Margam Castle: Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox historic site |
{{Infobox historic site |
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| name = Margam Castle |
| name = Margam Castle |
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| image = |
| image = Margam Castle (geograph 6155500).jpg |
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| caption = |
| caption = |
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| type = House |
| type = House |
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| designation4_number = 23266}} |
| designation4_number = 23266}} |
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'''Margam Castle''', [[Margam]], [[Port Talbot]], Wales, is a [[Georgian architecture|late Georgian]] [[country house]] built for [[Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot]]. Designed by [[Thomas Hopper (architect)|Thomas Hopper]], the castle was constructed in a [[Tudor Revival architecture|Tudor Revival]] style over a five-year period, from 1830 to 1835. |
'''Margam Castle''', [[Margam]], [[Port Talbot]], Wales, is a [[Georgian architecture|late Georgian]] [[country house]] built for [[Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot]]. Designed by [[Thomas Hopper (architect)|Thomas Hopper]], the castle was constructed in a [[Tudor Revival architecture|Tudor Revival]] style over a five-year period, from 1830 to 1835. The site had been occupied for some 4,000 years. A [[Listed building|Grade I listed building]], the castle is now in the care of [[Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council]]. The castle stands within [[Margam Country Park]], the former estate to the house. The park is listed at Grade I on the [[Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales]]. |
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==History== |
==History== |
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The Margam estate was occupied in the [[Iron Age]], and the remains of a [[hill fort]] from that period, Mynydd-y-Castell, |
The Margam estate was occupied in the [[Iron Age]], and the remains of a [[hill fort]] from that period, Mynydd-y-Castell, stands north of the castle.<ref>{{Watprn|coflein|301336}}. {{Watprn|GGAT|00756w}}. Cadw SAM: GM162: Mynydd y Castell Camp</ref> After the [[Norman Invasion of Wales]], [[Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester]], and Lord of Glamorgan, granted the lands at Margam to [[Clairvaux Abbey]], for the establishment of a new [[Cistercians|Cistercian]] monastery which became [[Margam Abbey]].{{sfn|Newman|1995|p=421}} Following the [[Dissolution of the Monasteries]] from 1536, the Margam estate was bought by [[Rice Mansel|Sir Rice (Rhys) Mansel]].{{sfn|Newman|1995|pp=421–422}} His descendants built a substantial Tudor mansion in the park. In the 18th century, this mansion was demolished, and the family returned to one of their earlier ancestral homes, [[Penrice Castle]], Thomas Mansel Talbot (1747–1813), commissioning [[Anthony Keck]] to build a new mansion next to the castle ruins.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.peoplescollection.wales/collections/377908|title=Margam House: Thomas Mansel Talbot and Penrice|publisher=Peoples Collection Wales|access-date=7 March 2021}}</ref> Keck was also employed at Margan, which Talbot turned into a [[Margam Country Park|pleasure garden]], using Keck to design an enormous [[orangery]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.margamcountrypark.co.uk/1261|title=The Orangery|publisher=Margam Country Park|access-date=7 March 2021}}</ref> |
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[[Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot]] succeeded his father in 1813 at the age of ten. Enriched by the development of [[Port Talbot]] in the early 19th century,<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/port-talbot-history-origin-name-18664821|title=Family gave its name to Port Talbot and laid industrial foundations|first=Jason|last=Evans|date=2 August 2020|publisher=Wales Online}}</ref> and after making a [[Grand Tour]] of [[Europe]] as a young man, Talbot returned to |
[[Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot]] succeeded his father in 1813 at the age of ten. Enriched by the development of [[Port Talbot]] in the early 19th century,<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/port-talbot-history-origin-name-18664821|title=Family gave its name to Port Talbot and laid industrial foundations|first=Jason|last=Evans|date=2 August 2020|publisher=Wales Online}}</ref> and after making a [[Grand Tour]] of [[Europe]] as a young man, Talbot returned to South Wales and from 1830 re-established Margam as his main seat. A new house, Margam Castle was designed by the [[architect]] [[Thomas Hopper (architect)|Thomas Hopper]] (1776–1856), with [[Edward Haycock Snr]] (1790–1870) as supervisory architect, and designer of parts of the interior and exterior of the house, the stables, terraces and lodges.<ref name="auto1">{{National Historic Assets of Wales|num=14170|desc=Margam Castle|grade=I|access-date=7 March 2021}}</ref> |
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Talbot also took a keen interest in the project, encouraging his architects to borrow elements from [[Lacock Abbey]] in [[Wiltshire]] (ancestral home of the Talbots and home to his cousin [[William Henry Fox Talbot]]) and [[Melbury House]] in [[Dorset]] (home of his mother's family, the Fox-Strangways, [[Earl of Ilchester|Earls of Ilchester]]). William Henry Fox Talbot was a frequent visitor to Margam, and the castle featured as an image in some of his early [[photography|photographic]] experiments.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://talbot.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/search/?f%5Bschaaf_location_facet%5D%5B%5D=Margam+Castle|title=Margam Castle – The William Henry Fox Talbot Catalogue Raisonné Search Results|publisher=Talbot Bodleian Collection, University of Oxford|access-date=7 March 2021}}</ref> Margam's links with photography also include being the location of the earliest known Welsh photograph, a [[daguerreotype]] of the castle taken on 9 March 1841 by the Reverend Calvert Richard Jones.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.library.wales/discover/digital-gallery/photographs/early-swansea-photography-1/margam-castle-daguerreotype|title=Margam Castle Daguerreotype|publisher=The National Library of Wales|access-date=7 March 2021}}</ref> |
Talbot also took a keen interest in the project, encouraging his architects to borrow elements from [[Lacock Abbey]] in [[Wiltshire]] (ancestral home of the Talbots and home to his cousin [[William Henry Fox Talbot]]) and [[Melbury House]] in [[Dorset]] (home of his mother's family, the Fox-Strangways, [[Earl of Ilchester|Earls of Ilchester]]). William Henry Fox Talbot was a frequent visitor to Margam, and the castle featured as an image in some of his early [[photography|photographic]] experiments.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://talbot.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/search/?f%5Bschaaf_location_facet%5D%5B%5D=Margam+Castle|title=Margam Castle – The William Henry Fox Talbot Catalogue Raisonné Search Results|publisher=Talbot Bodleian Collection, University of Oxford|access-date=7 March 2021}}</ref> Margam's links with photography also include being the location of the earliest known Welsh photograph, a [[daguerreotype]] of the castle taken on 9 March 1841 by the Reverend Calvert Richard Jones.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.library.wales/discover/digital-gallery/photographs/early-swansea-photography-1/margam-castle-daguerreotype|title=Margam Castle Daguerreotype|publisher=The National Library of Wales|access-date=7 March 2021}}</ref> |
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After the death of [[Emily Charlotte Talbot]], the daughter of its first owner, the castle passed to her nephew and continued to be used by the Talbot family until 1941, when it was sold.<ref name="auto"/> [[David Evans-Bevan]], who bought it, found it too large to live in, but could not find any public organisation interested in taking it on, and it fell into disrepair. For many years it belonged to the local authority, but was not open to the public. In 1977, a fire caused substantial damage, and it was only after this that a restoration project began in earnest.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.margamcountrypark.co.uk/1242|title=Margam Castle|publisher=Margam Country Park|access-date=7 March 2021}}</ref> |
After the death of [[Emily Charlotte Talbot]], the daughter of its first owner, the castle passed to her nephew and continued to be used by the Talbot family until 1941, when it was sold.<ref name="auto"/> [[David Evans-Bevan]], who bought it, found it too large to live in, but could not find any public organisation interested in taking it on, and it fell into disrepair. For many years it belonged to the local authority, but was not open to the public. In 1977, a fire caused substantial damage, and it was only after this that a restoration project began in earnest.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.margamcountrypark.co.uk/1242|title=Margam Castle|publisher=Margam Country Park|access-date=7 March 2021}}</ref> |
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Margam Castle is in the care of [[Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://coflein.gov.uk/en/|title=Margam Castle|publisher=RCAHMW|access-date=7 March 2021}}</ref> The credulous suggest it may have ghosts.<ref>Bryan, N., "[https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-63404537 Halloween: The ghosts that reside in Wales' spooky castles]," ''BBC News'',31 October 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.</ref> |
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==Architecture== |
==Architecture== |
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[[John Newman (architectural historian)|John Newman]], in his ''Glamorgan'' volume in the [[Pevsner Architectural Guides|Buildings of Wales]] series published in 1995, writes that "Margam has an accumulation of architecture and sculpture unparalleled in Wales".{{sfn|Newman|1995|pp=430-431}} The centrepiece of the estate is the castle. Thomas Hooper designed it in the [[Tudor Revival architecture|Tudor Revival]] style, following examples at [[Ashridge]] in [[Hertfordshire]] and [[Dalmeny House|Dalmeny]] in Scotland.{{sfn|Newman|1995|pp=430-431}} The scale was vast, the cost was £50,000<ref name="auto1"/> and the build quality was such as "could only be afforded by the super-rich".{{sfn|Newman|1995|pp=430-431}} |
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The castle is of two-storeys, constructed in finely-cut [[ashlar]] from a quarry at nearby [[Pyle]]. Entry is through an elaborate porch, and the house is crowned by a prospect tower modelled on that at Melbury.{{sfn|Newman|1995|pp=430-431}} The design is highly asymmetrical with irregular [[gable]]s, [[turrets]], [[parapet]]s, [[Bay window|bay]], [[Lancet window|lancet]] and [[Oriel window|oriel windows]], groups of [[chimney]] stacks and a great deal of [[Heraldry|heraldic]] decoration.<ref name="auto1"/> |
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Margam Castle is a [[Listed building|Grade I listed building]].<ref name="auto1"/> Its service courtyard is listed Grade II*,<ref>{{National Historic Assets of Wales|num=23278|desc=Service buildings including courtyard walls at Margam Castle|grade=II*|access-date=7 March 2021}}</ref> as are the terrace walls and screen,<ref>{{National Historic Assets of Wales|num=14163|desc=Terrace walls and screen at Margam Castle |grade=II*|access-date=7 March 2021}}</ref> while the steps in the terraced garden are listed Grade II.<ref>{{National Historic Assets of Wales|num=23266|desc=Stone steps in terraced garden|grade=II|access-date=7 March 2021}}</ref> |
Margam Castle is a [[Listed building|Grade I listed building]].<ref name="auto1"/> Its service courtyard is listed Grade II*,<ref>{{National Historic Assets of Wales|num=23278|desc=Service buildings including courtyard walls at Margam Castle|grade=II*|access-date=7 March 2021}}</ref> as are the terrace walls and screen,<ref>{{National Historic Assets of Wales|num=14163|desc=Terrace walls and screen at Margam Castle |grade=II*|access-date=7 March 2021}}</ref> while the steps in the terraced garden are listed Grade II.<ref>{{National Historic Assets of Wales|num=23266|desc=Stone steps in terraced garden|grade=II|access-date=7 March 2021}}</ref> |
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| year = 1995 |
| year = 1995 |
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| title = Glamorgan |
| title = Glamorgan |
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| url = https://www.worldcat.org |
| url = https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1131253297 |
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| series = [[Pevsner Architectural Guides|The Buildings of Wales]] |
| series = [[Pevsner Architectural Guides|The Buildings of Wales]] |
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| publisher = [[Penguin Books]] |
| publisher = [[Penguin Books]] |
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| location= London, UK |
| location= London, UK |
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| isbn = 978-0-300-09629-3 |
| isbn = 978-0-300-09629-3 |
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| oclc = 1131253297 |
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}} |
}} |
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[[Category:Tourist attractions in Neath Port Talbot]] |
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Neath Port Talbot]] |
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[[Category:Country houses in Wales]] |
[[Category:Country houses in Wales]] |
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[[Category:Mansel family]] |
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Latest revision as of 19:12, 29 August 2024
| Margam Castle | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Type | House |
| Location | Margam, Neath Port Talbot |
| Coordinates | 51°33′46″N 3°43′31″W / 51.5627°N 3.7254°W |
| Built | 1830–1835 |
| Architect | Thomas Hopper |
| Architectural style(s) | Tudor Revival |
| Owner | Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council |
Listed Building – Grade I | |
| Official name | Margam Castle |
| Designated | 24 February 1975 |
| Reference no. | 14170 |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
| Official name | Service buildings including courtyard walls at Margam Castle |
| Designated | 24 February 1975 |
| Reference no. | 23275 |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
| Official name | Terrace walls and screen at Margam Castle |
| Designated | 24 February 1975 |
| Reference no. | 14163 |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Official name | Stone steps in terraced garden |
| Designated | 25 April 2000 |
| Reference no. | 23266 |
  Location of Margam Castle in Neath Port Talbot | |
Margam Castle, Margam, Port Talbot, Wales, is a late Georgian country house built for Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot. Designed by Thomas Hopper, the castle was constructed in a Tudor Revival style over a five-year period, from 1830 to 1835. The site had been occupied for some 4,000 years. A Grade I listed building, the castle is now in the care of Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council. The castle stands within Margam Country Park, the former estate to the house. The park is listed at Grade I on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.
History
[edit]The Margam estate was occupied in the Iron Age, and the remains of a hill fort from that period, Mynydd-y-Castell, stands north of the castle.[1] After the Norman Invasion of Wales, Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester, and Lord of Glamorgan, granted the lands at Margam to Clairvaux Abbey, for the establishment of a new Cistercian monastery which became Margam Abbey.[2] Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries from 1536, the Margam estate was bought by Sir Rice (Rhys) Mansel.[3] His descendants built a substantial Tudor mansion in the park. In the 18th century, this mansion was demolished, and the family returned to one of their earlier ancestral homes, Penrice Castle, Thomas Mansel Talbot (1747–1813), commissioning Anthony Keck to build a new mansion next to the castle ruins.[4] Keck was also employed at Margan, which Talbot turned into a pleasure garden, using Keck to design an enormous orangery.[5]
Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot succeeded his father in 1813 at the age of ten. Enriched by the development of Port Talbot in the early 19th century,[6] and after making a Grand Tour of Europe as a young man, Talbot returned to South Wales and from 1830 re-established Margam as his main seat. A new house, Margam Castle was designed by the architect Thomas Hopper (1776–1856), with Edward Haycock Snr (1790–1870) as supervisory architect, and designer of parts of the interior and exterior of the house, the stables, terraces and lodges.[7]
Talbot also took a keen interest in the project, encouraging his architects to borrow elements from Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire (ancestral home of the Talbots and home to his cousin William Henry Fox Talbot) and Melbury House in Dorset (home of his mother's family, the Fox-Strangways, Earls of Ilchester). William Henry Fox Talbot was a frequent visitor to Margam, and the castle featured as an image in some of his early photographic experiments.[8] Margam's links with photography also include being the location of the earliest known Welsh photograph, a daguerreotype of the castle taken on 9 March 1841 by the Reverend Calvert Richard Jones.[9]
After the death of Emily Charlotte Talbot, the daughter of its first owner, the castle passed to her nephew and continued to be used by the Talbot family until 1941, when it was sold.[6] David Evans-Bevan, who bought it, found it too large to live in, but could not find any public organisation interested in taking it on, and it fell into disrepair. For many years it belonged to the local authority, but was not open to the public. In 1977, a fire caused substantial damage, and it was only after this that a restoration project began in earnest.[10]
Margam Castle is in the care of Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council.[11] The credulous suggest it may have ghosts.[12]
Architecture
[edit]John Newman, in his Glamorgan volume in the Buildings of Wales series published in 1995, writes that "Margam has an accumulation of architecture and sculpture unparalleled in Wales".[13] The centrepiece of the estate is the castle. Thomas Hooper designed it in the Tudor Revival style, following examples at Ashridge in Hertfordshire and Dalmeny in Scotland.[13] The scale was vast, the cost was £50,000[7] and the build quality was such as "could only be afforded by the super-rich".[13]
The castle is of two-storeys, constructed in finely-cut ashlar from a quarry at nearby Pyle. Entry is through an elaborate porch, and the house is crowned by a prospect tower modelled on that at Melbury.[13] The design is highly asymmetrical with irregular gables, turrets, parapets, bay, lancet and oriel windows, groups of chimney stacks and a great deal of heraldic decoration.[7]
Margam Castle is a Grade I listed building.[7] Its service courtyard is listed Grade II*,[14] as are the terrace walls and screen,[15] while the steps in the terraced garden are listed Grade II.[16]
References
[edit]- ^ coflein NPRN: 301336. GGAT PRN: 00756w. Cadw SAM: GM162: Mynydd y Castell Camp
- ^ Newman 1995, p. 421.
- ^ Newman 1995, pp. 421–422.
- ^ "Margam House: Thomas Mansel Talbot and Penrice". Peoples Collection Wales. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
- ^ "The Orangery". Margam Country Park. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
- ^ a b Evans, Jason (2 August 2020). "Family gave its name to Port Talbot and laid industrial foundations". Wales Online.
- ^ a b c d Cadw. "Margam Castle (Grade I) (14170)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
- ^ "Margam Castle – The William Henry Fox Talbot Catalogue Raisonné Search Results". Talbot Bodleian Collection, University of Oxford. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
- ^ "Margam Castle Daguerreotype". The National Library of Wales. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
- ^ "Margam Castle". Margam Country Park. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
- ^ "Margam Castle". RCAHMW. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
- ^ Bryan, N., "Halloween: The ghosts that reside in Wales' spooky castles," BBC News,31 October 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
- ^ a b c d Newman 1995, pp. 430–431.
- ^ Cadw. "Service buildings including courtyard walls at Margam Castle (Grade II*) (23278)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
- ^ Cadw. "Terrace walls and screen at Margam Castle (Grade II*) (14163)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
- ^ Cadw. "Stone steps in terraced garden (Grade II) (23266)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
Sources
[edit]- Newman, John (1995). Glamorgan. The Buildings of Wales. London, UK: Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-300-09629-3. OCLC 1131253297.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Margam Castle at Wikimedia Commons
