Aerial view of Manorbier Castle, Pembrokeshire Wales UK
Manorbier Castle is a Norman castle in Manorbier, 5 miles southwest of Tenby, Wales. It was founded in the late 11th century by the Anglo-Norman de Barry family. The castle was under the control of the medieval Earls of Pembroke. Manorbier is a rectangular enclosure castle that has curtain walls and round and square towers. It stands on a natural coastal promontory and has no external moat. The main entrance to the inner ward is a tower gateway that was defended by a portcullis, roof embrasures and a heavy iron/wood door. A postern gate provided access to the beach and the sea. The southeast tower is round; the northeast is angular. The castle's domestic ranges, which were completed in the 1140s, included kitchens, apartments and a Great hall. Windows replaced the arrowslits in the domestic range. A chapel with elaborate vaulting and plaster-work was built c. 1260. Some of the original medieval frescoes survive. Earthworks completed an outer ward. There was no barbican. A bridge across a neck ditch linked the inner and outer wards. The land was granted to Odo de Barri, a Norman knight, at the end of the 11th century. Initially, he constructed a motte-and-bailey castle on the site which had a wooden keep defended by a palisade and earthworks embankments. In the early part of the 12th century, William de Barri, Odo's son, used locally-quarried Limestone to strengthen the fortification. In 1146 Gerald of Wales was born at the castle. He was the fourth and youngest son of William de Barri, who was related on his mother's side, to the legendary Welsh princess Nest ferch Rhys. Gerald wrote of his birthplace: In all the broad lands of Wales, Manorbier is the most pleasant place by far. In the castle's history, it was only attacked twice; both were minor skirmishes. In 1327, Richard de Barri assaulted Manorbier in a dispute over family succession. Then 300 years later during the English Civil War, the castle was seized in 1645 by Parliamentarian forces.
Size: 5184px × 2936px
Location: Manorbier Pembrokeshire Wales UK
Photo credit: © DV Aerial / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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