Skenfrith castle, located in Monmouthshire in Wales, is one of three castles (the others being White Castle and Grosmont Castle) in the region that was built to protect lands against the Welsh. The castle originated during the Norman rule shortly after 1066, but the stone structure dates to the 12th century. The castle was not used as a fortress for too long, and it became a ruin in the 16th century. The castle contains a large wall with a circular keep in the middle.
I visited the castle on a warm and sunny day at the start of my visit to Wales. There is parking near it, and visitors can enter via the "back" of the castle where the wall has collapsed, but this was also the main castle entrance and would have had a moat on this side into the river beyond and a drawbridge. But, the moat has gone. The castle itself was built on a flood plain and due to this and flooding in winter time, it is likely the castle was abandoned.
The site is free to visit and maintained by National Trust and Cadw.
Once inside the complex, it is a large grassy area with some former building foundations on the right and the circular keep in the middle. On the left is also a set of stairs that go down and outside the castle walls. The circular keep is an empty structure open to the elements with nothing to see inside.
On the right side of the keep were a set of foundations of buildings that were multiple floors.
And on the left is a set of stairs that lead down and outside the wall.
The stairs lead down to the River Monnow. The location of the castle was placed to protect shipments from river transport. At the time the castle was occupied, the stairs would have gone right down to the river. Today, it is a secluded walk with river views.
To read about the other two castles that make up the three, see:
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