Skenfrithis a small, free to visit, ruined Norman riverside castle on the Welsh borders that formed part of the Three Castles lordship before being abandoned.
Visiting Skenfrith Castle
Skenfrith is relatively easy to visit and is signposted. The parking outside the castle is on a steep grassy incline, probably the original moat, and I wouldn’t recommend it on a wet day! There are no facilities at the castle but when we visited the village hall were doing excellent refreshments. St Bridgits church next door is worth a look too.
My Experience
Next stop was after Grosmont Castle was Skenfrith and we most ignored the sat nav’s earnest entreaties to take ‘short cuts’ and stuck to the main (B!) roads. Skenfrith was actually signposted although the parking was on a steep grass bank that I wouldn’t fancy using in the wet. We all needed some refreshments so walked down to the village hall where the dogs had some water and we had bacon sandwiches and Alice had a whole tub of a chocolate ice cream. The joys of being indulgent grandparents!
Next to the village hall was St Bridgets church, sadly locked up but apparently dating from the reign of bad King John. The castle was a squarish curtain wall with a large round keep in the middle. The information boards were great for putting the building in context and the Watergate gave an idea of the original river location. Alice and I watched people swimming in the river for a while (in disbelief in my case!) and then continued our wandering where she spotted a snake, with better eyesight than Deb or I!
After walking down to the river again, twice so Alice could count the steps each time, we walked back to the car and drove home. A lovely half day and Alice and the dogs were both able to sleep in the car, lucky things!
Skenfrith Castle Photo Gallery
History
As with Grosmont and White castles, the land on which Skenfrith stands was granted by William I (the Conqueror) to one of his principal supporters, William FitzOsbern Earl of Hereford, shortly after the Norman invasion. In 1075, following William’s death, his heir rebelled against the King and his lands were confiscated. The original builder of Skenfrith Castle is therefore uncertain – it was either William FitzOsbern or William I. Regardless the fortification would have been an earth and timber motte-and-bailey structure.
Having violently imposed themselves on the local Welsh populace in the place of the traditional Welsh princes, Skenfrith provided an anchor for continued Norman expansion into Wales. As subsequent Welsh rebellions occurred the castle was prepared for defence including being rebuilt in stone. Sizeable storage facilities were installed as a precaution against prolonged siege.
Following Edward I’s invasions and conquest of Wales, the requirement for further upgrades at Skenfrith ceased and no further additions were made until 1405. This year saw another Welsh rebellion and Skenfrith was prepared for defence once again. The rebellion was defeated and by the sixteenth century the castle was in a ruinous condition.
References
There is a detailed write up of the castle on Wikipedia here.
Brief visitor information is on the CADW site here.
The summarised history above is copied from castles forts battles site here.