Western Mail - 26 September 2008
It was burnt to the ground twice by rebellious Welsh princes, its halls are reportedly walked by a wailing ghost and it was once “Camelot” for the ancient lords of Gower.
But it seemed the march of time had finally caught up with the majestic Oystermouth Castle overlooking Swansea Bay at Mumbles. Until the National Lottery came along.
Yesterday, a £1.7m restoration project, including £800,000 of National Lottery Heritage Fund money, was announced to save the castle from closure.
Around 50% of the crumbling medieval castle is currently closed to the public for safety reasons but the new cash injection will help return it to something like its former glory.
The money has come from a variety of sources including the lottery money, £569,000 from Swansea council and £400,000 from Cadw.
A further £6,000 will come from the Friends of Oystermouth Castle with the money used to do conservation works and build a new interpretation centre within the disused chapel block. The castle began its long and colourful life in 1106 at a time when the King of England, Henry I, defeated his older brother Robert Curthouse, Duke of Normandy at Tinchebrai and had him imprisoned at Devizes Castle.
Then, the first fortress at Oystermouth, set on a bank overlooking the sea was established by William De Londres who also built Ogmore (from the ancient Welsh Oeg Mor, Salmon Water) on the banks of the Ewenny.
But it did not go down well with the marauding Princes of Deheubarth, based at Dinefwr near Llandeilo, who burnt the castle down in 1116.
Deheubarth was created by Hwyel Dda (Hwyel the Good) in 905 and it would eventually be divided into Pembrokeshire, Cardiganshire and Carmarthenshire.
After Oystermouth Castle was rebuilt, the Princes came back and put it to the torch once again in 1215.
But John de Braose, a Marcher Lord of Gower once again rebuilt the castle, this time in hard-to-burn stone and its glory days began. The castle was a three-storey residence with fireplaces and garderobes (medieval toilets) on each floor. It was so well situated the Lords of Gower used it as their headquarters.
It was the “Camelot” of the Swansea Bay region with important meetings held in its great hall, important visitors received there (Edward I stayed there in December 1284) and jousting tournaments and feasts were held in its grounds.
In the 14th century Lady Alenora de Braose, the daughter of the last male of the De Broase line improved the chapel adding fine traceries to its vast windows (the delicate stone work can still be seen today). Eventually the castle was owned by the Somerset family who became the Dukes of Beaufort.
But, by the 1600s, the castle had declined in importance and survey of Gower at that described it as “an old, decayed castle of little use but in a pleasant situation”.
In the 1840s, restoration work was carried out but in 1927 the then Duke of Beaufort handed the castle over to the Swansea Corporation (council).
In a 2003 report, Cadw labelled the Grade I-listed monument as being the castle in the worst condition of those that were open to the public in Wales.
It concluded that restoration work was critical in order to avoid its inevitable closure, with the coming works aimed at returning access to 95% of its public area.
Yesterday, Roger Parmiter, spokesman for the Friends of Oystermouth Castle welcomed the latest restoration project. It is hoped this will increase visitor numbers from 6,000 to 11,000 by 2011 with the Friends of Oystermouth Castle continuing to manage the day-to-day running of the attraction on a voluntary basis.
He said: “There’s great affection for Oystermouth Castle among local people and this funding news is the single most important event in 150 years of the castle’s recent history.
“The money will mean the creation of a wonderful new visitor centre on site and we hope the castle will be able to remain open for longer hours.
“It has suffered badly and we’re delighted these contributions will ensure it is conserved for the future.”
Chairman of the Heritage Lottery Fund Committee for Wales, Dan Clayton Jones, said: “Without this funding, we would undoubtedly lose Oystermouth Castle which would not only mean the demise of a significant local historical asset but also the vital community engagement which has kept the castle alive over recent years.”
Swansea council leader councillor Chris Holley added: “It is one of the most famous landmarks in this area and it has a fascinating history.”
