St Quentin’s Castle — Attraction in Cowbridge with Llanblethian

St Quintins Castle is located in the village of Llanblethian, Cowbridge, Wales. It is a scheduled monument and a Grade II* listed building and is under the care of Cadw. The site was first occupied with a defensive structure in about 1102 and the gatehouse and further building work took place around 1312. It was later used as a prison and was reported as being in a ruinous state by 1741.

Around 1102 Robert Fitzhamon, the first Norman Lord of Glamorgan bequeathed the lands of Llanblethian as a lordship to Herbert de St Quentin who is thought to have built the first fortification at the site of the castle. This initial construct was believed to have been a simple ringwork defence with timber walls, a bank and ditch. A rectangular stone keep was built in the late 12th century, whose remains can now be found within the later gatehouse. This keep may have replaced a similar wooden structure.

The lordship remained with the St Quentin family until 1233 when the land was seized by Richard Siward, but he then lost it to Earl Richard de Clare in 1245. Richard de Clare seized large areas of this part of Glamorganshire, from Cowbridge to Llantrisant, but it was his grandson, Earl Gilbert de Clare, who began to build the stone structure of St Quintins Castle which stands today. This was thought to have been roughly after 1307, but Gilbert de Clare was killed in the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 before the castle was completed. Modern historians believe that the lack of inner courtyard buildings and the weakness of the curtain wall points to the hypothesis that the castle was never fully completed.

The castle itself is a rectangular stone walled enclosure, roughly 64 metres East to West. The walls are roughly 120 centimetres in thickness. It is set on a spur above steep slopes on all sides apart from the East side. The weak East side of the fortification is protected by a twin-tower gatehouse and a further two towers East entrance facade. The best defensive side is the southern side which falls away sharply to the River Thaw. It was reported as being ruinous by...

If you like visiting old ruins of Castles then this place is perfect...just out side the town of Cowbridge it is in a beautiful setting over looking stunning countryside. You can walk around the grounds and go in through the entrance gate house and have a real feel for the place. Cells on either side of entrance, on the right hand side one houses a skeleton, gives a real effect. The stone stairs leading up to a bridge joining the two parts of the castle together to view from. You have to come down the way you went up. There is a hand rail but the steps go around the wall and get quite narrow, so if you are not nimble on your feet do be careful if you go up you have to come back down. There are lots of walking paths that lead down through the fields to the River Thaw in the lower part and makes a very nice walking area. I spent an enjoyable hour looking around the grounds and the...

Ruined remains of a 14th-century castle Probably built by English nobleman and military commander Gilbert de Clare in the early 14th century. Still visible twin-towered gatehouse and high stretch of curtain wall on the north of the site. In the centre of what was once a large fortress is an earthen mound with the remains of a thick-walled building on top of it, which may be all that’s left of an earlier keep. Generally not much to explore but keep in good condition so nice to spent a time wandering around.

Free to access. Gates open 7days a...