Pencoed Castle Gatehouse

Cadw's description

Location

Located at the front of the castle which is at the end of a narrow lane from by-road off the B4245, approx 1km S of Llandevaud village and 1km E of Llanmartin.

History

Gatehouse to the fortified Tudor manorhouse thought to have been built by Sir Thomas Morgan during the first quarter of the C16 on the site of a moated Norman castle held in 1270 by Sir Richard de la More and in 1306 by Maurice and Walter de Kemeys. The Manorhouse possibly incorporates part of the earlier castle. The Morgan family resided at Pencoed until the end of the C17. By 1780 the castle has passed into the hands of the Gwyns of Llanhowell. During the C19 the castle was let to farmers. In 1914 Lord Rhondda purchased the castle along with Penhow Castle and proceeded to restore it. After his death in 1918 the work ceased. The castle is currently in a derelict condition. The castle is surrounded by a rectangular moated enclosure with the remains of a C13/C14 curtain wall and one surviving circular tower on the SW corner of the site linking up with the gatehouse.

Exterior

The roofless three storey gatehouse is probably contemporary with the castle. Rectangular in plan with two projecting octagonal turrets on W side, containing continuous staircase to N and latrines (?) to the S. The gatehouse is constructed of large roughly coursed sandstone blocks, while the turrets are mainly of thin sandstone slabs, all with fine ashlar quoins of yellow sandstone. Roofless. The carriageway crosses the moat by a small masonry bridge and enters the courtyard through the tunnel vaulted ground floor of the gatehouse. The doorways at front and rear are round-headed and have moulded stone dressings, probably C16, matching the rectangular windows with hoods and arch-headed lights which seem to have been inserted into the central part of the gatehouse and built into the turrets. On the rear (E) facing the castle is a large, oblong opening with dressed jambs and voussoired arch. The second floor window has lost its head. On the front (W) elevation there is an oblong window to ground floor and a two-light window to second floor with chamfered mullion, sunk spandrels, flat hoodmould under voussoired arch. The turrets both have single-light square windows with flat hoodmoulds and simple label stops. On the ground floor to the left hand side is a lean-to (possibly modern, but on the site of an earlier guardroom).

Reason for designation

Listed grade II* as the Tudor gatehouse to Pencoed Castle.