the remnants.....

This panorama is taken from or towns Castle grounds...a posh word for the few signs of past power and struggles.......

There's a lot of history here.... the grounds were restored to commemorate the jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887.

The Castle was built some time shortly after the Norman Conquest in 1066 and stands on top of a glacial deposit, some 495 feet above sea level

The remnants you see date probably from between 1135 & 1154 when Madoc ap Meredith constructed a stone motte and bailey castle

An inventory of 1398 listed many rooms including a bid building with a garrison of 200 men.

The Doomsday Book of 1086 contains the earliest reference to the castle...and the Castle features prominently in the border skirmishes of the 12th to the 15th centuries...
as it was built to protect the region against frequent Welsh raids across the border.

In 1647, during Cromwells time, Parliament decided the fortifications should be abolished and the Castle became a ruin....by 1652 the site was described as 'at present uninhabited, having lately been demolished.....

I was pleasantly surprise by the lovely atmosphere right at the top....and the view over our area is awesome...

Anyway, here endeth the history lesson....have a great weekend all!!!

by the way it is better inlarge