Haverfordwest Castle - CADW - Pembrokeshire - Wales, Great Britain.
N 51° 48.152 W 004° 58.175
30U E 364199 N 5740910
Haverfordwest was first mentioned in 1188. In the 13th century it withstood an attack by Llywelyn the Great. It was also strong enough to repulse an attack in 1405 during Owain Glyndwr's war of Welsh independence. Cadw Building ID: 12031
Waymark Code: WMGHA7
Location: South Wales, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 03/07/2013
Views: 3
Haverfordwest Castle was probably a strong stone castle by 1220, it
towers above the market town of Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, South Wales.
"The Castle stands on a superb, naturally defensive position at the end of a strong, isolated ridge with a sheer cliff on the east. It was an English foundation, first established by Gilbert de Clare, earl of Pembroke in the mid-12th century, and remained an English stronghold throughout its history. It is first mentioned by Giraldus Cambrensis as one of the places he visited in 1188 with Archbishop Baldwin. Of that castle, which must have been of earth and timber, little now survives, except, perhaps for the footings of a large square keep in the north-east corner of the inner ward.
The present form of the castle, divided into two wards, probably reflects that of the original 12th-century castle. The plan is a little difficult to make out as the museum lies in the center of the outer ward, while the former prison governor's house lies on the site of the inner ward gatehouse. The medieval castle was converted to a prison in the 18th century, but the buildings of the inner ward and outer defences can still be appreciated." Source: (
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"Haverfordwest Castle was founded by Takard (or Tankred), a Fleming, in around 1110. Nothing of this period survives, the present remains being largely the result of a major development in the late thirteenth century. The castle was converted into a prison during the nineteenth century. Some of the prison buildings (see Nprn32071) have been removed, apart from those that house the county archives and town museum." Text Source: (
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Grade: I
Date Listed: 10 December 1951
Cadw Building ID: 12031
Text Source: (
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