Kidwelly CastleMore Photos of Our Holiday Trip to the U.K
Kidwelly Castle
Near Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales, a 12th century stockaded fortress, where Gwenllian, mother of Lord Rhys, led an attack on the occupying Normans and was killed.
Pembroke Castle
In the 11 century, this region was
conquered by the English with the help of the Normans, who
intermarried and set about buillding castles. Pembroke Castle,
one of the most impressive, was not a royal castle, but was the
possession of a private lord.
Left, the Gatehouse, from with the castle, the residential part of the castle and guard rooms. Modern day town of Pembroke in background.
After
defeating the English at the Battle of Hastings, 1066, Normans
invaded Wales and in 1093, Earl Roger de Montgomery built the
first castle in Pembroke, originally made of timber.
The Great Keep, on left, was built soon after 1200 by William Marshall, Earl of Pembroke. Walls are 19 feet thick and the Keep rises to 75', crowned with a 50' wide dome, and has five floors. If the outer walls and towers were seized in battle, the garrison would have made this their last stronghold.
Left-
Picture taken from the mound of the Great Keep looking down on
the moat.
The Dungeon Tower