Old Beaupre Castle

Old Beaupre Castle is a Grade I listed building constructed of coursed lias limestone rubble with dressings in Sutton stone and Bathstone. The castle is now roofless and largely floorless, representing three distinct phases of construction from the 16th and early 17th centuries.

The site is approached from the northwest via an outer court enclosed by low rubble walls. The formerly crenellated gatehouse and curtain wall, now ruinous, enclose the Middle Court dating from around 1586. The gatehouse rises two and a half storeys and features a dressed four-centred stone doorway flanked by fluted Ionic pilasters. Above the doorway is the Bassett coat of arms, flanked by balusters bearing the initials "R.B, C.B / 1586 / RB" and the motto "Gwell angay na chwilydd" (Better death than dishonour). Two three-light, square-headed mullioned windows with stone mullions occupy the upper storeys, with fragments of a smaller three-light window centrally placed above them.

The southern side of the Middle Court is unfenestrated and links the gatehouse to the main hall range to the south and east. On the west side of the Middle Court stands a three-storey range dating from around 1540, displaying three stacked four-light mullioned windows centrally positioned on the courtyard elevation. Beneath these windows is a former grand stairwell that provided access to the Great Chamber to the south and a further large chamber to the north.

The south wing is a tall two-storey range dominated by a magnificent full-height, three-storey late Renaissance porch inscribed with the date 1600. This porch is comparable to the frontispieces of other Elizabethan and Jacobean Prodigy Houses such as Kirby Hall in Northamptonshire. It is flanked by a pair of fluted pilasters standing on plinths of diminishing scale, with corresponding Doric capitals at ground floor level, Ionic capitals at first floor, and Corinthian capitals at second floor. At first floor level, the Bassett coat of arms with family motto and an inscription commemorating Richard Bassett and the construction of the porch in 1600 are surmounted by scrolled and pierced strapwork set between the pilasters. The ground floor features a four-centred doorway with arabesques to the spandrels, with columns to either side formerly sitting on plinths bearing raised lozenges. The entablature displays alternating paterae and bucrania within the metopes. The second floor contains an eight-light mullion and transom window with a strapwork pediment above, flanked by engaged pilasters enriched with strapwork and a modillion cornice with finial. Side-lights open at first and second floor levels.

The south range is four bays wide, roofless and floorless except for a modern floor at the east end. The north side is lit by two three-light, square-headed mullioned windows stacked one above the other at the east end. The south elevation of the projecting wing at the east end features a three-light, square-headed window with a doorway to the east connecting a high-level walkway to this wing. Above a corbel table is a two-light window in the gable. The south elevation of the west range rises four storeys and is roofless, with six pairs of two-light windows above a narrow four-centred doorway at the north end. In the centre are three sets of four-light windows with a wide four-centred doorway at ground floor level and two square-headed stairlights at the far north end. The south elevation of the south range is three storeys high and roofless, retaining some mullioned windows at the east end, though those at the north end have been lost, leaving empty openings.

The castle survives largely as a ruin with some fireplaces and staircases remaining, particularly in the outer gatehouse and the southeast wing. Of particular note is the use of complexly moulded door surrounds with hourglass and thistle stops, which are unusual within the Vale. A small fragment of decorative plasterwork survives within the roofed section of the southeast range, depicting a large Tudor rose and lion rampant. The substantial Great Hall fireplace remains in the south range with armorial shields carved upon the lintel. Full details of the interior and exterior are documented within the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales Inventory.