Aerial view of Roch Castle, near Haverfordwest Pembrokeshire Wales UK
Roch Castle (Welsh: Castell y Garn) is a 12th-century castle, located at Roch near Haverfordwest, Wales. Built by Norman knight Adam de Rupe in the second half of the 12th century, probably on the site of an earlier wooden structure. Roche is the usual French word for rock, while rupestre signifies a plant growing among rocks Built at the same time as Pill Priory near Milford Haven, Roch Castle was probably built in this location as one of the outer defences of "Little England" or "Landsker", as it is located near the unmarked border which for centuries has separated the English and Welsh areas of Pembrokeshire. The Castle was purchased in 2008 by Keith Griffiths for the Griffiths-Roch Foundation and was restored for operation by the Retreats Group as a six-bedroom luxury hotel Roch Castle Hotel. Completed in 2013, the restoration was designed by architects Keith Griffiths and Acanthus Holden. In 2016, the hotel received a 5-Star Gold Award from the AA and was named Best 5-star Hotel in Wales by Trivago. It is also listed in The Independent’s ‘The Big Six: British castle stay’; The Guardian’s ‘10 of the best cool new hotels in Wales’, The Sunday Times’ ‘Ultimate 100 British Hotels’ list, The Times’s Cool Hotel Guide, and was featured by BBC News, WalesOnline, Conde Nast Traveller and more. A legend told of the castle's founder, Adam de Rupe, whose fear of a prophecy that he would be killed by a viper's bite led him to choose this isolated site. Apparently he was unable to avoid his fate, for a viper, concealed in a bundle of firewood, found its way into the castle and fulfilled the prophecy.
Size: 5184px × 2916px
Location: Roch near Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales UK
Photo credit: © DV Aerial / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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