Wiston Castle
Encyclopedia
Wiston Castle is a motte and bailey castle in the Pembrokeshire
village of Wiston
in south west Wales
.
It seems to have been abandoned during the first half of the thirteenth century so is one of the best examples of its type in Wales. The castle is situated opposite St Mary Magdalene Church and there are approximately 75 steps that go up to it. It is in the care of Cadw
. The castle was founded by a Flemish
knight called Wizo, from which the castle gets its name. The Welsh captured Wiston on 1147 and 1193, but on both occasions it was quickly recaptured.The Shell keep
on the summit of the Motte is typical of Norman stonework
.
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
village of Wiston
Wiston, Pembrokeshire
Wiston is a village and community in Pembrokeshire, Wales, in the United Kingdom. It was once a marcher borough. Owen, in 1603, described it as one of nine Pembrokeshire "boroughs in decay"...
in south west Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
It seems to have been abandoned during the first half of the thirteenth century so is one of the best examples of its type in Wales. The castle is situated opposite St Mary Magdalene Church and there are approximately 75 steps that go up to it. It is in the care of Cadw
Cadw
-Conservation and Protection:Many of Wales's great castles and other monuments, such as bishop's palaces, historic houses, and ruined abbeys, are now in Cadw's care. Cadw does not own them but is responsible for their upkeep and for making them accessible to the public...
. The castle was founded by a Flemish
Flemish people
The Flemings or Flemish are the Dutch-speaking inhabitants of Belgium, where they are mostly found in the northern region of Flanders. They are one of two principal cultural-linguistic groups in Belgium, the other being the French-speaking Walloons...
knight called Wizo, from which the castle gets its name. The Welsh captured Wiston on 1147 and 1193, but on both occasions it was quickly recaptured.The Shell keep
Keep
A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word keep, but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
on the summit of the Motte is typical of Norman stonework
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
.