St Briavels Castle And Curtain Wall

The remains of St Briavels Castle and its curtain wall, now a Youth Hostel, primarily date to the early 13th century, with construction occurring around 1292-93. Later modifications were made, particularly in the 19th and 20th centuries. The castle is constructed mainly of coursed sandstone, with stone slate roofs. The surviving fabric includes a three-storey gatehouse from the late 13th century, featuring two D-shaped towers flanking a crenellated main entrance that once spanned a moat, now dry. Immediately behind the gatehouse is a hall range, with a restructured 19th-century facade, and a late 13th-century cross wing containing a chapel. These elements are situated within the northwest corner of a roughly oval curtain wall, which is broken in several places and sits upon a raised mound with a former moat.

The gatehouse is arranged over three storeys and a basement, with a glacis at the base of the towers. The left side has five 2-light casements, likely from the 19th or 20th century, with transoms. The right side has one similar casement and a single arrow slit, along with three small single-light windows. The central entrance features a segmental pointed arch in three orders. The return face to the right includes four arrow slits and three 2-light casements, one with a transom. A two-storey block with a crenellated top has 19th-century windows, including two 3-light and one 2-light casements with transoms, over another 3-light and two 2-light casements without transoms. This block progresses to a gable with a decorative octagonal chimneystack including trefoil heads, crocketed gables, and a small spire above a 2-light casement with a transom. A lofty 19th-century door completes the facade.

The interior of the west tower reveals a heavily detailed carpenter’s staircase on the first floor, a hooded 13th-century fireplace, oak plank flooring, and deep embrasured openings. A current dining room contains a fireplace with a moulded overmantel beneath a blocked arch, and a small window in a deep embrasure. A large hooded 13th or 14th-century fireplace is located on the first floor of the northwest tower. The chapel, now a games room, has a heavy, three-bay roof, a double-chamfered door, and an original piscina. It includes a 3-light stone casement with a heavy transom, albeit lacking tracery from its pointed head, and a similar window in a room known as King John’s bedroom. King John's bedroom features an unusually heavy overmantel on three shafts with carved caps that do not match the shafting.

The castle is a very impressive remnant, prominently sited opposite the Church of St Mary.