Skenfrith Castle

Skenfrith Castle stands in the Monnow valley near the village of Skenfrith in Monmouthshire. Built by the Normans after 1066, it formed one of three earth-and-timber forts to guard the road from Wales to Hereford. King Stephen later joined Skenfrith with Grosmont and White Castle as the ‘Three Castles’ lordship. In the late 12th century stone replaced timber, and Hubert de Burgh rebuilt it in the early 13th century as a rectangular enclosure with round towers and a central circular keep.

The castle passed between royal officials and Marcher lords until it reached Edmund, Earl of Lancaster, in 1267. Edward I’s conquest of Wales in 1282 reduced its military value, and by the 16th century it was a ruin. The National Trust took charge in 1936 and Cadw now manages the remains, which include up to five-metre-high curtain walls and three standing corner towers.

Visitors find grassed-over moat banks and sections of Old Red Sandstone wall rising beside the River Monnow. The polygonal plan shows the north-west gatehouse and bridge approaches, though both are gone. Three towers mark the corners, and the filled-in watergate on the east once gave direct river access. Foundations of the two-storey hall range remain, its floor raised long ago to stop flooding.