Wales · Partial ruin
Wiston Castle
Wiston Castle is a Norman motte-and-bailey castle in the village of Wiston, Pembrokeshire, founded by the Flemish settler Wizo and later abandoned in the late 13th century. The site retains a prominent earthen motte topped by a polygonal stone shell-keep and a large oval bailey with surviving earthen banks; it is a Cadw-managed Grade I listed site open to the public.
First raised
1050
Its prime
1225
Today
Partial ruin
As it stood in 1225
The shape it held in its prime.
Wiston Castle sits atop a grassy motte about 9 m high accessed by a straight flight of roughly fifty steps; the flat summit is ringed by a low polygonal rubble-stone shell-keep formed of about eighteen short external facets, some of which have subsided to the north. The shell-keep has a single arched entrance on the south side with draw-bar holes in the jambs and a circular interior. Below the motte lies a large oval bailey defined by a pronounced earthen bank amid pasture and scattered mature trees.
Its story
The story of Wiston Castle.
Wiston Castle and its village were founded by Wizo, a Flemish settler granted the land by Henry I of England after the king wrested control from Arnulf de Montgomery, then in revolt against him. The motte-and-bailey that resulted is one of the best examples of its type in Wales, its earthen mound crowned by a polygonal stone shell-keep above a large oval bailey.
The Welsh captured the castle on several occasions, and each time it was retaken. In 1193 Hywel the Saxon, son of Lord Rhys, attacked the Flemings, captured Wiston and took Wizo's son Philip captive along with his wife and sons. Llywelyn Fawr sacked the castle in 1220, after which William Marshall the younger, Marcher Earl of Pembroke, ordered its restoration.
The castle was abandoned during the thirteenth century, when its owner moved to nearby Picton Castle. The motte and the bailey's earthen banks survive opposite St Mary Magdalene Church, reached by around 50 steps; the site is in the care of Cadw, a Grade I listed building and a Scheduled Monument.
Step inside
8 places to explore in 1225.
The record describes 8 distinct spots at Wiston Castle — including 1 interior: interior of the shell-keep. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and walk through every one — more scenes means more photos, more angles and more rooms of the immersive experience.
Create History
Recreate Wiston Castle with AI to explore it.
The artist rebuilds it as it stood in 1225 — a photoreal walk that belongs to you alone. Pay with coins, no subscription needed.
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