Carew Castle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Carew Castle |
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| Part of Pembrokeshire | |
| Carew, Wales | |
Castle's north face, beside an inlet of the Carew River
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| Type | Norman Rectangular castle with Elizabethan Ranges |
| Height | Up to 15 metres (49 ft) |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Carew family |
| Controlled by | Pembrokeshire Coast National Park |
| Open to the public |
Yes |
| Condition | Partially restored |
| Website | Carew Castle & Tidal Mill |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1270 |
| Built by | Nicholas de Carew |
| Materials | Carboniferous Limestone |
| Battles/wars | English Civil War |
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Listed Building – Grade I
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| Designated | 14 May 1970 |
Carew Castle (Welsh: Castell Caeriw) is an amazing old castle located in Carew, Pembrokeshire, Wales. The Carew family, who still own the castle, got their name from this very place. They have owned it for over 900 years! Today, the castle is managed by the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, so many people can visit and explore its history.
Contents
Building Carew Castle
The castle you see today replaced an even older stone tower. Most of it is built from local limestone. However, some parts, like the fancy window frames from the Tudor period, were made from special stone brought from a place called Cotswold. Carew Castle shows a mix of building styles because people kept adding to it and changing it over many centuries.
Castle Defenses
To get into the main part of the castle, called the inner ward, you had to cross a dry ditch, or moat. There was also a strong entrance area called a barbican and a gatehouse (a building over the entrance). The front of the castle had three D-shaped towers and walls with crenelated tops, which look like teeth. These were for defense. The back of the castle has two large round towers. In the 1500s, the northern wall was changed into a grand Tudor building with beautiful windows and a long gallery.
The outer area of the castle, called the outer ward, has earthworks. These are mounds of earth that were built by soldiers who supported the King during the English Civil War in the 1640s. They helped protect the castle.
Carew Castle's Long History
People have used the land where Carew Castle stands for military purposes for at least 2,000 years!
Early Beginnings
The castle sits on a limestone hill overlooking the Carew inlet. This is part of a tidal river system called the Milford Haven Waterway. This spot was always important for defense. Recent digs have found many old walls from an Iron Age fort in the outer castle area.
The first Norman castle here was a stone tower built around 1100 by a man named Gerald de Windsor. He was in charge of Pembroke Castle. Gerald married Nest, a Welsh princess, around 1095. Nest brought the land of Carew as part of her wedding gift. Gerald then cleared the old fort to build his own Norman-style castle. The first outer walls were made of wood, but the main tower was stone. This stone tower is still part of the castle today and is called the "Old Tower."
Medieval Times
Gerald's son, William, took the name "de Carew." In the mid-1100s, he built stone walls around the original tower and added a "Great Hall" inside. The tall, strong castle you see now, with many rooms and halls, was built around 1270 by Nicholas de Carew. This was around the same time that King Edward I was building his famous castles in North Wales, and Carew Castle was influenced by those designs. At this time, the outer castle area also got its own walls.
The Tudor Period
After the terrible Black Death plague, the de Carew family faced tough times and had to mortgage the castle. It ended up with Rhys ap Thomas. He became very rich by cleverly changing sides and supporting Henry VII just before the important Battle of Bosworth Field.
Because of his help, Rhys was given land and made a knight. He added luxurious apartments to the castle in the late 1400s, with many beautiful Tudor features. An inner doorway has three coats of arms: those of Henry VII, his son Arthur, and Arthur's wife Catherine of Aragon. However, this loyalty didn't last. Rhys's grandson, Rhys ap Gruffudd, lost favor with King Henry VIII and was executed for treason in 1531. The castle then went back to the King and was rented out to different people. In 1558, Sir John Perrot, a powerful leader in Ireland, bought it. He made the last big changes to the castle. This wealthy Elizabethan man rebuilt the north walls to create a long range of living rooms.
The Castle's Decline
Sir John Perrot later lost favor with the Queen and died in the Tower of London in 1592. The castle returned to the Crown and was finally bought back by the de Carew family in 1607. During the English Civil War, the castle was made stronger by soldiers loyal to the King. However, the area around Carew was mostly on the side of Parliament. After the castle was captured and recaptured three times, the south wall was pulled down. This made the castle impossible for the King's soldiers to defend. When the King was restored to power, the castle was given back to the de Carews. They continued to live in the eastern part until 1686.
After that, the castle was left empty and allowed to fall apart. Many parts of the castle were taken for building stone or for making lime. Since 1984, an organization called Cadw has helped fund a lot of restoration work. This work is done by the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority to preserve the castle.
Carew Tidal Mill
Carew Tidal Mill is the only restored tidal mill in Wales. A tidal mill uses the power of the tides to grind grain. We don't know exactly when the mill was first built, but there is proof that a mill was there by 1542. It is often called the "French Mill," possibly because it used French millstones. The walls and floodgates that control the water were fixed by Sir John Carew around 1615. One of the mill wheels has the date 1801 on it. The mill stopped being used in 1937 and became a ruin.
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