Clan Rising
Pen y Bryn today

Wales · Still standing

Pen y Bryn

Pen y Bryn is a small stone country house commonly referred to as a castle, standing in a wooded Welsh valley. The building combines a long two-storey gabled main block with a tall cylindrical tower at one end, set around a circular forecourt and lawn within a gravel drive.

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Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

Its prime

1880

Today

Still standing

As it stood in 1880

What Pen y Bryn looked like in its prime.

Long rectangular two-storey stone main block with a steep slate roof punctured by gabled dormers and multiple stone chimneys; central arched entrance reached by a short flight of steps. At the building's right end rises a tall cylindrical tower with narrow vertical windows and a conical roof; tower walls are the same pale-grey rubble stone. The house sits at the head of a circular gravel drive enclosing a round grassy forecourt, surrounded by mature trees and a wooded valley.

Its story

The story of Pen y Bryn.

Pen y Bryn stands within Garth Celyn, a double bank and ditch overlooking the Menai Strait to Anglesey, at Abergwyngregyn between Bangor and Conwy. There is evidence of long use and multiple rebuildings before 1624, the date to which the present roof timbers have been tree-ring dated, when the house was refurbished, though historians disagree on the duration and nature of its mediaeval use. The building incorporates a four-storey stone tower.

In 1553 Rhys Thomas and his wife Jane acquired the house from the Crown. A smaller house stood immediately adjacent when Sir Richard Colt-Hoare recorded it in 1811; it was demolished by 1815. Built mainly of broken stone with roughly dressed quoins under a slate roof, the two-storey manor house is commonly referred to as a castle.

Step inside

7 places to explore in 1880.

The record describes 7 distinct spots at Pen y Bryn, including the full exterior approach. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.

Approach from the iron gateOn the circular forecourt lawnAt the main entrance stepsBeside the tower baseAlong the southwest façadeWoodland path behind the houseService yard at the east side

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The artist rebuilds it as it stood in 1880, a photoreal reconstruction that belongs to you alone. Pay with coins, no subscription needed.

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Whose castle

Clans who held Pen y Bryn.

The families that held Pen y Bryn for a decade or more across its history, follow a name to its clan.

  • Thomas

    Rhys Thomas and his wife Jane acquired the house from the Crown in 1553.

Nearby

Landmarks within reach of Pen y Bryn.

Menai Suspension Bridge, WalesBridgeMenai Suspension Bridge10 km awayBritannia Bridge, WalesBridgeBritannia Bridge12 km awayQ634054, WalesFortressQ63405413 km away

Questions about Pen y Bryn

What is the history of Pen y Bryn?

Pen y Bryn has evidence of long use and multiple rebuildings before the present roof timbers were dated to 1624. In 1553, Rhys Thomas and his wife Jane acquired the house from the Crown. A smaller adjacent house recorded in 1811 was demolished by 1815, while the tower may have been added later and further additions were made in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Why was Pen y Bryn built, and what was it used for?

Pen y Bryn was a manor house, and its use included residential occupation; the supplied material does not state a more specific original purpose. It stands within Garth Celyn, a double bank and ditch overlooking the Menai Strait, and incorporates a four-storey stone tower. Its present roof timbers date to 1624, when the house was refurbished.

Where is Pen y Bryn?

Pen y Bryn is at Abergwyngregyn in Gwynedd, between Bangor and Conwy in north-west Wales. It stands within Garth Celyn, overlooking the Menai Strait to Anglesey, adjacent to the A55. The house is five miles east of Bangor and eight miles west of Conwy.

When was Pen y Bryn built?

Pen y Bryn’s original construction date is not recorded, but the present building belongs to a history of earlier use and rebuilding. Its present roof timbers were felled between 1619 and 1624 and dated to 1624, when the house was refurbished. The tower may be a slightly later addition, with further additions in the early eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Was Pen y Bryn ever attacked or besieged?

Pen y Bryn was not described as having been attacked or besieged in the supplied material. The historical account instead records long use, multiple rebuildings, its acquisition from the Crown in 1553, and later additions. No siege, assault, attacker or outcome is identified.

Which family or clan held Pen y Bryn?

Rhys Thomas and his wife Jane held Pen y Bryn after acquiring it from the Crown in 1553. This is the documented family connection supplied for the house. No earlier or later clan holding is identified in the curated family claims.

What did Pen y Bryn look like in its prime?

In its prime, Pen y Bryn was a long rectangular two-storey stone house with a steep slate roof, gabled dormers and several stone chimneys. A central arched entrance stood above a short flight of steps. At one end was a tall cylindrical tower with narrow vertical windows and a conical roof, set beside a circular gravel drive and grassy forecourt.

Is Pen y Bryn still standing or is it a ruin?

Pen y Bryn is still standing and is described as intact. It is built mainly of broken stone with roughly dressed quoins beneath a slate roof, and the present structure incorporates a four-storey stone tower. The house also has a Grade II* listed building designation, and Garth Celyn is a scheduled monument.

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