Pencoed Castle is a ruined Tudor

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word '' manse'' originally defined a property l ...

, largely dating from the 16th century, in the parish of

Llanmartin Llanmartin ( cy, Llanfarthyn) is a village and parish in the city of Newport, Wales. The community The parish contains several communities and is centred on the parish church, which is dedicated to St. Martin, and which gives the name ''"Lla ...

, now within the city of Newport,

south Wales South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...

. It is located about east of Llanmartin village, and south-east of

Llandevaud Llandevaud is a small hamlet in east Newport, Wales with a church about a half mile from the village centre, going down towards The Foresters Oaks, a restaurant and public house, previously named the Rising Sun. Near the church was a primary scho ...

, at the end of a farm lane. Some outbuildings, which may be habitable, exist on the grounds. The property was sold in September 2020 but specifics were not provided as to the new owner or the plans for the property. In the meantime, it remained in ruins, not open to the public.

History

The

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

name ''Pen-coed'' means "end of the wood", and refers to the site's location at the southwestern extremity of the

Wentwood Wentwood ( cy, Coed Gwent), in Monmouthshire, South Wales, is a forested area of hills, rising to above sea level. It is located to the northeast of, and partly within the boundaries of, the city of Newport. Geology Wentwood is underlain b ...

forest. It was the site of a

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

castle, the property of Sir

Richard de la More Richard de la More was a medieval clergyman who was Bishop-elect of Winchester from 1280 to 1282. Life Richard was subdean of the diocese of Lincoln as well as Archdeacon of Winchester from before 11 September 1280.

in 1270. The tower at the south-west corner of the extant ruins dates from the late 13th century. The manor of Llanmartin was owned by the Kemeys family around 1300, but it is not clear whether Pencoed was a separate manor at that time. Mansion of Pencoed (3375011)

By about 1470, the estate was in the hands of the Morgan family of

Tredegar Tredegar (pronounced , ) is a town and community situated on the banks of the Sirhowy River in the county borough of Blaenau Gwent, in the southeast of Wales. Within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire, it became an early centre of the In ...

. It seems to have been owned by Morgan ap Jenkin Philip, and then his son, Sir Thomas Morgan (c.1453–1510), who is thought likely to have fought at the

battle of Bosworth The Battle of Bosworth or Bosworth Field was the last significant battle of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between the houses of Lancaster and York that extended across England in the latter half of the 15th century. Fought on 22 Augu ...

in 1485 and who was probably the first of his family to settle at Pencoed. He was followed by his son Sir William Morgan (c.1480–1542), and in turn his son Sir Thomas Morgan (c.1513–1565). After the end of the

Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), known at the time and for more than a century after as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the English throne in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. These wars were fought bet ...

, the more peaceful nature of society allowed such houses to be built. According to the architectural writer John Newman, it is likely that parts of the remaining building were built by the first Sir Thomas before 1510, and the main range and

gatehouse A gatehouse is a type of fortified gateway, an entry control point building, enclosing or accompanying a gateway for a town, religious house, castle, manor house, or other fortification building of importance. Gatehouses are typically the mos ...

by his grandson (also Sir Thomas) between 1542 and 1565. In about 1545, John Leland mentioned Pencoed as the home of Sir Thomas Morgan, and described it as "a fair maner place". Around 1584, the estate became the property of Sir Walter Montagu, the husband of Thomas Morgan's grand-daughter Anne; Montagu was also responsible for founding

almshouse An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) was charitable housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the medieval era. They were often targeted at the poor of a locality, at those from certain ...

s at

Chepstow Chepstow ( cy, Cas-gwent) is a town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales, adjoining the border with Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the tidal River Wye, about above its confluence with the River Severn, and adjoining the western ...

. In 1701, Montagu's descendants sold Pencoed to John Jeffreys, MP. His son in turn sold it in 1749 to

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

Thomas Mathews Thomas Mathews (October 16762 October 1751) was a British officer of the Royal Navy, who rose to the rank of admiral. Mathews joined the navy in 1690 and saw service on a number of ships, including during the Nine Years' War and the War of the ...

Llandaff Llandaff (; cy, Llandaf ; from 'church' and '' Taf'') is a district, community and coterminous electoral ward in the north of Cardiff, capital of Wales. It was incorporated into the city in 1922. It is the seat of the Bishop of Llandaff, whose ...

, also an MP. In later years the property was owned successively by Sir Mark Wood, Sir Robert Salusbury, and Thomas Perry, but became increasingly dilapidated and ruined, and was let out to farmers.

20th and 21st century

It was sold in 1914 to David Alfred Thomas, later Lord Rhondda. Thomas intended to restore the house, and began work on the main central building, but it was incomplete at the time of his death in 1918. His widow then commissioned Chepstow architect Eric Francis to build a new house adjoining the ruins, in 1922; she sold it a few years later and it is now a farmhouse. In the mid-1950s, the ruins were used for filming an episode of the popular British TV series, ''

The Adventures of Robin Hood ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' is a 1938 American Technicolor swashbuckler film from Warner Bros. Pictures. It was produced by Hal B. Wallis and Henry Blanke, directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley, and stars Errol Flynn, Olivia de H ...

''. A bungalow was built nearby in the 1960s, but the castle remains themselves have become increasingly ruinous and derelict. In 1953, at the time of the historic listing, the castle was described as consisting of "a large three storied Tudor manorhouse constructed of dressed stone and re-faced in ashlar to the front (W) elevation, with battlemented parapet". The summary spoke of some old restorations probably from the early 1900s: The castle has been much restored, being refaced, reroofed and refenestrated using Tudor style chamfered mullion windows ... The side and rear walls are mainly unrestored, although some replacement windows are evident". A 2011 Royal Commission report stated that "restoration work stopped at the outbreak of war, and was resumed by Lady Rhondda and her daughter in 1919 ... However, work was again abandoned, and in 1931 the Rhonddas sold the castle, since when it has been neglected". Another report stated that the property "was sold a few years later and became used as a farmhouse". Plans to use the site as part of a

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

and hotel complex were first mooted in 1989. Toby Mason, ''Legend Court land is put up for sale'', Western Mail, 17 October 2001
Retrieved 16 September 2013 In 1998, further proposals came forward to build a large

theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

, billed as the largest in Europe, around the ruins of Pencoed. The promoters of the scheme, which would have been known as Legend Court, withdrew the proposal after it failed to receive

planning permission Planning permission or developmental approval refers to the approval needed for construction or expansion (including significant renovation), and sometimes for demolition, in some jurisdictions. It is usually given in the form of a building perm ...

in 2000. The site was put up for sale in 2001, and bought by farmer turned

property developer Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of developed land or parcels to others. R ...

Peter Morgan. In July 2007, planning permission was granted to Morspan Holdings to convert the castle "into offices, and to build 12 houses in the grounds", with certain conditions. For example, none of the additional work was to begin until the castle had been restored. A report at the time stated that in recent years, the castle had been used "as a chicken shed and a shelter for cattle and sheep". Reports in subsequent years indicated that the castle had not been restored. In 2016 Georgina Symonds, a

call girl A call girl or female escort is a sex worker who (unlike a street walker) does not display her profession to the general public, nor does she usually work in an institution like a brothel, although she may be employed by an escort agency.< ...

whom Peter Morgan retained for £10,000 a month and allowed to live rent-free in a £300,000 bungalow on the grounds of Pencoed Caste, was killed at the Bungalow by Morgan when she attempted to

blackmail Blackmail is an act of coercion using the threat of revealing or publicizing either substantially true or false information about a person or people unless certain demands are met. It is often damaging information, and it may be revealed to fa ...

him by threatening to show compromising photos of him to his family. He confessed to killing Symonds, but mounted a

diminished capacity In criminal law, diminished responsibility (or diminished capacity) is a potential defense by excuse by which defendants argue that although they broke the law, they should not be held fully criminally liable for doing so, as their mental f ...

defence due to his having

Asperger syndrome Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger's, is a former neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in Interpersonal relationship, social interaction and nonverbal communication, along with restricted and re ...

. He was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. In September 2020, the castle, with its 9.39 hectares (23.21 acres) of land and outbuildings, was again to be sold, by auction.Gwent, WALES. Grade II Listed Pencoed Castle for Sale
/ref> The sale was completed for £1,100,000. The auction listing said that planning permission had already been obtained for restoration of the castle and for conversion of the outbuildings to offices and dwellings.

Buildings

According to Newman, "the large and imposing Tudor mansion languishes as an unconsolidated ruin in a farmyard. To come upon it at the end of an inconsequential lane is quite a shock." The tower is the earliest part of the building; it is built of

Old Red Sandstone The Old Red Sandstone is an assemblage of rocks in the North Atlantic region largely of Devonian age. It extends in the east across Great Britain, Ireland and Norway, and in the west along the northeastern seaboard of North America. It also exte ...

and is largely intact. The gatehouse is entirely of Tudor origin, and "on a much grander scale". It is rectangular in plan, of three storeys, with square

turret Turret may refer to: * Turret (architecture), a small tower that projects above the wall of a building * Gun turret, a mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon * Objective turret, an indexable holder of multiple lenses in an optical microscope * Mi ...

s. The main range is largely intact, rising to three storeys and constructed of

ashlar Ashlar () is finely dressed (cut, worked) stone, either an individual stone that has been worked until squared, or a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, generally rectangular cuboid, mentioned by Vitruv ...

stone, similar to that of

Raglan Castle Raglan Castle ( cy, Castell Rhaglan) is a late medieval castle located just north of the village of Raglan in the county of Monmouthshire in south east Wales. The modern castle dates from between the 15th and early 17th centuries, when the succ ...

, built around the same time. It has a

battlement A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at interva ...

parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/breast'). Whe ...

. The great hall has a central three-storey porch, with a two storey range on the south side and a three-storey building on the north side. There is also a three-storey northern

parlour A parlour (or parlor) is a reception room or public space. In medieval Christian Europe, the "outer parlour" was the room where the monks or nuns conducted business with those outside the monastery and the "inner parlour" was used for necessar ...

wing, which originally housed kitchens, and the remains of a south wing. The interior of the building was reported as entirely ruined, apart from the rooms rebuilt for Lord Rhondda, and largely unsurveyed. Close to the house are the ruins of a 16th-century

dovecote A dovecote or dovecot , doocot ( Scots) or columbarium is a structure intended to house pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be free-standing structures in a variety of shapes, or built into the end of a house or barn. They generally contain pige ...

. There is also a continuous range of stone-built barns, probably of the 16th and 17th centuries. A 2011 site survey provided these specifics as to the condition at that time: "courtyard castle, now derelict and abandoned. Parts are completely ruined, other parts have been partially restored, chiefly the range on the east side of the courtyard ... The main residential block was along the eastern side of the courtyard. This stands largely intact and partially restored. Close to the north side of the castle stands a twentieth century house..." The description before sale in 2020 suggested that some restoration had been completed on the property. The former farm house contained three residential flats while a detached bungalow contained another flat. Pencoed Castle was given Grade II* listed building status on 3 March 1952. The ruins are not open to the public. The castle grounds, which contain evidence of a Tudor terraced garden, are listed at Grade II on the on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Pencoed at Castles of Wales

Pencoed Castle
Castles in Newport, Wales Grade II* listed buildings in Newport, Wales Castle ruins in Wales Grade II* listed castles in Wales Registered historic parks and gardens in Newport