Manorbier

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All photos © Paolo Ramponi 2002

The Castle of Manorbier is outside from the usual tourist routes of Wales. Situated in the Pembrokeshire, approximately 9 kilometers from Tenby, carefully lay down in the beautiful famous Welsh campaign that it’s been described from Giraldo Cambrensis (Gerald of Wales) like " the most pleasant point of Wales ". Giraldus, one of the most important figures of the Welsh medieval history, had his Christmas at Manorbier in the twelfth century, therefore the judgment on its city and its castle cannot be considered impartial. The impact with the village of Manorbier will be strange to you positively. In fact, the castle and all the surrounding zone are carefullied lay down in one tightened valley cut from two torrents that flow beyond the beaches in the bay of Manorbier, rendering the entirety much scenographic.

The castle of Manorbier gives of itself an unusual vision, being one perfectly succeeded combination between beauty and functionality, residence and fortification. Superficially, the castle can be seen simply like a residence for the rich Norman owners. In all the construction there’s a touch of heat and luxury but the fortifications represent the hard truth of the relationships, sure not idyllic, between Norman invaders and the subjugate native population of Welsh language. The castle of Manorbier dominates, repaired in part from the vegetation that encircles it, the main road of the country, from which we reach the main entrance of it. The first impact is with the external courtyard, with the fortifications added during English civil war still very visible: one series of earth banks and ditches reinforced in stone acted to prevent easy advancing of the enemy. On the left, the great rectangular main door hits for its beauty. Rather simple in the design, one casts over the moat surrounding and dominates the entrance. As the greatest part of the medieval fortified doors, that one of Manorbier has many defensive characteristics: it embattled walls, portcullis, mortal embrasures and traps (openings over the passage through which solid liquids or objects came down on attackers). The relevant external simplicity point the intention of the Norman owners of the castle to don’t show the fears towards the native, but the presence of all these defenses imply the acknowledgment of the high risk that could constitute an external attack.

Beyond the door we enter the inner courtyard, today pleasantly attractive, embellished with colorful flowers with a green meadow that increases the contrast with the dark stone of the walls and the rests of the sink. The plant of the castle is nearly rectangular and consists in a strong building circuit with powerful angle towers (the south-west tower has round plan and from it there’s a magnificent view on the favorite landscape of Gerald), a complex block of buildings and a great granary. The most important characteristic of the inner buildings block is undoubtedly the presence of voluminous furnaces on the western and to the southern walls, which had the scope of forge for the metals. The domestic wing of the castle of Manorbier is mainly constituted from an apartment, erected in the twelfth century from William de Bars, father of Gerald. Different from many of the other Norman strongholds in Wales, this block of buildings was built as an integral part of the curtain wall rather than as a free-standing structure. The buttery and pantry were constructed strategically adjacent to the great hall in a way that the meal could be served still warm! The room above the buttery is considered the most probable place for the birth of Gerald. Although in the upper floor, that doesn’t exist anymore, a processed fireplace, windows with obtained seats in stone in the thickness of walls and an external latrines indicates that this part of the building was equipped with all comforts. Also the Great Hall makes part of this block. Erected in the 1140, this is considered the most ancient still intact stone work of all the castles of west Wales.

Beautiful windows adorn all the complex, this classified it as the apartments of the constable. Battlements and unusually thick walls gave an additional protection at the time of attack and have rendered this the more probable place to shelter when an invasion was imminent. Another characteristic  is the presence of one dove-code. This holes in the wall could also be the homes for supplying of alimentary kinds in winter, but more probably they were the lodging for the carrier-pigeons. At the south of the Great Hall there is the Chapel, the 'Spur Tower', and the Sea Gate (built to allow the access at the castle directly from the sea-water of the bay, that once in a time was lapping the walls).This buildings testimonies of the high position of the Barri’s family and of the subsequent owners of Manorbier. Still in ours times we can approach at the inner courtyard through the original grand and we still found the Chapel, built in 1260, practically intact. Originally, the small church was equipped by  elaborate vaulting and plaster-work, the pavement covered by tiles, and the rooms taken the light from big windows. In the stone of the wall still remains the Piscina and the Sedile occupied during the services from the priest, besides there're some remains of the medieval frescoes All the side, extended on the left of the inner courtyard, has been strongly changed during the past centuries. Today is the lodging of the guardian of the castle and its looks is of the the reconstruction of the late late XVIII° century.

On this side we find the remains of the big granary, gifted even of intakes to get more easy the breathing of the animals. The above-mentioned restoration been taken ahead from J.R. Cobb, an antiquarian and the castles lover, who is responsible of the restoration of towers pavement, of some window, of the curtain walls and of the main gatehouse. But the actual good look of the complex is not owned only at the work of J.R. Cobb. In fact during the centuries the castle has never be strongly besieged, but it suffered only two light attacks: the first in 1327, during a riot of the city and the second in 1645 during the Civil War, when it’s been under siege by the Cromwell troops.

As above said, Manorbier Castle's main claim to fame is as the birthplace of Gerald of Wales, son of the Norman sir William de Barri. The father of William, Odo de Barri, get instead of his loyal service during the invasion, the territory of Manorbier, Begelly e Penally. He built the first fortification in the classic "Motte and Bailey" style. The castle in wood and embankment it’s been transformed in stone by William in the subsequent century. The powerful family of the Barri kept the possess of Manorbier ‘til 1359. From this year 'til then the property of the castle changed several times. In the late XV° century it became property of the crown and in 1630 it’s been sold at the family of Bowen of  Trefloyne, that succeeded to keep in a good efficiency the complex 'til to be presided again during the Civil war. After a long siege get by the supporter of parliamentary government troops the castle been again abandoned and it’s been sold in 1670 at the family of Philippses; still today their descending are in possession of the property.

Castle Plan

Photos