Things to do in Narberth, Wales: The Best Sights & Landmarks

Reviewed By 786carolb - Birmingham, United Kingdom

Wednesday 21 August 19, my husband and I decided to go to the village of Narberth to visit the castle and we will also be having dinner there in the evening. Narberth (Castell Arberth) is a ruined Norman fortress. It forms part of the Landsker Line. An old chronicle in the Cotton Library mentions that, in 1116, Gruffydd ap Rhys attacked and destroyed the castle of arberth. However, it refers to the nearby Sentence Castle, as the stone castle at Narberth was not built until over 100 years later. The current ruins are Norman and date from the 13th century, having been built by Andrew Perrot. The castle is mentioned in the third branch of the Mabinogi (Welsh Legends) as the place where Rhiannon was imprisoned and forced to carry travelers through the gates as penance for killing her son. It must be noted in the case of Narberth Castle that the Normans often built castles on top of earlier defensive structures and it is feasible that the original castle was obliterated. The castle never changed hands throughout the Glyndwr Rising between 1400 and 1415 and was slighted after being taken by Oliver Cromwell in the English Civil War. Excavations over the years have found more than 20 graves on the north side of the castle dating from the 12th to the 13th century, showing that the area may have once been the site of a church. The castle has provided a good deal of building material for the surrounding houses over the centuries and the castle remains are mostly single and double storey walls, with the barrel-vaulted kitchen cellars intact. However, no upper storey rooms are intact. It must have been an impressive sight when complete and painted white. My husband and I wandered around this impressive castle for a couple of hours and we took lots of photographs. If you are a castles fan, although small, it is worth putting on your bucket list