I know of another "Red Castle" in Shropshire, Weston under Red castle, a golf course surrounds it & looks back on to the carved monks cells on the hill beside it. Old mines 2000 years plus are in the area. An early British Christian site? I was last there in 1979 I hope it remains intact.
What a thrilling discovery! A magical keep hidden for centuries. I so want to know it's history. Be sure to respect any spirits and elementals that call it home still. It looks just the sort of place they would live. Thankyou for sharing.
omg castell Coch, have climbed over every inch of that thing, crawling with spiders, but they didn't used to bother me. Used to think people meant this place in conversations, but they always meant Cardiff. My dad always took me to see these types of ruins. So many weird castles in this whole area in general just rotting away or covered in ivy. I am convinced through looking at local geology that there is something big involving minerals that they are hiding. The red soil is probably as a result of hematite and some types are priceless these days. The vain goes from at least Jersey, all the way to mumbles where that secret Roman gold mine is. My biggest question to myself this month is - why was dan yr ogof the most important site in the whole of britain to the Romans for a while? They were told to defend it at all costs according to the ifo playing on the speakers in there......but why? it's just an unexplored recently discovered cave right? The great many standing stones there are of no significance I suppose....I love getting stuck on a hard puzzle, gives life meaning :)
I love that place, glad you got to see it ross. Only just round the corner from oakwood park too. Next time your down that neck of the woods have a check out of the 'Sisters House' on the Cleddau, it's another enormous ruin in the woods.
What a fantastic place!! Just been looking online for any info.....yep strangely as with most what we look at, we have a strange fascination with promoting mostly Norman castles, with gems like this being completely ignored. Great video guys!
From my experience I would say that the interior wall that was added at a later date that splits the “castle” was probably done around the 1600’s It was probably as a result of cost of upkeep and the owners having financial difficulties. Many manor houses and lords who inherited their land and wealth were not very good at creating income and big places such as this house would have been very expensive to maintain and upkeep. Heating something of that size would have required a lot of wood etc and an easy way to reduce those costs and more easily heat the house would have been to make the rooms smaller. The reason doors were not very high in old buildings and windows got bricked up was because the bigger the doors and the more windows you had, the more the heat would escape. It would also be cheaper to maintain a building with a smaller footprint. Annexing off parts of stately homes was very common when money started running out. Often it was just a means of a bandaid and eventually the money would run out and the house would be left to fall into disrepair and rack and ruin. The lord would still have the land but they would move into a small more manageable and affordable house on the land and centuries later the impressive stately manor having been left to the elements and nature, would result in what you see now, a very impressive looking ruins
Maybe it was inherited from an older civilisation and they turned it into living quarters with the addition of that wall for a fireplace, but what it's purpose was before that who knows? Thx Ross, amazing find 👍
Amazing! It's like something from a fantasy, coming across a ruined castle in the woods. Wow. It sure has a story to tell. And if it has been ignored then you can bet it's for a reason. I think it would make a great video if you did an overnighter there. Asked questions and just observe. Take someone who is sensitive, a trained medium perhaps. Something tells me that place is very old. Perhaps iron age.
In the land to the E of the moated enclosure there were fishponds. The moat itself survives well but has been filled in at the SE corner. Nothing survives of any other buildings within the moated platform. Exterior The roofless ruin of a massive first-floor hall, about 23 m in length by 11 m wide. The masonry of the exterior walls is almost complete, apart from the loss of carved stone from doors and windows. The walls are of hammer dressed limestone informally coursed, with a thickness of about 1.5 m. The building ranges E/W, and its main entrance was in the S wall. It is unequally divided by a late cross-wall near to the E end. Much overgrown. The S elevation has a corner tower at the left. In the main (hall) storey the sequence is a lancet window at left, a tall window, a late first-floor entrance after the insertion of the cross wall, and another lancet. In the undercroft storey the sequence is a slit window at left, the main doorway to the undercroft, and another slit window.
It is a Grade II listed building and is described on listed building websites and in the Pevsner Guide. It's not really a castle, it's a ruinous medieval manor type dwelling. It's not near Carmarthen. It's not even in Carmarthenshire. It's in Pembrokeshire.
Good spot.. "Listed as an exceptionally fine industrial building in the functional tradition, imposingly situated. It survives virtually intact and includes a full working set of machinery."
That’s amazing. I guess nothing is known because the powers that be prefer it hidden. Maybe it creates a blip in their lying timelines. Check whether it’s on a leyline that would change the energy of each room.
I thought I knew every castle in Wales, and visited many of them, so this is an amazing discovery. It would be an absolutely prime site for a TIME TEAM exploration. Who owns the site would be my very first question, and would they give permission for an archaeological dig? What the heck are you waiting for???
Possibly a Priory or Friary modified before the Dissolution then lost to the ravages of time afterwards. All of the properties where divided up post dissolution but once in private hands it could be lost in an unresolved inheritance dispute.
That room without Fire places is there vents in walls to bring heat to room, Or do you think that could of been the Food Storage area to keep cool, or possibly armory storage
Looking at the stone work the best I can in the camera work it looks to be stylistically 1600s ish. The later wall looks Victorian and can be seen stylistically replicated in the great Victorian era rebuilding of a lot of parish churches. My bet that looks like a moated manor house type structure.
History A moated manor house site, probably of the C13 or C14. In 1326 the manor was deemed to be in the possessions of the See of St. David's, but in the time of James I the title of Slebech to this manor was ratified. Fenton regarded the house as probably the 'Red Castle' listed by George Owen in his MS list of Pembrokeshire castles. Fenton also refers to it as one of the earliest habitations of 'uncastellated' form. The buildings lack any dateable features, and so it cannot be assumed that the house present on the site is original or contemporary with the moat; it might be as late as the C15 or even early C16. The tall and narrow proportions of the three main windows to the hall suggest no later than the C15.
@@Knappa22 thanks for that - very helpful for those within striking distance, long way away for me. So there are two Castle Cochs? One near Cardiff, the one my dad said was a 'Folly' and the one in this video?
@@saucepanbach Yes. The one nr Cardiff is a lavish Victorian renovation of a medieval castle. This one nr Narberth isn't really a castle at all. It's the remains of a very late medieval manor house.
Alright Ross. I have watched a few of your yt videos , you have a way of simplifying which I like. Do you have a discord channel or access to,? How could I/we have a chat with you in regards to your knowledge on language and definitions of the past. I Look forward to hearing from you.. thank you.@ross
I can't find anytthing online about "The Red Castle". Not even something from fantasy. It appears that this is probably the castle of a deposed lord, someone disgraced at one time or another. What would explain the out of place wall is a more modern renovation.
My very first impression is that it might have been a folly. Is there an old estate nearby where the landowner was wealthy or eccentric enough to have constructed this as a folly? The reason I feel that it might be a folly is that it doesn't appear to be located on a defendable site nor does it strike me as being big enough for a fully functioning castle - unless it is just a fortified tower house. But the most telling aspect is that there is apparently no recorded history of the place.
I know of another "Red Castle" in Shropshire, Weston under Red castle, a golf course surrounds it & looks back on to the carved monks cells on the hill beside it. Old mines 2000 years plus are in the area. An early British Christian site? I was last there in 1979 I hope it remains intact.
What a thrilling discovery! A magical keep hidden for centuries. I so want to know it's history. Be sure to respect any spirits and elementals that call it home still. It looks just the sort of place they would live. Thankyou for sharing.
It is known as the 'Red Castle'. It is in fact the ruins of a fourteenth century manner house and is situated to the south west of Narbeth.
omg castell Coch, have climbed over every inch of that thing, crawling with spiders, but they didn't used to bother me. Used to think people meant this place in conversations, but they always meant Cardiff. My dad always took me to see these types of ruins. So many weird castles in this whole area in general just rotting away or covered in ivy. I am convinced through looking at local geology that there is something big involving minerals that they are hiding. The red soil is probably as a result of hematite and some types are priceless these days. The vain goes from at least Jersey, all the way to mumbles where that secret Roman gold mine is. My biggest question to myself this month is - why was dan yr ogof the most important site in the whole of britain to the Romans for a while? They were told to defend it at all costs according to the ifo playing on the speakers in there......but why? it's just an unexplored recently discovered cave right? The great many standing stones there are of no significance I suppose....I love getting stuck on a hard puzzle, gives life meaning :)
That castle isn't anywhere near Carmarthen. Its in Canaston wood near Narberth
I love that place, glad you got to see it ross. Only just round the corner from oakwood park too. Next time your down that neck of the woods have a check out of the 'Sisters House' on the Cleddau, it's another enormous ruin in the woods.
What a fantastic place!! Just been looking online for any info.....yep strangely as with most what we look at, we have a strange fascination with promoting mostly Norman castles, with gems like this being completely ignored. Great video guys!
From my experience I would say that the interior wall that was added at a later date that splits the “castle” was probably done around the 1600’s
It was probably as a result of cost of upkeep and the owners having financial difficulties. Many manor houses and lords who inherited their land and wealth were not very good at creating income and big places such as this house would have been very expensive to maintain and upkeep. Heating something of that size would have required a lot of wood etc and an easy way to reduce those costs and more easily heat the house would have been to make the rooms smaller.
The reason doors were not very high in old buildings and windows got bricked up was because the bigger the doors and the more windows you had, the more the heat would escape.
It would also be cheaper to maintain a building with a smaller footprint. Annexing off parts of stately homes was very common when money started running out. Often it was just a means of a bandaid and eventually the money would run out and the house would be left to fall into disrepair and rack and ruin. The lord would still have the land but they would move into a small more manageable and affordable house on the land and centuries later the impressive stately manor having been left to the elements and nature, would result in what you see now, a very impressive looking ruins
Amazing discovery! The 'chimney' wall may well have been added later to replace an open hearth as you suggested Ross.
Wow. Beautiful place.
Wow, I bet there’s not many castles out there like this one! Amazing find 👌
This is amazing.
Maybe it was inherited from an older civilisation and they turned it into living quarters with the addition of that wall for a fireplace, but what it's purpose was before that who knows? Thx Ross, amazing find 👍
Wow I’ve got to visit - Stevie boy we have to
that is soooo cool!
It would be very interesting to have a group of remote viewers to see what the castle was and the details of its history that can be seen that way.
Love it
Amazing! It's like something from a fantasy, coming across a ruined castle in the woods. Wow. It sure has a story to tell. And if it has been ignored then you can bet it's for a reason. I think it would make a great video if you did an overnighter there. Asked questions and just observe. Take someone who is sensitive, a trained medium perhaps. Something tells me that place is very old. Perhaps iron age.
I think the building goes further underground. The downstair windows are very low and arch doorways look like they should be much higher.
Interesting idea. That would be good to look into.
She's right I couldn't find any pictures or history just looking quickly
In the land to the E of the moated enclosure there were fishponds. The moat itself survives well but has been filled in at the SE corner. Nothing survives of any other buildings within the moated platform.
Exterior
The roofless ruin of a massive first-floor hall, about 23 m in length by 11 m wide. The masonry of the exterior walls is almost complete, apart from the loss of carved stone from doors and windows. The walls are of hammer dressed limestone informally coursed, with a thickness of about 1.5 m. The building ranges E/W, and its main entrance was in the S wall. It is unequally divided by a late cross-wall near to the E end. Much overgrown.
The S elevation has a corner tower at the left. In the main (hall) storey the sequence is a lancet window at left, a tall window, a late first-floor entrance after the insertion of the cross wall, and another lancet. In the undercroft storey the sequence is a slit window at left, the main doorway to the undercroft, and another slit window.
Possibly a room for the livestock. They wouldn’t need heating.
Exactly!
It is a Grade II listed building and is described on listed building websites and in the Pevsner Guide.
It's not really a castle, it's a ruinous medieval manor type dwelling. It's not near Carmarthen. It's not even in Carmarthenshire. It's in Pembrokeshire.
Is it Castell Coch, Martletwy?
Good spot.. "Listed as an exceptionally fine industrial building in the functional tradition, imposingly situated. It survives virtually intact and includes a full working set of machinery."
That’s amazing. I guess nothing is known because the powers that be prefer it hidden. Maybe it creates a blip in their lying timelines.
Check whether it’s on a leyline that would change the energy of each room.
I thought I knew every castle in Wales, and visited many of them, so this is an amazing discovery. It would be an absolutely prime site for a TIME TEAM exploration. Who owns the site would be my very first question, and would they give permission for an archaeological dig?
What the heck are you waiting for???
try having a look at candleston castle in Merthyr Mawr nr Bridgend Wales and COITY castle in COITY village nr Bridgend too.
I've been there m8 very interesting place part of a bigger shore line defence
Possibly a Priory or Friary modified before the Dissolution then lost to the ravages of time afterwards. All of the properties where divided up post dissolution but once in private hands it could be lost in an unresolved inheritance dispute.
That room without Fire places is there vents in walls to bring heat to room,
Or do you think that could of been the Food Storage area to keep cool,
or possibly armory storage
Any clue to its location so I can try and do some research, the title says near Carmarthen but can you narrow it down 😁
Right next to the Bluestone resort, on the right as you look at the map.
Looking at the stone work the best I can in the camera work it looks to be stylistically 1600s ish. The later wall looks Victorian and can be seen stylistically replicated in the great Victorian era rebuilding of a lot of parish churches. My bet that looks like a moated manor house type structure.
Doesn't the way the spiral staircase go denote its age? pre 13th century they went up anti-clockwise I believe. I may be wrong though.
And they say all castles in Wales are Norman!
History
A moated manor house site, probably of the C13 or C14. In 1326 the manor was deemed to be in the possessions of the See of St. David's, but in the time of James I the title of Slebech to this manor was ratified. Fenton regarded the house as probably the 'Red Castle' listed by George Owen in his MS list of Pembrokeshire castles. Fenton also refers to it as one of the earliest habitations of 'uncastellated' form. The buildings lack any dateable features, and so it cannot be assumed that the house present on the site is original or contemporary with the moat; it might be as late as the C15 or even early C16. The tall and narrow proportions of the three main windows to the hall suggest no later than the C15.
on no map yet there it is. Enchanted perhaps.
It is literally on the Ordnance Survey map, titled Castell Coch (remains of). Grid Ref. SN07175 13649
@@Knappa22 thanks for that - very helpful for those within striking distance, long way away for me. So there are two Castle Cochs? One near Cardiff, the one my dad said was a 'Folly' and the one in this video?
@@saucepanbach Yes. The one nr Cardiff is a lavish Victorian renovation of a medieval castle. This one nr Narberth isn't really a castle at all. It's the remains of a very late medieval manor house.
@@Knappa22 much appreciated. I remember watching the video with a sense of wonder that I'm glad I still have. Good to also have a few facts. Cheers.
Alright Ross. I have watched a few of your yt videos , you have a way of simplifying which I like. Do you have a discord channel or access to,? How could I/we have a chat with you in regards to your knowledge on language and definitions of the past. I Look forward to hearing from you.. thank you.@ross
I live and work in carmarthen and have never heard of this
The video heading is misleading. It's by Bluestone and Caneston woods, rather than near Carmarthen.
The addition is likely a stable for horses.
Hardly a discovery. Look it up on the CADW site. It is a scheduled monument.
A medieval manor house.
Do you know if it's being preserved, it being a scheduled monument? It doesn't look like it is
at 10.24 in the video you can see a snall hole in the wall circular
How romantic! What a wonderful find. How do we keep it safe?
how old is it
I can't find anytthing online about "The Red Castle". Not even something from fantasy. It appears that this is probably the castle of a deposed lord, someone disgraced at one time or another. What would explain the out of place wall is a more modern renovation.
Would love to metal detect this place! 😀
Diddorol iawn, diolch
Not lidar. Ground penetrating radar.
Enigmatic!
My very first impression is that it might have been a folly. Is there an old estate nearby where the landowner was wealthy or eccentric enough to have constructed this as a folly? The reason I feel that it might be a folly is that it doesn't appear to be located on a defendable site nor does it strike me as being big enough for a fully functioning castle - unless it is just a fortified tower house. But the most telling aspect is that there is apparently no recorded history of the place.
What the.... how can so little be known about this place?.. need to find out more If not defensive it must've been for royalty?
A lot is known about the place. It is described on listed building registry, Pevsner Guide etc.
@@Knappa22 Great, thanks for updating. Have a look at the blue books playlist I mentioned
@@Knappa22 have you read Holy Kingdom by Adrian Gilbert?
@@Knappa22 I'd recommend it - it's well written , available from a certain online retailer