Visited April 2010

Location	Centre of Abergavenny, Monmouthshire
Entrance Fee	No
Railway Station Nearby	Abergavenny Station, approx. 1/2 mile
Parking	Yes
Facilities	Museum,Toilets, Shop
Map

Review

This castle is a little haven as it is not that big or one of the more well known in Wales, so it is very pleasant to visit without it being overly busy. That said, it is a free site and had attracted quite a lot of family picnickers on the day we visited.

It was in fact such a nice peaceful setting that it was difficult to reconcile the castle’s violent history as the scene of a massacre in 1175, when a group of Welshmen were invited to the castle on pretence of a meal by the cruel Norman Lord William de Braose, persuaded to leave their weapons in the gatehouse, and then all murdered. This was in revenge for the killing of de Braose’ s uncle by one of the guests, Seisyll ap Dyfnwal.

The subsequent years were not kind to the castle, it seemed to be captured by the Welsh, then taken back again by the English on a regular basis. The slighting after the civil war finally finished it off and so today it is completely ruined , with not much left of the original castle, but  interesting none the less.

It is a pity that the car park is right in the middle of the ruins, it not only spoils the view of them but it means that there is a danger to the children from cars as you cross from one area of the castle to another.

In 1819 the Marquis of Abergavenny built a hunting lodge in the place of the keep, it looks slightly out of place just plonked on top of the motte! This building today houses a small museum with gift shop and toilets, but no café so bring your own food or head down into Abergavenny town to eat. The museum is nevertheless interesting to visit, and often puts on events. 

The castle site is very green with terrific views towards the black mountains, so is a pleasant space to bring the children.

 More info Abergavenny Castle & Museum