Swansea Castle
Swansea Castle occupies a strategic position above the River Tawe and the former harbour. What survives today is only a fraction of a once-complex Norman and later medieval fortress, but the remaining stonework still dominates its corner of the modern city centre. The first castle on the site was a timber-and-earth Norman stronghold founded in 1106 by Henry de Beaumont, Earl of Warwick, to secure Gower and control access to the sea. It was repeatedly attacked, burned and rebuilt during the 12th and early 13th centuries as control of Swansea swung between Norman lords and Welsh princes. Evidence suggests a major Welsh assault took place in 1116, and the outer bailey defences were overrun several times during the period of intense border warfare. A major rebuilding in stone began in the early 13th century. Most of the standing remains are from this period, including the distinctive arcaded parapets and the impressive hall range overlooking the river. The castle expanded into a two-courtyard structure, with an inner ward containing residential buildings and an outer ward facing the town. By the Tudor period the military value of the castle had declined. After the English Civil War it served more bureaucratic than defensive functions, becoming a prison, a debtors’ court and later incorporated into commercial premises. Nineteenth-century urban development cut into the surviving walls, leaving the ruins isolated within the growing town. The present remains, consolidated in the 20th century, consist mainly of the great hall block and the arcaded upper walkway. Although much of the outer ward has vanished beneath modern streets and buildings, the surviving fabric still conveys the power and prestige of the Marcher lords who ruled Gower. Alternate names: Swansea Castle, Castell Abertawe. Swansea Castle Swansea Castle occupies a strategic position above the River Tawe and the former harbour. What survives today is only a fraction of a once-complex Norman and later medieval fortress, but the remaining stonework still dominates its corner of the modern city centre. The first castle on the site was a timber-and-earth Norman stronghold founded in 1106 by Henry de Beaumont, Earl of Warwick, to secure Gower and control access to the sea. It was repeatedly attacked, burned and rebuilt during the 12th and early 13th centuries as control of Swansea swung between Norman lords and Welsh princes. Evidence suggests a major Welsh assault took place in 1116, and the outer bailey defences were overrun several times during the period of intense border warfare. A major rebuilding in stone began in the early 13th century. Most of the standing remains are from this period, including the distinctive arcaded parapets and the impressive hall range overlooking the river. The castle expanded into a two-courtyard structure, with an inner ward containing residential buildings and an outer ward facing the town. By the Tudor period the military value of the castle had declined. After the English Civil War it served more bureaucratic than defensive functions, becoming a prison, a debtors’ court and later incorporated into commercial premises. Nineteenth-century urban development cut into the surviving walls, leaving the ruins isolated within the growing town. The present remains, consolidated in the 20th century, consist mainly of the great hall block and the arcaded upper walkway. Although much of the outer ward has vanished beneath modern streets and buildings, the surviving fabric still conveys the power and prestige of the Marcher lords who ruled Gower.