Dunraven Castle
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Dunraven Castle (or in Welsh, Castell Dwnrhefn) was a mansion on the South Wales coast near Southerndown. The existing manor house was rebuilt as a castellated hunting lodge in the early 19th century and was extensively remodelled later in the century. The surviving parts of the house are a Grade II listed building and its gardens and park are designated Grade II on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.
History[edit]
The site of the castle was the location for several earlier fortifications, the first of which is said to have been built by Arnold le Boteler (Butler) in the mid-12th century.[1] By the 16th century, a manor house owned by the Vaughan family stood on the site, its existence recorded by John Leland.[2]
In 1642 the house was sold to the Wyndham family. Thomas Wyndham of Dunraven was MP for Glamorgan from 1789 to his death in 1814. He rebuilt the manor house as a castellated hunting lodge in 1802–1806. The building was designed by his wife, although it was probably based on Clearwell Castle.[2]
The estate then passed to their daughter Caroline, who in 1810 had married the Irishman Windham Henry Quin (1782–1850), later 2nd Earl of Dunraven;[3] in 1815 he assumed the additional name of Wyndham in right of his wife, becoming Windham Wyndham-Quin.[4]
Caroline began remodelling the building in 1858; the central tower was replaced by a conservatory and the north and south wings were enlarged by Egbert Moxham.[2] It was inherited by Edwin Wyndham-Quin, 3rd Earl of Dunraven and Mount-Earl, MP for Glamorganshire 1837–1851, and descendants. It was lived in until after the Second World War, having been used as a military hospital. The house was demolished in 1963. [5]
The castle's walled garden, gatehouse and several other structures survive[2] and are part of the Glamorgan Heritage Coast.[6] They are designated Grade II on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.[7]
References[edit]
- ^ "A Brief History of Southerndown". St. Brides Major, Southerndown and Ogmore-by-Sea Community Website. Retrieved 2011-10-12.
- ^ a b c d Cadw. "Entrance gateway with flanking wall at Dunraven House (Grade II) (21797)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
- ^ A Governess in the Age of Jane Austen. The Journals and Letters of Agnes Porter, ed. Joanna Martin (London: Hambledon Press, 1998), p. 346. ISBN 1852851643
- ^ "QUIN (afterwards WYNDHAM QUIN), Windham Henry (1782–1850), of Adare, co. Limerick". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
- ^ "BBC – Dunraven Castle – home of legends". BBC News. 2009-03-19. Retrieved 2011-10-12.
- ^ "Glamorgan Heritage Coast". www.valeofglamorgan.gov.uk. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
- ^ Cadw. "Dunraven Park (PGW(Gm)4(GLA))". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
- Buildings and structures demolished in 1963
- Castles in the Vale of Glamorgan
- Country houses in Wales
- Registered historic parks and gardens in the Vale of Glamorgan
- Demolished buildings and structures in Wales
- Former castles in Wales
- Houses completed in 1803
- Houses in the Vale of Glamorgan
- Wyndham family residences