in the 14th century. There was an earlier castle half a mile to the north of which little remains. There was extensive rebuilding in the early 18th century but some earlier, probably 15th century, elements remain. Colonel Ackland acquired the property in 1790 and made a number of alterations and additions. After passing through several hands, including the families of Biddulph and Bevan, the property was used by Dr John Howard Norton from 1851 to 1856 as a private lunatic asylum. It was in the hands of the Fussell family in 1861 and later owned and occupied by Owen Colby Philipps, the shipping magnate who bought the

White Star Line The White Star Line was a British shipping company. Founded out of the remains of a defunct packet company, it gradually rose up to become one of the most prominent shipping lines in the world, providing passenger and cargo services between t ...

and was created

Baron Kylsant Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knigh ...

of Carmarthen and Amroth in 1923. He lived there from 1904 to 1923. The property passed to his daughter Nesta, who had married George Coventry, grandson of the 9th Earl of Coventry. They moved out in 1930 when George inherited the Coventry title and estates and the building became a farmhouse. Amroth Castle was requisitioned during the Second World War. Since 1959, when it was purchased by David F. Morgan, it has been used as holiday accommodation, with a caravan park in the grounds.

Designation

The building was Grade I listed in 1951.

References

{{Authority control Grade I listed buildings in Pembrokeshire

Castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...