I had a day off yesterday and decided to spend it soaking up some local history. As already mentioned elsewhere in this blog Monmouthshire is a castle-rich environment, so there’s always somewhere interesting to visit as far as I’m concerned.
Yesterday’s outing took me towards the northern boundary of the county as I worked my way around the three castles that once protected the main route into South Wales.
I began my day at White Castle, Llantillio Crosseny.
White Castle, a stone built castle, gets its name from the white render that once covered its outer walls.
This little known castle is a huge construction and must have been extremely impressive in its heyday.
White Castle is one of the few castles I’ve ever seen that is double-moated, so as a stronghold it would have been fairly impregnable in the days before gunpowder.
My second port of call was to Skenfrith Castle, which along with White Castle and Grosmont Castle formed the triangle of power.
Skenfrith is approximately 6 miles to the east of White Castle and stands on a flat plain beside the bank of the River Monnow.
Recent excavations revealed a medieval wharf, indicating the castle was probably supplied by barge. The water level in the river currently suggests the Monnow was more free-flowing then than now.
The central keep has an unusual base in as much as it has been surrounded by earth, giving it the false appearance that it was constructed on a mound. In fact the keep has a basement level below ground, the earth having been heaped above this level.
If you imagine an equilateral triangle with White Castle and Skenfrith forming the base, then Grosmont can be imagined as the upper angle.
Grosmont, approximately 4.5 miles from Skenfrith and 4 miles from White Castle, is probably my favourite Monmouthshire castle.
I’m not sure I can accurately tell you why I like Grosmont so much, I just find it fascinating.
The three castles were granted to Edmund ‘Crouchback’, earl of Lancaster in 1267 and although at that time all three were maintained only Grosmont was used as a home.
In the 14th century the Lancasters remodelled the inner ward to make accommodation more fitting for a noble household.
By the 16th century all three castles had been abandoned.
For more information about these and other castles in Britain, why not visit CastleXplorer...
As usual, clicking any of these images will afford a larger view in a pop-up window.
EthelRed
True! And I get very confused because I have Welsh, English and Maltese heritage! 
I think my favourite photos are the ones of White Castle showing the moat and the various ones looking through windows and archways.
Grosmont looks a bit eerie somehow. Wonder how photos of it would look on a cloudy / misty day.