id: sig-20260722-report-gm047
site_id: gb-penrice-penrice
attribute: designation_report
value: 'Reference Number

  GM047

  Name

  Penrice Castle

  Date of Designation

  Status

  Designated

  Unitary Authority

  Swansea

  Community

  Penrice

  Easting

  249701

  Northing

  188494

  Broad Class

  Defence

  Site Type

  Castle

  Period

  Medieval

  The monument consists of the remains of a stone-built castle. Possibly of Norman origin,
  much of the stonework remaining is 13th century; a window with seats in the north-west gatehouse
  overlooking the ward suggests a 13th century date.

  The castle comprises a drum-tower keep with a large ward to its east side. A group of ruined
  buildings at the north of the ward include a gatehouse with flanking defensive turrets.
  Attached to the east side, externally, is a conical dovecote. The wall of the ward survives
  generally to a height of about 3 to 5 metres. Irregularities at intervals appear to be small
  open-backed defensive turrets. The circular keep at the west side is about 12m diameter,
  surviving to a height of about three storeys; most openings appear to be walled up except
  a slit opening facing west and a pointed arch facing north to the exterior. It has two small
  semi-circular additions, one to east and one to west, and a three-storeyed rectangular building
  attached to it on the exterior. The latter building survives on two sides only; it had a
  gabled roof running north-east to south-west; large fireplace in its south-west wall with
  segmental arch on corbels; remnants of flat arches in openings above.

  Close to the keep is a small intra-mural building of which two walls remain, with a walled
  up segmental opening to the exterior. The entrance building at the north has a portcullis
  slot behind a gothic arch. Guard towers left and right with loops facing the entrance. The
  one to the north has been adapted as a dovecote, the other is inaccessible. The rear corners
  of this building facing the ward are rounded. Gothic arch of two orders to rear opening
  to the ward; above this a first floor lancet window with seats in the reveals. Along the
  north side is an enclosure with traces of intra-mural buildings. Two walls at the north
  east side are a fragment of a building to which the lost wall dividing the ward into two
  halves was attached.

  The castle was abandoned in favour of Oxwich Castle in the late medieval period and fell
  into ruin. It was slighted by Cromwell. When engraved by Buck in c. 1735 the surviving curtain
  wall still had its crenellations. The ruins were probably reduced for picturesque effect
  in the late 18th century. A wall dividing the ward into two halves has nearly all disappeared.

  The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of medieval
  defensive practices. The monument is well-preserved and an important relic of the medieval
  landscape. It retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of
  the presence of both structural evidence and intact associated deposits.

  The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related
  evidence may be expected to survive.'
source_url: http://cadwpublic-api.azurewebsites.net/reports/sam/FullReport?lang=en&id=3762
source_title: Scheduled Monument Full Report — Penrice Castle
publisher: Cadw
observed_date: '2026-07-22'
collected_by: scripts/build_assessment_batch.py
confidence: high
notes: The designation text. Assess the six bands against THIS evidence only; omit any band
  it does not speak to.