Castles · South Wales
Fonmon Castle
Fonmon Castle — castle near Fonmon, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales.
Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 1.5 h–3 h
- Nearest railway station
- Rhoose Cardiff International Airport · 2.4 km
- Family-friendly
- Limited wheelchair access
About
Fonmon Castle is a castle in the United Kingdom — fortified architecture from the medieval, Tudor, or Victorian-revival period. Heritage designation: Grade I listed building. Owned by Robert Oliver Jones. Wikidata describes it as: "castle near Fonmon, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales". Coordinates: 51.4037°, -3.3708°.
Photo gallery
Heritage listing
Fonmon Castle (Welsh: Castell Ffwl-y-mwn) is a fortified medieval castle near the village of Fonmon in the Vale of Glamorgan and a Grade I listed building. The castle's gardens are designated Grade II on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales. With its origins rooted in the 12th century it is today seen as a great architectural rarity, as it is one of few buildings that was drastically remodelled in the 18th century, but not Gothicized.
From Cadw under OGL v3.
From the Wikipedia article
Fonmon Castle (Welsh: Castell Ffwl-y-mwn) is a fortified medieval castle near the village of Fonmon in the Vale of Glamorgan and a Grade I listed building. The castle's gardens are designated Grade II on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales. With its origins rooted in the 12th century it is today seen as a great architectural rarity, as it is one of few buildings that was drastically remodelled in the 18th century, but not Gothicized. The castle is believed to have remained under the ownership of just two families throughout its history; from Norman times, it was owned by the St Johns, and from 1656, by the descendants of Colonel Philip Jones.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
History
The origins of Fonmon Castle are poorly documented and most of its early history has been discovered through studying its architecture. A popular myth exists that the castle was built by Oliver St John of Fonmon, one of the Twelve Knights of Glamorgan who effected the Norman conquest of Glamorgan. It has since been shown that this was a legendary tale given credence by a "historic" story in the 1560s by Sir Edward Stradling. There is speculation that a defensive fortification made of timber was built on the site of Fonmon Castle soon after the Norman invasion of Wales, with stonework added around 1200.
Architecture
Notable features include the combined grand drawing room and library, designed by Thomas Stocking. Described by Newman as the "glory of Fonmon", the library, running east to west is lit by two Venetian windows, a stone one to the west wall and a sashed timber oriel window to the east. The room is divided into three sections, the largest central, with square end bays with segmental arches. There are trophies of the chase in the spandrels of the arches and arabesques and wreaths adorn the flat of the ceiling with an Apollo head in a sunburst at its centre.
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 51.4037, -3.3708
- District
- Vale of Glamorgan
- Parish
- Rhoose
- Postcode
- CF62 3ZN
- Parliamentary constituency
- Vale of Glamorgan
- Nearest railway station
- Rhoose Cardiff International Airport — 2.4 km
- Official site
- www.fonmoncastle.com
Sources
- wikidata: Q5465047 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Fonmon Castle (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- commons: Castell Ffwl-y-mwn.jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Fonmon Castle?
- Fonmon Castle is in South Wales, United Kingdom (postcode CF62 3ZN), in the parish of Rhoose.
- Who owns Fonmon Castle?
- Fonmon Castle is owned by Robert Oliver Jones.
- Is Fonmon Castle a listed building?
- Fonmon Castle is officially recognised as Grade I listed building listed.
- Does Fonmon Castle charge admission?
- Fonmon Castle typically charges admission. Check the official site for current ticket prices and opening hours.
- How do I get to Fonmon Castle?
- The nearest railway station is Rhoose Cardiff International Airport, about 2.4 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode CF62 3ZN.