Ruperra Castle

Ruperra Castle is a ruined, large three-storey house, dating from the 17th century, roughly square in plan with five-bay elevations set between round towers at the corners. The exterior walls are roughly textured with brick and stone showing through, and have embattled parapets along the top. The main entrance is on the south side and features three-light stepped mullioned windows; these decrease in height with each upper storey and are topped with hood moulds that form a continuous string course in the middle storey. A central, two-storey porch made of ashlar in Bath stone stands before the entrance, although the carved details are eroded. The round-headed doorway is flanked by shell-headed niches and surmounted by shallow strapwork, friezes, and a cornice. This cornice extends upwards into broken pediments on either side, above heraldic achievements: the arms of the Earls of Pembroke to the left and the Morgans to the right. Damaged figures of putti are on corbels beyond these. Above the cornice, a centrally placed aedicule features Ionic columns, a broken pediment, acroteria, and a Royal Arms - likely those of Charles I. The upper storey has a similarly stepped mullioned window, and an open balustrade.

The towers have two-light mullioned windows with hood moulds that also act as string courses. Part of the southeast tower collapsed in 1982. The east and west elevations have stepped mullioned window arrangements similar to the south wall, except for two bays of smaller two-light windows located between the central and outer bays. A porch was added to the east elevation around 1909. The west elevation also has a porch, added around 1909 and now overgrown. The north elevation has four storeys of windows, with a central bay of three-light windows flanked by two bays of two-light windows and a basement doorway on the east side.

The castle was not inspected during the survey. According to RCAHM Wales, it retains few original features. The main hall was located on the first floor east of the porch, and two dressed stone doorways at that level remain, which were part of the screens passage. In the lower storey, a kitchen on the north side includes a fireplace with moulded jambs and a segmental head, and two doorways with similar mouldings lead to an inner kitchen and pantry.