Longtown Castle

Longtown Castle stands on a low hill beside the River Monnow in Herefordshire. It began as a Norman motte-and-bailey built by Walter de Lacy in the 11th century on the site of an earlier Roman fort. The castle reused Roman earthworks and was later rebuilt in stone by Gilbert de Lacy after 1148. A new town was laid out nearby to help pay for the work. By the 14th century the castle had fallen into disuse, though it was briefly refortified during the Owain Glyndŵr rising in 1403. The castle’s unusual rectangular bailey was divided into three independent defensive sections. Its stone keep had walls up to five metres thick and a circular design typical of the Welsh Marches. The inner gatehouse had a portcullis and small turrets, while the great hall and service buildings stood inside the western baileys. The de Lacy family held the castle until the early 13th century, after which it passed through several noble families during times of Welsh rebellion and civil unrest. Today visitors find the ruined keep and fragments of curtain wall maintained by English Heritage. The inner gatehouse and parts of the earthworks remain visible. The wider site includes common land beyond the scheduled monument. A school and house once stood within the baileys, but later restorations removed later buildings to expose the original structure. The castle offers a quiet place to walk among the remains of a once-busy border fortress.