Castles · South Wales
Swansea Castle
Also known as: Castell Abertawe
Swansea Castle — castle in Swansea, 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
- Swansea · 0.6 km
- Paid entry
- Family-friendly
- Wheelchair accessible
About
Swansea Castle is a castle in the United Kingdom — fortified architecture from the medieval, Tudor, or Victorian-revival period. Records date its origin to 1107. Heritage designation: scheduled monument. Owned by Cadw. Managed by Cadw. Wikidata describes it as: "castle in Swansea, Wales". Coordinates: 51.6204°, -3.9411°.
Photo gallery
Heritage listing
Swansea Castle (Welsh: Castell Abertawe) is located in the city centre of Swansea, Wales, UK. It was founded by Henry de Beaumont in 1107 as the caput of the lordship of Gower. The castle is now ruined and only two blocks remain, though the site has been improved in the 2010s for use as a public space.
From Cadw under OGL v3.
From Cadw
Urban remnants of a once-mighty fortressThough what little remains of Swansea Castle is now hemmed in by the modern-day city centre, this was once a fortress of great strategic importance. Nowadays, it’s difficult to envisage its original location on a clifftop above where the River Tawe used to flow, controlling a harbour and important east–west route along southern Wales.
Read more on the official property page.
From the Wikipedia article
Swansea Castle (Welsh: Castell Abertawe) is located in the city centre of Swansea, Wales, UK. It was founded by Henry de Beaumont in 1107 as the caput of the lordship of Gower. The castle is now ruined and only two blocks remain, though the site has been improved in the 2010s for use as a public space.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
Description
Henry de Beaumont was granted the Lordship of Gower in 1106 and he began to solidify the control of the Normans in the area. A timber castle existed in Swansea in 1116, when it was recorded as being attacked by Welsh forces who destroyed the outer defences. The motte (or ring work) was 52 m in diameter (only second in size to Cardiff Castle) and survived to the early 20th century. The castle was besieged and captured in 1192 by Rhys ap Gruffydd, Prince of Deheubarth. Despite 10 weeks of starvation the castle was saved. firstly the inner castle with at least one tower, finally the large outer bailey. The only visible remains today, two sides of the rectangular South East corner of the "new…
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 51.6204, -3.9411
- District
- Swansea
- Parish
- Castle
- Postcode
- SA1 2AF
- Parliamentary constituency
- Swansea West
- Established
- 1107
- Nearest railway station
- Swansea — 0.6 km
- Official site
- cadw.gov.wales
Sources
- wikidata: Q7653666 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Swansea Castle (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- commons: Swansea Castle 2018.jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Swansea Castle?
- Swansea Castle is in South Wales, United Kingdom (postcode SA1 2AF), in the parish of Castle.
- When was Swansea Castle built?
- Built or established in 1107.
- Who runs Swansea Castle?
- Swansea Castle is operated by Cadw.
- Is Swansea Castle a listed building?
- Swansea Castle is officially recognised as scheduled monument listed.
- Does Swansea Castle charge admission?
- Swansea Castle typically charges admission. Check the official site for current ticket prices and opening hours.
- How do I get to Swansea Castle?
- The nearest railway station is Swansea, about 0.6 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode SA1 2AF.