Margam Castle

Margam Castle

Margam Castle is a Tudor Gothic mansion built in ashlar stone with renewed slate roofs. It comprises two storeys and attics, characterised by asymmetry—except for the west garden front—and richly detailed Gothic ornamentation. The house is arranged around an irregular courtyard with gabled bays and features a prominent octagonal tower. Architectural details include turrets, crenellated parapets above a continuous string course decorated with bosses, finials, bay windows, oriel windows, a plinth, and ornate chimney shafts arranged in groups of up to six. Heraldic emblems appear on tablets throughout. Tudor-style windows sit beneath hoodmoulds, with central transoms and varying numbers of lancet-headed lights, mostly fitted with renewed horned sash windows.

The entrance front faces north, with an advanced gabled bay right of centre containing the porch. Further left, a gateway leads into a service courtyard. The west end forms an impressive garden front overlooking the broadwalk that descends to the orangery and abbey buildings. A further garden front faces south, overlooking the deer park.

North Entrance Front

The gabled north entrance bay rises two storeys, the lower storey projecting slightly. The entrance comprises a four-centred arched doorway with several orders of mouldings beneath a hoodmould. Double wooden doors are ribbed and studded, with two tiers of lancets above the mid rail. A panel above features foiled tracery in the spandrels bearing Mansel and Talbot heraldic emblems. The apex of the arch rises to a shield with a lion motif. In the second storey sits a four-light Perpendicular window with a pointed head. Flanking octagonal turrets, highly decorated, rise to circular shafts with lattice and quatrefoil tracery beneath domed caps with finials. A four-light Tudor window is set to the east side of the entrance bay. To its right is the gable end of the west front, with a pronounced stepped chimney breast. At each stage is a panel with shields, tracery, and foliage. Four clustered shafts rise from the stack with varied decoration. Slender octagonal angle turrets rise to circular shafts with lattice and quatrefoil tracery.

To the left of the entrance bay are three bays, the central bay advanced, beyond which is a large advanced gabled bay. The east side of this bay forms the boundary of the service courtyard. The three bays have stepped gables incorporating half dormers—two-light to left and centre, three-light to right. Tablets with shields appear in the gables, and the string course forms a continuous hoodmould. The wider advanced central bay has a four-light window below the attic half dormer and a six-light bay window with hipped roof to the ground floor. A large octagonal stair turret at the right angle bears narrow lights; that to the attic is trefoiled with a triangular hoodmould and battlemented parapets rising from a corbel table. The right bay is two-window beneath the dormer, with two-, three-, and four-light windows. The left bay is one-window, each of two lights. The wide advanced gabled bay to the far left is dominated by an oriel canted bay window at first floor level, with crenellated parapets and a hipped roof. Flanking two-light windows are at ground floor level.

West Garden Front

The two-storey symmetrical west front has crenellated parapets above a string course decorated with head and foliate bosses. The elevation is well lit, the Tudor windows having cinquefoil-headed lancets. A full-height canted bay occupies the centre, flanked by semi-octagonal bays. The centre bay has three-light windows and a gable bearing a shield rising above flat-headed parapets. The semi-octagonal bays are narrower at the upper storey and have a light to each face. These bays rise above the parapets with a shield to each face, narrowing to octagonal pinnacles with traceried openings to each face beneath ogee domes. The flanking walls each have a full-height canted bay in the centre containing a three-light window, with two-light windows flanking at upper storey only. Slender octagonal angle turrets have traceried circular shafts capped with domes.

Octagonal Tower

Rising symmetrically above the central canted bay of the west front is the octagonal tower. Two stages rise above the roof line with slender octagonal turrets at each angle. Three-light windows with quarries occupy the lower stage, above which is a wide frieze with lions and shields in relief. Windows of four narrower lights sit above, surmounted by crenellated parapets with openwork tracery. The circular shafts of the angle turrets, with lattice and quatrefoil decoration, rise high above the parapets. An octagonal stair turret on the east side is plain with occasional slits. The upper level, above the tower parapets, is faced with blind trefoil-headed lancets. The parapets of the stair turret have been truncated.

South Front

The long south front is highly asymmetrical, with six bays including three advanced gabled bays, plus towers and turrets. Details include string courses at each level; bosses featuring monks' heads, Tudor roses, lions, shields, and beasts; gable finials with barley twist decoration; crenellated parapets; and windows in the same style as the west front.

To the left is the wide advanced gable end of the west front, with slender angle turrets. In its centre is a two-storey canted bay with openwork traceried parapets, three-light windows, and side lights. To the right is a three-window bay containing a central full-height canted bay with a three-light window to each storey, flanked by two-light windows to the ground floor and single-light windows above. On its right is a square stair turret, slightly advanced, with a single light window to each storey—that below with a shield beneath a raised hoodmould. At mid level is a small oriel window. Above parapet level, the turret has a blind light and a quatrefoil frieze, surmounted by a cluster of six chimney shafts.

To the right of the stair turret, the upper windows are at a lower level and there is an attic storey. Immediately to the right is a large advanced gabled bay incorporating a garden entrance to the morning room beneath a four-centred arched head with Y-tracery. A glazed door sits to each side of the central mullion with Gothic tracery. A square hoodmould with shields in the spandrels of the arch is immediately above, followed by a small decorated limestone block known as the Palladium stone. The emblem is hard to decipher but is said to confer prosperity to the building. In the storey above are two single lights with cinquefoiled heads containing four-over-four pane sashes beneath triangular hoodmoulds. An oriel canted bay window of two lights occupies the attic storey with crenellated parapets and a hipped roof. A single light window sits to its left, and a two-light window in the gable apex.

Projecting from the right angle of the advanced gabled bay is an ornate octagonal turret with single light windows to the lower storey. The storeys above become narrower with blind, mainly ogee-headed lancets. At parapet level is an ornate frieze surmounted by a polygonal shaft with openwork panels of quatrefoils beneath a domed cap.

To the right of the turret is a bay on the original alignment. A panelled half-lit door to the left—possibly a later insertion—leads into the study, with two windows to the right, all beneath a single hoodmould. Two-light windows occupy the first and attic storeys; the latter is a half-dormer with an attic frieze including a shield. To the right is a third projecting gabled bay with slender angle turrets and a shield in the gable. In the centre is a two-storey bay projecting on a corbel table with trefoiled decoration. Decorated panels are at ground floor level, and a four-light window to the first floor has a hipped roof. On the east side of this projecting bay is a three-light window to the ground floor and a two-light window to the attic.

Set back to the right and on the original alignment is a square stair tower. A two-light window occupies the ground floor and single lights the first floor and attic. The tower rises above and is slightly set back with chamfered angles. A square panel to the front bears a cinquefoil and a shield, above which are tall crenellated parapets. A small octagonal turret rises to the rear and provides access to parapet level of the tower. Recessed slightly to the right is the gable end of the kitchen range, with a large projecting decorated chimney breast and an angle turret to the right. The stack has a corbel table at parapet level and then narrows. Three shafts rise from the stack, but the central one is a bell cupola. A boundary wall to the service areas runs east from the decorated angle turret.

East Side and Service Buildings

The east side is irregular and is joined by service buildings and courtyards. However, it includes the main kitchen and other service rooms which project to the left. The left side of the kitchen is dominated by a large bay window with a hipped roof. A shield in relief rises from the centre of its eaves. The window has a central chamfered mullion flanked by three lights with two transoms and contains diagonal quarries. A boarded door to the right sits beneath a chamfered four-centred arch within a small enclosure, formerly the cook's room, with the remains of a three-light window. A two-light window with lancet heads is above, and two at attic storey. An eaves stack with two octagonal shafts is left of centre.

The north side of the kitchen is gabled with a central four-light window to the ground floor and two-light windows to the attic flanking a stack projecting on corbels. Two adjoining gabled bays to the west also have irregular two-light windows to the first floor and attic. The central gabled bay is butted by a long single storey range which runs to the north and forms a corridor to a courtyard behind, which was later converted to a billiard room. It has a porch right of centre with a cross-window to the front beneath a stepped gable with blind window containing Y-tracery. A doorway into the left side sits beneath a chamfered lancet head. Cross-windows flank the porch, and a similar three-light window is to the left. A small bay in the left angle has a hipped roof and cross-window. To the right, this corridor continues as a lean-to against a gabled bay relating to the north front. It has a hipped roof, beyond which is a square flat-roofed structure with lancet-headed doorway to the left side which forms a buttress to the main gateway to the service courtyard.

The courtyard which contained the billiard room has lean-tos to north and south. That to the south has large Tudor arched windows to the ground floor lighting service areas. Otherwise, mainly two-light windows containing sashes in square stone surrounds are present, with some cross-windows. Late 20th-century doors are to the west and north. The east wall is rendered and contains a fireplace.

Interior

The entrance hall occupies the north advanced gabled bay, leading to the main staircase hall. The stairs rise to the east into the lower part of the octagonal tower. Leading off to the west are doorways to the library and drawing room, to the south to the dining room, and east to a passage leading to the morning room, study, and service rooms.

The entrance hall has a Quarella stone fireplace in the west wall beneath a wide Tudor arch with crocketed ogee head. The mantelpiece has a blind trefoil-arched frieze and large octagonal flanking buttresses with blind arches. Oak wainscot panelling features blind Gothic arches and a billeted dado rail. A black and white marble floor uses a design taken from the Mansel coat of arms. Stained glass in the upper tracery of the window above the entrance doors depicts figures and heraldic emblems. A highly ornate ribbed and vaulted two-bay ceiling is supported on angle shafts and polygonal corbels, with two pendant ceiling roses. Down the centre are the letters CRMT. A square-headed doorway with wood panelled double doors with Gothic detail leads to the stairhall.

The square stairhall has oak wainscot panelling as in the entrance hall and square-headed openings leading off. The flagstone floor is surrounded by white marble tiles. The exceptionally fine imperial stair is of a hard pale grey stone. The first flight of stairs is retained by stone walls with blind Gothic arches. The octagonal gallery which includes the upper flights of stairs is fronted by massive full-height Tudor arches. Each has two orders of mouldings to each face, supported on triple clustered shafts with ringed capitals. The open balustrades to the stairs and gallery are in Tudor style with cinquefoil-headed ogee arches beneath heavy moulded handrails, and with square newel posts with recessed panels. Smaller Tudor arches sit within the full-height arches and beneath the balustrades. Arches supporting the gallery are supported off the side walls of the stairhall by foliate corbels. Narrow blind trefoiled arches rise from the spandrels of the full-height arches to a string course, above which are the tall windows of the stairhall. Single shafts fronting the jambs of the arches rise to support an ornate lierne-vaulted ceiling with large pendant finials and foliate bosses.

The rooms are in bare brick and stone having lost their plaster and panelling. The library retains its marble fireplace at the north end, in classical style with flat cornice bearing a foliate frieze on foliate capitals. Original windows and panelling survive in the turrets flanking the central bay windows, along with a ceiling cornice with egg and dart moulding. A doorway leads south into the drawing room. Off the south side of the stair hall is the dining room with an ogee-headed marble fireplace. Further east is the morning room with fireplace and Gothic doors, then the study with fireplaces in the east and west walls and a safe in the north wall. The small room beyond has a strong room for keeping silver plate and other valuables. The corridor around the former billiard room leads to the service rooms to the east of the main house; the kitchen has a large bay window to the east with Tudor head and relieving arch, a wide fireplace to the south with a segmental head with keystone and a stone mantelpiece, and a quarry tile floor.

At mezzanine level and facing the bottom of the staircase is a large blind Tudor archway with ogee head, three orders of mouldings, and crocketed pinnacles. On the south side of the gallery is a four-bay brick arcade, now blocked, which provided a view to one of the principle bedrooms. This room also has a pointed arched doorway with part of its stone dressing surviving. Two further main bedrooms were accessed from the west side of the first floor gallery through pointed arched doorways. A smaller bedroom on the east side of the house has a cast iron fireplace with a surround of grey-green Mumbles limestone. The arrangement of the upstairs rooms is irregular with floor levels at different heights linked by steps. Most of the floors and roof structures have been replaced, but one king post truss is retained and has two pairs of raking struts with vertical members beneath the lower struts. Evidence for light wells and spiral staircases remains. A room at the top of the main octagonal tower has a small stone ogee-headed fireplace and a panelled door, and access to the open roof.