Visited April 2024

Location	Hensol, Glamorgan
Entrance Fee	No
Railway Station Nearby	No
Parking	Yes
Facilities	None
Map

Currently a wedding venue, Hensol Castle in the Vale of Glamorgan has had an interesting history. It was not built to be defendable like most of the castles in Wales, but started life as a manor house which was castellated in the mid 1700s, by the Talbot family, who were well-known landowners in Wales. (See also Lacock Abbey and Margam Abbey)

The Hensol Estate itself dates back to at least 1419 when it was owned by the Jenkins family, the most notorious of which was David Jenkins, who was a staunch Royalist and condemned many Parliamentarians to death in the Civil War.

Review

After the Talbots the castle had a series of owners, including one called Benjamin Hall, whose son, also called Benjamin oversaw the building of the Houses of Parliament, which is where the name for the clock tower 'Big Ben'  is thought to come from, as he was apparently very tall.

In 1824 it was bought by the iron industry magnete Richard Crawshay. He improved the property once again, including the lake and the deer park. Maybe this inspired him, as he then went on to build Cyfarthfa Castle.

The castle continued to be owned by many different owners until after WWI when the final male heir put it on the market. In 1926 it was bought by Glamorgan Council and became a hospital for adults with learning difficulties. This closed in 2003 and was bought by Gerald Leeke, owner of Leekes of Llantrisant, a furniture and interiors store. It was then re-opened as a wedding venue, which it operates as to this day. 

The castle is not open to the public to visit, but can be viewed from the road outside. It is also possible to have afternoon tea there if you would like to sample the hospitality offered. 

At the back of the castle is the area where weddings take place- inside a white bandstand in the grounds. There is also a lake, with a wooden jetty leading to it- presumably used for wedding photography. There was no wedding on the day we were there so we had a walk around part of the lake, but obviously would not have done that if a wedding had been in full swing. 

There is a lot of green space in front of the castle but it is not really appropriate for kids to play on as it is part of what is a private estate. We were guests at the nearby hotel  (in the same ownership as the castle) and did a walk around the castle grounds as part of our stay. 

If you just want a quick look at the outside though I don't believe anyone would mind (but don't quote me on that) or you could even book an afternoon tea!

NB: the castle is also home to a gin distillery and hosts gin tasting events, but we didn't review this side of it as this is a review site for taking kids to castles!

More info:  Hensol Castle