Powis is a 700 year old Welsh border castle and our visit was as much to see the gardens and Clive museum as the castle itself. The medieval fortress is still visible but the castle has been remodelled and modernised several times during its history and the interior rooms are now furnished in Elizabethan style.
Visiting Powis Castle
As a National Trust property, a visit to Powis Castle now has plenty of facilities with a tea room in the inner ward, plenty of car parking, audio tours etc. The castle is well signposted and there are exhibitions indoors so it can be visited in bad weather too.
My Experience
Our visit to Powis Castle was whilst enjoying a long weekend in North Wales, detailed in my travel blog here. As well as other castles we also visited several gardens in gorgeous April sunshine. Powis was chosen for convenience really, a useful place to break up our drive and I wasn’t expecting much from it.
We ended up spending half a day in the castle and grounds and the Clive Museum was definitely worth a visit, both to read about the history but also see the exhibits. The gardens are superb and with the red castle as a backdrop are a gorgeously photogenic location.
The castle has had a long and active history and as such has been remodelled due to tastes and, living requirements changing as well as due to fire and war damage. The medieval design and structure is obviously visible but the interior is very different and the windows and crenellations are later additions.
Powis Castle Photo Gallery
As these photos are taken in the dim and distant past of 2010 they were not taken in RAW so these are pretty much unedited jpgs. I’d like to think my own skill in photography has moved on since then too so these may not be ideal pictures. Sorry!
History
Powis Castle was built by Gruffudd ap Gwenwynwyn as a means of asserting his independence from the powerful Princes of Gwynedd – a region centred on North West Wales (including Anglesey and Snowdonia) which had become the pre-eminent Welsh kingdom. Although the power of the Gwynedd Princes varied dependent upon the relative strengths of the English monarchs, by 1255 Llywelyn ap Gruffudd (the Last) had defeated his opponents and at the Treaty of Montgomery (1267) he was recognised as overlord of all Wales. Gwenwynwyn opposed him and in 1272 Llywelyn ap Gruffudd attacked and burnt Gwenwynwyn’s castle. It is not clear whether that was the fortification seen today at Powis or an earlier motte-and-bailey castle at Welshpool. Whichever was the case, Gwenwynwyn fled to exile in England. He remained there until Llywelyn came into conflict with Edward I and he then allied himself with the English King. In what became known as the First War of Welsh Independence (1276-77), Edward’s forces quickly overpowered the Welsh regime and took direct control of all land east of the River Conwy. In recognition of his support to the English cause, Powis was returned to Gwenwynwyn. He either built or repaired Powis Castle at this time.
Powis Castle, which is also known as Castell Coch (Red Castle), initially consisted of a square keep and a hall block with both probably enclosed by a curtain wall. This fortification played no part in the Second War of Welsh Independence (1282-83) and it passed to Gwenwynwyn’s heirs until the male line of the family failed in 1309. Thereafter it was passed through marriage to Sir John Charlton prompting an attack by one of Gwenwynwyn’s descendants, Gruffudd Fychan. This attempt to seize the castle failed but, to deter future attacks, the castle’s defences were enhanced by the addition of the twin drummed Gatehouse tower.
Powis Castle continued to serve as the primary residence of the Lords of Powis until 1421 when the male line of the family failed. Ownership of the castle and its associated estates was divided between two daughters and, through marriage, their husbands. With no single owner the castle was neglected. This changed in the 1530s when Sir Edward Grey, Lord Powis acquired sole ownership. He commenced a major rebuilding programme converting the castle into an impressive stately home.
Despite the extensive modifications in 1578, the Grey family leased the castle to Sir Edward Herbert, second son of the Earl of Pembroke and Anne Parr (sister of Henry VIII’s Sixth wife). He purchased it outright in 1587 and commenced his own upgrades. In 1629 the title Lord Powis was granted to his son and heir, William Herbert. He supported the Royalists during the Wars of Three Kingdoms and, whilst the castle saw no action during this period, he forfeited his estates and was imprisoned following the Parliamentary victory. He died in 1656 but his son, Percy Herbert, was allowed to inherit the estates the same year.
Following the restoration of the monarchy, the Percy family prospered. William Herbet, son of Percy, was created Earl of Powis in 1674 and he was further elevated to Marquis in 1687. The following year, when the King was deposed in the Glorious Revolution, William followed him into exile remaining there until his death in 1696. His son returned to reclaim his estates in 1703. The castle then remained in the hands of the Herberts until 1801 when the line failed and it passed to Edward Clive (son of Clive of India) on the condition he changed his surname to Herbert. His heirs retained control until 1952 when the castle was gifted to the National Trust.
References
The National Trust site with full visitor information is here.
The history above is copied from the castlesfortsbattles site here.