Pencoed Castle is a ruined Tudor mansion, largely dating from the 16th century, in the parish of Llanmartin, now within the city of Newport, south Wales.^[1][2] It is located about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) east of Llanmartin village, and 0.5 miles (0.80 km) south-east of Llandevaud, at the end of a farm lane.

Quick Facts Location, Coordinates ...

Pencoed Castle
The gatehouse at Pencoed
Location	Llanmartin, Newport, Wales
Coordinates	51°36′01″N 2°51′31″W
OS grid reference	ST 406 894
Built	c.1500–1560
Listed Building – Grade II*
Designated	3 March 1952
Location of Pencoed Castle in Newport

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Some outbuildings, which may be habitable, exist on the grounds. The property was sold in September 2020 but specifics were not provided as to the new owner or the plans for the property. In the meantime, it remained in ruins, not open to the public.

The Welsh name Pen-coed means "end of the wood", and refers to the site's location at the southwestern extremity of the Wentwood forest.^[3] It was the site of a Norman castle, owned by Sir Richard de la More in 1270. The tower at the south-west corner of the extant ruins dates from the late 13th century.^[3][4][5] The manor of Llanmartin was owned by the Kemeys family around 1300, but it is not clear whether Pencoed was a separate manor at that time.^[3]

By about 1470, the estate was in the hands of the Morgan family of Tredegar. It seems to have been owned by Morgan ap Jenkin Philip, and then his son, Sir Thomas Morgan (c.1453–1510), who is thought likely to have fought at the battle of Bosworth in 1485 and who was probably the first of his family to settle at Pencoed.^[3] He was followed by his son Sir William Morgan (c.1480–1542), and in turn his son Sir Thomas Morgan (c.1513–1565).^[6] After the end of the Wars of the Roses, the more peaceful nature of society allowed such houses to be built.^[3] According to the architectural writer John Newman, it is likely that parts of the remaining building were built by the first Sir Thomas before 1510, and the main range and gatehouse by his grandson (also Sir Thomas) between 1542 and 1565.^[4] In about 1545, John Leland mentioned Pencoed as the home of Sir Thomas Morgan, and described it as "a fair maner place".^[3]

Around 1584, the estate became the property of Sir Walter Montagu, the husband of Thomas Morgan's grand-daughter Anne; Montagu was also responsible for founding almshouses at Chepstow. In 1701, Montagu's descendants sold Pencoed to John Jeffreys, MP. His son in turn sold it in 1749 to Admiral Thomas Mathews of Llandaff, also an MP. In later years the property was owned successively by Sir Mark Wood, Sir Robert Salusbury, and Thomas Perry, but became increasingly dilapidated and ruined, and was let out to farmers.^[3]

According to Newman, "the large and imposing Tudor mansion languishes as an unconsolidated ruin in a farmyard. To come upon it at the end of an inconsequential lane is quite a shock."^[4]

The tower is the earliest part of the building; it is built of Old Red Sandstone and is largely intact. The gatehouse is entirely of Tudor origin, and "on a much grander scale". It is rectangular in plan, of three storeys, with square turrets. The main range is largely intact, rising to three storeys and constructed of ashlar stone, similar to that of Raglan Castle, built around the same time.^[4] It has a battlemented parapet. The great hall has a central three-storey porch, with a two storey range on the south side and a three-storey building on the north side. There is also a three-storey northern parlour wing, which originally housed kitchens, and the remains of a south wing.^[4][5]

The interior of the building was reported as entirely ruined, apart from the rooms rebuilt for Lord Rhondda, and largely unsurveyed.^[4][5][22] Close to the house are the ruins of a 16th-century dovecote. There is also a continuous range of stone-built barns, probably of the 16th and 17th centuries.^[4]

A 2011 site survey provided these specifics as to the condition at that time: "courtyard castle, now derelict and abandoned. Parts are completely ruined, other parts have been partially restored, chiefly the range on the east side of the courtyard ... The main residential block was along the eastern side of the courtyard. This stands largely intact and partially restored. Close to the north side of the castle stands a twentieth century house..."^[9]

The description before sale in 2020 suggested that some restoration had been completed on the property. The former farm house contained three residential flats while a detached bungalow contained another flat.^[19]

Pencoed Castle was given Grade II* listed building status on 3 March 1952.^[5] The ruins are not open to the public. The castle grounds, which contain evidence of a Tudor terraced garden, are listed at Grade II on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.^[23]