The £1.75m Welsh manor house built on a medieval castle

Nation.Cymru Staff

A Grade I-listed Welsh manor house built on the site of a medieval castle has gone on the market for £1.75 million.

Penyclawdd Court, near Abergavenny, is believed to date back in part to the 16th century and stands on the site of the former Penyclawdd Castle’s bailey.

After refurbishment in the 19th century, the property was granted Grade I-listed status in 1952, with further repairs carried out between 1984 and 1997.

It later operated as a bed and breakfast before being sold in 2021 and returning to use as a private home.

Appearing in several historic works, such as Joseph Bradney’s History of Monmouthshire and The Welsh Academy encyclopaedia of Wales, the house has been described as a “roomy mansion” and “a memorable manor house with splendid chimney stacks”.

The Tudor and Stuart manor house, situated at the foot of Bryn Arw in Y Mynydd Du, retains several 16th and 17th-century features alongside additions from modern renovations.

Through a battened door, the original cross passage leads into the Great Hall, now used as a sitting room, while the adjoining dining room features a large stone fireplace and exposed beams.

As well as historic features such as flagstone floors and hidden stone staircases, the ground floor, particularly the kitchen, has modern comforts like a Goose Grey Everhot oven and island.

Upstairs, the six bedrooms include the former Court Room with a moulded fireplace, as well as attic bedrooms with chamfered ceiling beams, which the agent notes “provide scope for creative or practical use”.

Outside, the Mediterranean-inspired walled garden is filled with olive and fig trees, while a terrace provides views over the Norman motte and bailey known as Penyclawdd Castle.

Thought to date to the 11th century, this structure may have been constructed by Roger de Hastings in response to an uprising against William the Conqueror.

A manor on the grounds was in the possession of Laurence Hastings, 1st Earl of Pembroke, in 1349, centuries before the current house was constructed.

Within the six acres of grounds and paddocks, there is a stone barn and traditional cart shed, currently used for storage.

For further historic locations nearby, the agent recommends the Crown Inn at Pantygelli, which also dates back to the 16th century.

Abergavenny is around a 10-minute drive away, while the countryside around the property offers walking and riding routes across the Sugar Loaf, Skirrid and Blorenge mountains, with the Wye Valley, Bannau Brycheiniog National Park and the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal also within reach.

This area is also the subject of much historical interest, with some artefacts even dating back to the prehistoric period. By 2000, 183 flints, including nine blades, had been unearthed on the site at Bryn Arw by archaeologists. 

The Penyclawdd Court listing from Powells, Monmouth is available to view in full here.

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