Morlais Castle

Morlais Castle stands on a ridge above the Taff Gorge near Merthyr Tydfil. Built in the 13th century, it was begun by Gilbert de Clare but never finished. The site was too remote and exposed for comfortable living. Warfare between de Clare and Humphrey de Bohun led to royal intervention in 1290. Madog ap Llywelyn captured the castle in 1294. The castle had a triangular inner ward with walls about 45 metres long. A round keep stood at the north corner, and two D-shaped towers flanked the gateway. A freestanding building on the west side connected to the south tower. An outer ward lacked towers on the west but had a D-shaped tower at the south-east corner. A large building lined the east curtain, and a smaller one stood on the west. Little remains today except one intact room in the keep’s foundations. Small wall fragments mark where buildings once stood. A deep pit near the south tower may have been a cistern. The moat still partly encircles the ruins, though part may have been lost to a lime quarry. Nearby, the Morlais Castle golf course overlooks the remains.