- Type
- Ruin
- Origins
- 11th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Location
- England, United Kingdom
- Coordinates
- 51.8767°, -2.6157°
History
The first stronghold here was raised in the late 11th century by the Anglo-Saxon thegn Godric of Mappestone, who gave the castle its name – around 1101 it was recorded as "Godric's castle". In the mid-12th century a stone keep of grey sandstone was built. Late in the 13th century William de Valence, half-brother of Henry III, rebuilt the castle as a quadrangle with round corner towers on spurred bases and surrounded it with a moat cut into the rock. For centuries afterwards it belonged to the Talbots. In the Civil War it was held by Royalists; in 1646 Colonel John Birch bombarded the walls with a huge mortar and forced the garrison to surrender, and the castle was ruined soon afterwards.
What to see
The ruin is cared for by English Heritage. A bridge over the deep moat and a barbican lead into a courtyard framed by the remains of the great hall, kitchen and chapel, which has a modern stained-glass window. The keep and towers look out over the bends of the Wye and the hills of the Welsh Marches. Beside the castle stands the original mortar Roaring Meg, used to batter the walls in 1646 and the only surviving gun of its kind from the Civil War.
Wikipedia article Official website Wikidata Q5583571
Popularity: articles about this site in 16 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).