Wales · 11th century
Wiston Castle ranks #4,900 of 9,040 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #86 of the 107 mapped in Wales. Founded c. 1100, it is older than 85% of the atlas's dated landmarks, one of 439 atlas entries founded in the 11th century. 12 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Swansea, 68 km away. See how Wales compares in the castle statistics.
Wiston Castle (Welsh: Castell Cas-wis) is a motte and bailey castle in the Pembrokeshire village of Wiston in south west Wales and is one of the best examples of its type in Wales. The castle and village were founded by Wizo, a Flemish settler who was granted the land by Henry I of England after he had wrested control from the previous owner, Arnulf de Montgomery (who was in revolt against Henry). The castle was captured by the Welsh on several occasions but on each occasion it was retaken. It was abandoned during the thirteenth century when the then owner moved to nearby Picton Castle.
The castle is situated opposite St Mary Magdalene Church and there are approximately 50 steps leading up to it. It is in the care of Cadw and is a Grade I listed building and a Scheduled Monument.
Text adapted from “Wiston Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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