Neath Castle

Neath Castle stands in the centre of Neath, a town in south Wales. Built by Robert, Earl of Gloucester, between 1114 and 1130, it was later linked to Richard de Grenville, Lord of Neath. The town’s Welsh name, Castell-nedd, comes from the castle itself. The first castle was a wooden motte-and-bailey on the river’s west bank, near a Roman fort. When Neath Abbey was founded nearby, the monks took stones from the old castle for their buildings. The second castle, on the opposite bank, was built by Gilbert de Clare in the 12th century. It was attacked by Llywelyn the Great in 1231 and rebuilt by Richard de Clare. In 1321 Humphrey de Bohun destroyed it during a rebellion. Hugh Despenser rebuilt it, adding a gatehouse. The great gatehouse, built in 1377, is the main part still standing today. The castle is now a Grade II* listed building and a public space. A grassy mound marks where the old keep once stood. Visitors walk around the gatehouse and along the riverbank. The town’s name and history are tied to the castle’s past. The remaining stonework shows how the Normans shaped this part of Wales.