Haverfordwest Castle
Haverfordwest Castle
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3.5
68 reviews
Excellent
12
Very good
17
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22
Poor
11
Terrible
6
justmeYorkshire
Bury St. Edmunds, UK176 contributions
Jul 2022
We would not have visited this castle without the car parking available at the top of the hill, as the approach road is very steep.
The castle, as expected, is a ruin, and looks uncared for. Some work was going on whilst we were there, so perhaps there are plans to present it more favourably. There were no information boards and the place was uninviting. However, the museum in the former prison governor's house was excellent, and provided information not only about the castle but the other building and the town. There was a huge amount to see, with many artefacts and detialed information. This is also the place where you need to get a parking permit, included in the inexpensive cost of entry.
The building in the centre has been a gaol, police HQ and county records office. Sadly it now lies empty and neglected.
The museum is the real treasure here.
The castle, as expected, is a ruin, and looks uncared for. Some work was going on whilst we were there, so perhaps there are plans to present it more favourably. There were no information boards and the place was uninviting. However, the museum in the former prison governor's house was excellent, and provided information not only about the castle but the other building and the town. There was a huge amount to see, with many artefacts and detialed information. This is also the place where you need to get a parking permit, included in the inexpensive cost of entry.
The building in the centre has been a gaol, police HQ and county records office. Sadly it now lies empty and neglected.
The museum is the real treasure here.
Written July 13, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Bubbles73uk
Weedon Bec, UK809 contributions
Sep 2021
Pembrokeshire's ancient county town is dominated by the ruins of its imposing castle, so why are there no information boards to tell visitors about the history?
The castle is from the 12th century, and is set atop an isolated ridge in the middle of the town, so is a great position from which to view the town.
I made a short visit and left with no knowledge other than that over the years it has been used as a jail, a police station and council offices, and today it's home to the Haverfordwest Town Museum, which is closed due to covid.
The whole site is neglected and unloved with dog poo and litter everywhere.
Disappointing.
The castle is from the 12th century, and is set atop an isolated ridge in the middle of the town, so is a great position from which to view the town.
I made a short visit and left with no knowledge other than that over the years it has been used as a jail, a police station and council offices, and today it's home to the Haverfordwest Town Museum, which is closed due to covid.
The whole site is neglected and unloved with dog poo and litter everywhere.
Disappointing.
Written September 26, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
johncZ4852NW
Kingsteignton, UK362 contributions
Jun 2021
Haverfordwest Castle not the best castle ruins in Wales, it sits up on the hill and at the time the museum was closed. Some of the castle is shut-up and there is limited amounts of ruins to see. The car park appears to be residents only so there is a nice walk uphill to see the ruins. I must say I was slightly disappointed with the lack of information.
Written July 19, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
TeamWard
Nottingham, UK5,166 contributions
Aug 2020
Haverfordwest castle is mostly a ruin and wasn't open due to covid or neglect when we visited, it was the 3rd wet castle of the day and they all look horrible places to visit in these conditions.
Written October 3, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
darceyhorse
Swansea, UK235 contributions
Aug 2020 • Family
We visited during the summer holidays, expecting to find an open attraction as the website does not state otherwise. The castle was accessible but the office/museum was locked with a lady sat at a desk.
The disappointment however came from the terrible state of the castle itself. Human and dog waste littered the place, rubbish was strewn everywhere. There were empty alcohol cans and syringes in places too! It was truly not what we were expecting.
So much more could be made of this site, especially as there is so much history here. There was no information or any signs outlining any of what must be hundreds of interesting facts associated with the past. They’ve clearly missed a trick here!
The disappointment however came from the terrible state of the castle itself. Human and dog waste littered the place, rubbish was strewn everywhere. There were empty alcohol cans and syringes in places too! It was truly not what we were expecting.
So much more could be made of this site, especially as there is so much history here. There was no information or any signs outlining any of what must be hundreds of interesting facts associated with the past. They’ve clearly missed a trick here!
Written August 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Sarah B
Teignmouth, UK127 contributions
Nov 2019
November is not the right time of year to visit this castle apparently. You can walk around for free and stand and stare at the ruined walls but if you want any history or even a bit of information it's in the museum...which is shut. Bit of a shame really.
Written November 22, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Welsh NZers
Auckland Central, New Zealand1,026 contributions
Jul 2019
We walked to the Castle ruins from our Hotel and although they don't have flash signage, they're certainly interesting with the Museum providing more detailed information than the signs outside. This Norman Castle, built by Gilbert de Clare in around 1290 (1st Earl of Pembroke), as it had a natural defensible position. It's had a colourful past with one of its previous owners in the 14th Century being Edward, the Black Prince. Oliver Cromwell ordered the Castle be destroyed in 1648 and was going to imprison the towns people if they didn't demolish it. You can read these letters in the Museum next to the Castle - they were only discovered in 1986. The Pembrokeshire Record Office is located on the site which was originally the Prison. We were very glad we'd included this historic landmark in our itinerary.
Written November 3, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Carol B
Birmingham, UK5,946 contributions
Aug 2019
Saturday 17 August 19, My husband and I decided to go to visit Haverfordwest Castle, situated high on a hill in the centre of the town. Haverfordwest Castle is a stone keep motte and bailey fortress built between 1110 and 1113.
The castle was built by Tancred the Fleming, husband, of Gwladus (the aunt of Gerald of Wales). Gilbert de Clare appointed Trancred’s son Richard fitz-Tranced as the custodian
The castle was first attacked (unsuccessfully) by Gruffydd AP Rhus, Prince of Deheubarth, between 1135 and 1136. In 1173 the castle had its first royal visit by Henry II of England who passed by the town coming back from a trip to Ireland. In 1188 Gerald of Wales visited the castle with Archbishop Baldwin during his progress around Wales preaching for the 3rd Crusade that Richard the First, the Lion Heart led to the Holy Land.
By 1200, many of the original timber buildings had been replaced with the first stone buildings, including a rectangular north eastern tower to serve as the castle's keep. In 1210 King John passed Haverford in order to sail to Ireland to crush a rebellion by the Normans there. In 1213 the King persuaded William Marshal, who had inherited the surrounding Marcher Earldom of Pembroke to garrison the castle in return for an exorbitant sum of money; William Marshall was at this time already extremely wealthy.
William Marshal was responsible for replacing most of the original timber walls, towers and gatehouse with stone in the 1210s, and by 1220 little remained of the original castle. Today all that remains of the 1120 establishment is a large square keep in the north-east corner of the inner ward. This reconstruction to strengthen the castle was due to the persistent attacks during this period.
In 1217, Llewellyn Fawr (Llewellyn the Great)), Prince of Wales threatened William Marshal and in 1220 he burned the town but failed to take the castle. Following the burning of the town, it was rebuilt greater than before and developed quickly in the 13th century as a commercial centre due to its position and its navel links at the centre of Pembrokeshire.
In 1248, Humphrey II de Bohun acquired the castle and resisted an attack in 1257 by Llywelyn AP Gruffudd, Prince of Gwynedd (Llywelyn the Last). In 1265, Haverfordwest castle was taken by William de Valence, Earl of Pembroke, during the Second Baron’s War, but in 1274 royalty intervened and granted it back to the de Bohun family, to the next generation, Humphrey III de Bohun.
In 1284 King Edward I and Queen Eleanor of Castile visited the castle for the first time during a royal pilgrimage to St David’s. Eleanor fell in love with the castle. Four years later she borrowed a huge amount of money, from the de Bohun family and loaned £407 to fully rebuild the castle and complete its transition fully into stone. A massive scale re-construction took place, and it was completed a year later in 1290, shortly before she died, the castle then became known as the "Queen's Castle at Haverford".
Today much of what remains is dated to Queen Eleanor's 1290 version, including the extensive curtain wall. The castle remained in Royal possession after Eleanor's death and it was granted out to various wealthy tenants. In the 14th century, the castle was occupied by many owners; amongst them was Edward, the Black Prince, from 1359 to 1367. The castle was owned by the crown from 1381to 1385, who paid for restoration works of the castle. These works proved important later, as in 1405 the castle was strong enough to fend off an attack during Owain Glyndwr’s War of Welsh Independence The town walls around the high ground near the castle also did much to protect the castle from invaders, although nothing remains of these town walls today.
By the 16th century, however, the castle had become dilapidated and subsequently was re-fortified during the English Civil War. In 1644 Haverfordwest Castle was occupied by the Royalists, but they abandoned it after misinterpreting the noises of cows for a Parliamentary army. It was recaptured and held for the king for a year, who finally surrendered it after the Battle of Colby Moor. Oliver Cromwell sent letters to the castle, ordering it to be destroyed in July 1648 and threatened to imprison the townsfolk unless it was demolished. This derelict medieval castle was then converted to a prison in 1779
My husband and I took lots of photographs of this historic and important castles. If you are a history fan and love castle, then this is one for your bucket list.
PLEASE NOTE: There is parking at the castle, but you must get a free parking ticket from the museum, otherwise you run the risk of being clamped and a £ 70 fine.
The castle was built by Tancred the Fleming, husband, of Gwladus (the aunt of Gerald of Wales). Gilbert de Clare appointed Trancred’s son Richard fitz-Tranced as the custodian
The castle was first attacked (unsuccessfully) by Gruffydd AP Rhus, Prince of Deheubarth, between 1135 and 1136. In 1173 the castle had its first royal visit by Henry II of England who passed by the town coming back from a trip to Ireland. In 1188 Gerald of Wales visited the castle with Archbishop Baldwin during his progress around Wales preaching for the 3rd Crusade that Richard the First, the Lion Heart led to the Holy Land.
By 1200, many of the original timber buildings had been replaced with the first stone buildings, including a rectangular north eastern tower to serve as the castle's keep. In 1210 King John passed Haverford in order to sail to Ireland to crush a rebellion by the Normans there. In 1213 the King persuaded William Marshal, who had inherited the surrounding Marcher Earldom of Pembroke to garrison the castle in return for an exorbitant sum of money; William Marshall was at this time already extremely wealthy.
William Marshal was responsible for replacing most of the original timber walls, towers and gatehouse with stone in the 1210s, and by 1220 little remained of the original castle. Today all that remains of the 1120 establishment is a large square keep in the north-east corner of the inner ward. This reconstruction to strengthen the castle was due to the persistent attacks during this period.
In 1217, Llewellyn Fawr (Llewellyn the Great)), Prince of Wales threatened William Marshal and in 1220 he burned the town but failed to take the castle. Following the burning of the town, it was rebuilt greater than before and developed quickly in the 13th century as a commercial centre due to its position and its navel links at the centre of Pembrokeshire.
In 1248, Humphrey II de Bohun acquired the castle and resisted an attack in 1257 by Llywelyn AP Gruffudd, Prince of Gwynedd (Llywelyn the Last). In 1265, Haverfordwest castle was taken by William de Valence, Earl of Pembroke, during the Second Baron’s War, but in 1274 royalty intervened and granted it back to the de Bohun family, to the next generation, Humphrey III de Bohun.
In 1284 King Edward I and Queen Eleanor of Castile visited the castle for the first time during a royal pilgrimage to St David’s. Eleanor fell in love with the castle. Four years later she borrowed a huge amount of money, from the de Bohun family and loaned £407 to fully rebuild the castle and complete its transition fully into stone. A massive scale re-construction took place, and it was completed a year later in 1290, shortly before she died, the castle then became known as the "Queen's Castle at Haverford".
Today much of what remains is dated to Queen Eleanor's 1290 version, including the extensive curtain wall. The castle remained in Royal possession after Eleanor's death and it was granted out to various wealthy tenants. In the 14th century, the castle was occupied by many owners; amongst them was Edward, the Black Prince, from 1359 to 1367. The castle was owned by the crown from 1381to 1385, who paid for restoration works of the castle. These works proved important later, as in 1405 the castle was strong enough to fend off an attack during Owain Glyndwr’s War of Welsh Independence The town walls around the high ground near the castle also did much to protect the castle from invaders, although nothing remains of these town walls today.
By the 16th century, however, the castle had become dilapidated and subsequently was re-fortified during the English Civil War. In 1644 Haverfordwest Castle was occupied by the Royalists, but they abandoned it after misinterpreting the noises of cows for a Parliamentary army. It was recaptured and held for the king for a year, who finally surrendered it after the Battle of Colby Moor. Oliver Cromwell sent letters to the castle, ordering it to be destroyed in July 1648 and threatened to imprison the townsfolk unless it was demolished. This derelict medieval castle was then converted to a prison in 1779
My husband and I took lots of photographs of this historic and important castles. If you are a history fan and love castle, then this is one for your bucket list.
PLEASE NOTE: There is parking at the castle, but you must get a free parking ticket from the museum, otherwise you run the risk of being clamped and a £ 70 fine.
Written September 4, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Terri J
Cwmbran, UK269 contributions
Jul 2019 • Family
We were staying in Haverfordwest and thought we would visit the castle. It was a fair walk up a steep hill and lots of steps from the car park.
When we arrived the museum was closed, but we were still able to walk around the castle. There isn’t really much left and no information around to tell you anything about it. I’m sure there’s information in the museum, but a couple of information boards outside would be useful.
It was really small and probably not worth making a special trip there just to see the castle.
When we arrived the museum was closed, but we were still able to walk around the castle. There isn’t really much left and no information around to tell you anything about it. I’m sure there’s information in the museum, but a couple of information boards outside would be useful.
It was really small and probably not worth making a special trip there just to see the castle.
Written July 27, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
bdon257
Morpeth, UK4,987 contributions
May 2019 • Friends
The ruins of this castle could be improved with information which didn’t seem to be accessible. It didn’t seem worth the effort in visiting unless you are particularly interested.
Written May 5, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
laura b
Chorley, UK6 contributions
What is the cost of getting into the castle please
charlieangel68
Darlington, UK61 contributions
I walked round the castle didn't cost anything when I went but the Museum I have been told costs but don't know how much sorry
Paul L
3 contributions
I am a nat trust and eng heritage member. does it cost to visit?
charlieangel68
Darlington, UK61 contributions
Nothing to look round the castle, but the museum does
Paul L
3 contributions
how much is the entrance. I am a member of nat trust and english heritage
charlieangel68
Darlington, UK61 contributions
No doesn't cost to get into the castle, but there is a museum which might cost just not sure how much
Anything missing or inaccurate?
Suggest an editHaverfordwest Castle - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go
Frequently Asked Questions about Haverfordwest Castle
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