Carew

Agrandir le plan

Shortened history of the castle:

The castle stands on a limestone bluff overlooking the Carew inlet. The site must have been recognised as strategically useful from the earliest times because multiple defensive walls of an Iron Age fort were discovered in the 90s.

The Norman castle has its origins in a stone keep built by Gerald de Windsor around the year 1100.

Gerald's son William took the name "de Carew", and in the middle of the 12th century created an enclosure with stone walls incorporating the original keep, and a "Great Hall" inside it. The current high-walled structure with a complex of rooms and halls around the circumference was created by Nicholas de Carew around 1270, concurrent with (and influenced by) the construction of the Edwardian castles in North Wales.

But Nicholas de Carew fell on hard times in the post-Black Death period and mortgaged the castle. It then fell into more or less honest hands.

In 1558 the castle was acquired by Pembrokeshire plutocrat John Perrott, who made the final substantial extension, building the long range of rooms in domestic architecture attached to the outside of the north walls.

Perrott subsequently fell out of favour and died imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1592. The castle was finally re-purchased by the de Carew family in 1607.

In the Civil War, the castle was re-fortified by Royalists although south Pembrokeshire was strongly Parliamentarian. After the Royalist's defeat, the south wall was pulled down to render the castle indefensible. At the Restoration the castle was again returned to the de Carews.

Opening times and additionnal information:

Castle & Mill open daily 10 am - 5 pm (29th Mar - 31st Oct)
Castle only open daily 11 am - 3 pm (1st Nov - 31st Mar)

ENTRY CHARGE (from 29th March 2010 - 31st Oct 2010)
Adult Castle & Mill : £ 4.50
Family (up to 2 adult & 3 children) Castle & Mill : £ 12.00
Free entry to visitors arriving by public transport or bicycle (upon request).

Tours of the castle are provided free of charge at 2.30 pm daily except during winter opening hours.