Pencoed Castle Gatehouse

The roofless three storey gatehouse is probably contemporary with the castle. Rectangular in plan with two projecting octagonal turrets on W side, containing continuous staircase to N and latrines (?) to the S. The gatehouse is constructed of large roughly coursed sandstone blocks, while the turrets are mainly of thin sandstone slabs, all with fine ashlar quoins of yellow sandstone. Roofless. The carriageway crosses the moat by a small masonry bridge and enters the courtyard through the tunnel vaulted ground floor of the gatehouse. The doorways at front and rear are round-headed and have moulded stone dressings, probably C16, matching the rectangular windows with hoods and arch-headed lights which seem to have been inserted into the central part of the gatehouse and built into the turrets. On the rear (E) facing the castle is a large, oblong opening with dressed jambs and voussoired arch. The second floor window has lost its head. On the front (W) elevation there is an oblong window to ground floor and a two-light window to second floor with chamfered mullion, sunk spandrels, flat hoodmould under voussoired arch. The turrets both have single-light square windows with flat hoodmoulds and simple label stops. On the ground floor to the left hand side is a lean-to (possibly modern, but on the site of an earlier guardroom).