Longtown Castle — Attraction in Great Britain

One of the lesser-known gems on the St Thomas Way, Longtown village and castle lie amid the awe-inspiring landscape of the Black Mountains. The village of Longtown was founded as a Norman colony, in the Marcher Lordship of Ewyas.

Longtown Castle (also sometimes known as Ewyas Lacy Castle) was founded as a motte and bailey around 1175 by Hugh de Lacy. The impressive cylindrical keep was probably built in the 1220s by Walter de Lacy, in a phase of new works costing £37 – a large sum of money at that time. Unlike most Norman keeps, which were square, Longtown’s cylindrical keep was stronger and easier to defend.

The castle fell into decline in the fourteenth century, but was fortified once again by Henry IV during the Owain Glyndŵr uprising in 1403. In the Early Modern period, stone from the castle was re-used to make local buildings, and shops and houses were built in the bailey and leaning against the...

I'm not going to spoil the experience by posting photos. But I will tell you, It's amazing! I don't think I've ever seen a mott and badly with the keep do well preserved on an abandoned site. The whole site has been in use from the early roman period through to around the 15th century. To walk through the gateway, see the portcullis groove between the two towers and enter the inner Bailey and be dwarfed by the imposing height of the mott and keep the curtain wall of which over a third is still standing, separating the outer baily from the inner, the earth works originally roman then reinforced by Harold godwinson the last sacon King of England. So if you love history pay this place a visit, it's free to get in, but patking is an issue, probably only realistically room for half dozen cars outside, there is no car...

This castle is also known as Ewais Lacey Castle constructed by Walter de Lacey and what remains of the motte and bailey fortification that was built upon a much older Roman earthworks. There has been a castle here since the Norman invasion to keep the Welsh subjugated and sits in an advantageous spot over the River Monnow. There is a massive circular keep that is currently unavailable to access, blocked off with steel railings. What stands out while gazing out from where the Bailey would have stood is the magnificent views of the black mountains. Parking is limited and outside of the gate is private parking for the houses that back onto the castle. There are no toilets or anywhere to eat and drink within the immediate vicinity. It is worth a visit despite the inability to access the keep, but your visit will...