Tenby Castle

Tenby Castle stands on a rocky headland joined to the town by a narrow isthmus. The surviving stonework dates from the 13th century, though records mention a castle here as early as 1153. It was begun by Norman invaders in the 12th century, with a tall stone tower at the highest point and a curtain wall protected by small towers. Welsh princes captured and destroyed it twice in the 12th century, yet it resisted a further attack by Llywelyn ap Gruffudd in 1260. By the late 13th century the castle became less important after stone town walls were built around Tenby. The castle was abandoned by the 15th century and fell into ruin. In 1452 Jasper Tudor, half-brother of Henry VI, agreed to share the cost of repairs with local merchants. During the Second English Civil War in 1648, Royalists held the refortified town for ten weeks before surrendering to Parliamentarians. A few medieval fragments remain visible today. A path from Tenby harbour leads up to the summit where a small tower still stands. A circular walk follows the line of the old curtain walls, laid out in the 19th century. The Tenby Museum & Art Gallery occupies the site of the castle’s great hall. The eastern town walls and their towers survive almost intact, while the north gate has been removed to widen the road.