Aerial view of St Quentin's Castle or St Quintins Castle , Llanblethian,Vale of Glamorgan,Wales uk
St Quintins Castle also known as St Quentins Castle and Llanblethian Castle, is a castle located in the village of Llanblethian, Cowbridge, Wales. It is a scheduled monument and a Grade II* listed building and is under the care of Cadw. The site was first occupied with a defensive structure in about 1102 and the gatehouse and further building work took place around 1312. It was later used as a prison and was reported as being in a ruinous state by 1741. The lordship remained with the St Quentin family until 1233 when the land was seized by Richard Siward, but he then lost it to Earl Richard de Clare in 1245. Richard de Clare seized large areas of this part of Glamorganshire, from Cowbridge to Llantrisant, but it was his grandson, Earl Gilbert de Clare, who began to build the stone structure of St Quintins Castle which stands today. This was thought to have been roughly after 1307, but Gilbert de Clare was killed in the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 before the castle was completed. Modern historians believe that the lack of inner courtyard buildings and the weakness of the curtain wall points to the hypothesis that the castle was never fully completed. The base of a semi-octagonal tower can be seen at the southeast corner of the castle and parts of a tower at the southwest corner. The ivy-clad gatehouse is between these and is a substantial structure where you can see the slits for the two portcullises and the fittings for the sets of strong doors. The remains of the keep are largely rubble and little remains of the bailey walls on the east, north and south sides. It is a scheduled monument and a Grade II* listed building.
Size: 4032px × 3052px
Location: Llanblethian,Vale of Glamorgan,Wales uk
Photo credit: © DV Aerial / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 12th, aerial, castle, century, cowbridge, defensive, gatehouse, glamorgan, landmark, llanblethian, quentins, quintins, ruin, st, stonghold, structure, twin-tower, vale, walws, welsh
