, map_type = Wales Vale of Glamorgan , map_caption = Location within the

Vale of Glamorgan The Vale of Glamorgan ( cy, Bro Morgannwg ), often referred to as The Vale, is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. It borders Bridgend County Borough to the west, Cardiff to the east, Rhondda Cynon Taf to the north, and the Bristol ...

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Fonmon Fonmon ( cy, Ffwl-y-mwn) is a hamlet in the Vale of Glamorgan in south Wales. It lies just off the B4265 road to the northwest of Font-y-Gary and Rhoose on the western side of Cardiff Airport. The hamlet is best known for its central duck pond an ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

, type = Historic house museum , collection = , owner = Private , website
Fonmon Castle
Fonmon Castle ( cy, Castell Ffwl-y-mwn) is a fortified medieval castle near the village of

in the

and a Grade I listed building. With its origins rooted in the 12th century it is today seen as a great architectural rarity, as it is one of few buildings that was drastically remodelled in the 18th century, but not Gothicized. The castle is believed to have remained under the ownership of just two families throughout its history; from Norman times, it was owned by the St Johns, and from 1656, by the descendants of Colonel Philip Jones.

History

The origins of Fonmon Castle are poorly documented and most of its early history has been discovered through studying its architecture. A popular myth exists that the castle was built by Oliver St John of Fonmon, one of the Twelve Knights of Glamorgan who effected the Norman conquest of Glamorgan. It has since been shown that this was a legendary tale given credence by a "historic" recount in the 1560s by Sir Edward Stradling. There is speculation that a defensive fortification made of timber was built on the site of Fonmon Castle soon after the

Norman invasion of Wales The Norman invasion of Wales began shortly after the Norman conquest of England under William the Conqueror, who believed England to be his birthright. Initially (1067–1081), the invasion of Wales was not undertaken with the fervour and purpose ...

, with stonework added around 1200. The thick walls to the left of the entrance is easily identifiable as 12th century in design, and shows the existence of a rectangular keep. This keep was relatively small in size, approximately 8m x 13m. In the 13th century a curtain wall was added to the east side of the keep leading towards a steep scarp. This was followed by a much larger L-shaped build to the south with a south-east tower added at the angle. The east wall along the ravine edge has the castle's thickest walls, which is a curiosity as this would have been the most difficult side to attack. It is therefore believed that some other defensive structure may have existed to protect the more vulnerable south and west approaches. These early constructions are thought to have been undertaken by the St. John family (see Viscounts Bolingbroke), who were associated with the castle during the Middle Ages and continued as owners until 1656. It was not until the 16th century that the next major addition was made, a short north wing built over a barrel-vaulted semi-basement. The castle survived being damaged during the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

, with the St. John family supporting the Parliamentarians, but shortly thereafter, they fell into financial difficulties and the castle was sold to Colonel Philip Jones. It is believed that Jones then improved the rooms on the east range, and added a double-depth wing to the north side. Upon Jones' death, the castle was passed down to his son, Oliver, who owned the castle from 1678 to 1685. It was Oliver's great-grandson, Robert Jones III, who was to make the next major redevelopment to the castle. He married Jane Seys, heiress to the Seys of

Boverton Boverton ( cy, Trebefered) is a village located to the east of Llantwit Major in the Vale of Glamorgan in South Wales. History Boverton was founded during the reign of William the Conqueror in England. It is thought that he himself founded Bov ...

, and in 1762, they began improvements, employing Thomas Paty of Bristol. The firm added render, and made additions the battlements to give it more of an appearance of a castle. The estate went into a period of decline in the 19th century, and little work was done to the castle except for the addition of the entrance porch, and the extension to the south wing in the period between 1840 and 1878. The castle passed by marriage to Sir Seymour Boothby of the

Boothby baronets There have been two baronetcies created for persons with the surname Boothby, both in the Baronetage of England. One creation is extant as of 2022. The Boothby Baronetcy, of Broadlow Ash in the County of Derby, was created in the Baronetage of ...

in 1917. In 2019, the castle, and some 350 acres of the surviving estate, was acquired by Nigel Ford. Amongst several other initiatives, a forward-thinking and extensive 'wilding' project has commenced in an effort to improve the biodiversity of the area. In 2020, after the sale of the castle to a local businessman, new visitor facilities were added to the grounds, including a history-themed attraction called "Step Through Time", managed by Welsh actor

Ross O'Hennessy Ross O'Hennessy (born 1974) is a Welsh actor. He is best known for his role of Lord of Bones in ''Game of Thrones''. He played roles in ''Hollyoaks Later'', '' Da Vinci's Demons'', The Musketeers, and playing the blood thirsty role of Sir Lo ...

. In addition, there is a dinosaur park and a re-wilding project.

Architecture

Exterior

Fonmon Castle is situated in extensive gardens and is constructed of local sourced stone, primarily

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

and

blue lias The Blue Lias is a geological formation in southern, eastern and western England and parts of South Wales, part of the Lias Group. The Blue Lias consists of a sequence of limestone and shale layers, laid down in latest Triassic and early Jurassi ...

rubble. There is one arched internal doorway which appears to be Sutton stone; but are covered in grey render which disguises much of the stonework. The roofs are of mixed slates with lead gutters and dressings. Fonmon Castle - Watchtower

The main building is of two and three storeys and castellated almost throughout. Apart from the south east corner tower, which is slightly higher, the walls are largely uniform in height. In the grounds, to the south west of the house, there is an 18th-century stable which incorporates a late medieval barn. The south and east walls of the stable are

castellated 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 ...

to impress those approaching from the south. The stable has a fine polygonal stone chimney, which is a rare surviving medieval find, taken from East Orchard Farm,

St Athan St Athan ( cy, Sain Tathan) is a village and community (Wales), community in the Vale of Glamorgan in South Wales. The village and its parish church are dedicated to Saint Tathan. The church dates to the 13th–14th century, though an earlier ch ...

. The Joneses acquired East Orchard Farm in 1756, but abandoned the building after stripping it of its dressed stonework. Further south is a battlemented

watch tower A watchtower or watch tower is a type of fortification used in many parts of the world. It differs from a regular tower in that its primary use is military and from a turret in that it is usually a freestanding structure. Its main purpose is t ...

of either 17th or 18th century design, thought to have been modelled on the one found at St Donats. It is believed the watch tower was constructed in two builds, and may have been founded on original ruined medieval stonework. Although it appears to be of 16th century design, it does not appear on the estate plan of 1622, but does appear on the plans of 1770 giving a wide window for its construction date. Due to its time scale and features, it is assumed to have been constructed during the medievalizing improvements carried out by Robert Jones III. It is constructed of local roughly coursed limestone rubble, which has been lime-plastered. It was given

Grade II* 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 Ir ...

status in 1952, with the reason given "an interesting example of a C16 and late C18 look-out tower and for its group value within the gardens of Fonmon Castle".

Interior

Notable features include the combined grand

drawing room A drawing room is a room in a house where visitors may be entertained, and an alternative name for a living room. The name is derived from the 16th-century terms withdrawing room and withdrawing chamber, which remained in use through the 17th cent ...

and library, designed by Thomas Stocking. Described by Newman as the "glory of Fonmon", the library, running east to west is lit by two

Venetian window A Venetian window (also known as a Serlian window) is a large tripartite window which is a key element in Palladian architecture. Although Sebastiano Serlio (1475–1554) did not invent it, the window features largely in the work of the Italian ar ...

s, a stone one to the west wall and a sashed timber oriel window to the east. The room is divided into three sections, the largest central, with square end bays with segmental arches. There are trophies of the chase in the

spandrel A spandrel is a roughly triangular space, usually found in pairs, between the top of an arch and a rectangular frame; between the tops of two adjacent arches or one of the four spaces between a circle within a square. They are frequently fill ...

s of the arches and

arabesque The arabesque is a form of artistic decoration consisting of "surface decorations based on rhythmic linear patterns of scrolling and interlacing foliage, tendrils" or plain lines, often combined with other elements. Another definition is "Foli ...

s and wreaths adorn the flat of the ceiling with an Apollo head in a sunburst at its centre.

References

;Bibliography *

External links