The original Norman earth and timber stronghold stood to the west of the present castle which was built between 1299 and 1305 by Sir John Wogan, justicier of Ireland. Picton reputedly resembles a group of Irish castles such as Carlow and Ferns. The castle claims to have been uninterruptedly occupied since the Middle Ages and for the last 500 years by one family.
The original Norman earth and timber stronghold stood to the west of the present castle which was built between 1299 and 1305 by Sir John Wogan, justicier of Ireland. Picton reputedly resembles a group of Irish castles such as Carlow and Ferns. The castle claims to have been uninterruptedly occupied since the Middle Ages and for the last 500 years by one family.
In the late 14th early 15th C’s during the Owain Glyndwr uprising, Picton was captured by the French mercenaries who landed at Milford in support of the Welsh cause. Again, in 1645 during the Civil War, Picton was occupied, firstly by the Royalists and then the parliamentarians.
Picton Castle is formed of a rectangular block with two drum towers on each of the long sides; one of the short sides has two towers placed so closely together that they resemble a gatehouse. A ‘modernisation’ programme at the end of the 17th C caused part of the curtain wall to be removed in order to build a terrace which gave access to the first floor. In the early 19thC a tower on the west side was removed and a large castellated four storey addition was made.
The interior is 18th C in style. The ‘hall’ is now a reception room decorated with classically inspired plasterwork. On the balustraded gallery is a Snetzler organ, one of only two in Wales, the other is in The National Museum of Wales.
Click here for the Picton Castle website
Please feel free to add a link to this page from your own website by copying and pasting the following code: