Penhow Castle, Penhow, Newport dates from the early 12th century. Extended and reconstructed in almost every century since, it has been claimed to be the oldest continuously-inhabited castle in Wales. The castle is a Grade II* listed building.
Penhow Castle | |
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Type | Castle |
Location | Penhow, Newport |
Coordinates | 51°36′49″N 2°50′01″W / 51.6137°N 2.8337°W |
Built | 12th century onwards |
Architectural style(s) | castellated |
Governing body | Privately owned |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
Official name | Penhow Castle |
Designated | 1 March 1963 |
Reference no. | 3078 |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
Official name | Barn to south-west of Penhow Castle |
Designated | 24 February 1976 |
Reference no. | 3056 |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
Official name | L-shaped Byre Range to south-west of Penhow Castle |
Designated | 24 February 1976 |
Reference no. | 17079 |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
Official name | Stable Block to far south-west of Penhow Castle |
Designated | 19 December 1995 |
Reference no. | 17081 |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
Official name | Five bay Barn and attached Byre to far south-west of Penhow Castle |
Designated | 19 December 1995 |
Reference no. | 17080 |
Location of Penhow Castle in Newport |
The manor of Penhow was held by Caradog ap Gruffydd, prince of Gwent at the time of the Norman invasion of Wales.[1] The estate was seized by the Seymour family (anciently de St. Maur) and by 1129, Sir Roger de St Maur had built a fortified manor at the site. The house was extended and further fortified in the 15th and 17th centuries.[1] In the 16th century the manor passed to the Somersets. In 1674, it was purchased by the Lewis family of St Pierre.[2] Viscount Rhondda, an industrialist and conservator of ancient buildings in Wales, bought the castle in 1914.[3] By the mid-20th century, the castle was in a state of some dilapidation, until bought and restored by the film director Stephen Weeks.[4] During his tenure the castle was open to the public, while also serving as Weeks’ residence. In 2002 it was sold and reverted to a private home.[5] Penhow is frequently claimed to be the oldest continuously inhabited castle in Wales.[a][7][4]
The architectural historian John Newman, in his Gwent/Monmouthshire Pevsner, describes Penhow as "small and [un]convincingly defensive".[8] It is constructed of local Old red sandstone rubble.[1] The oldest portion of the castle is the west tower, which dates from the time of the Seymours. The two-storeyed hall range is later, of the 14th-15th centuries.[8] Further large-scale remodelling took place in the 17th and 18th centuries, when the castle was refashioned as a comfortable country house. The Cadw listing records notes the "exceptionally fine Restoration period interiors”. The castle is listed Grade II*.[1]
Two ranges of ancillary buildings contain some important agricultural structures, each with their own listings; the grouping immediately to the south-west of the castle includes a barn[9] and a byre.[10] The grouping farther from the castle to the south includes another barn,[11] a further byre[12] and a stable block.[13]