Pennard Castle

Pennard castle enjoys a dramatic location on the eastern cliff side of the beautiful Three Cliffs Bay. Access is either by the footpath around the perimeter of the Golf Course or a walk through the valley from the village of Parkmill. It is not possible to park anywhere near the castle as it is some distance from any road.

The old village of Pennard was located near the site of the castle which was a rudimentary construction of timber protected by a ditch. This early Norman structure was replaced in the thirteenth century by a more elaborate stone structure complete with two storey twin gate towers, and a wooden gateway and portcullis. Inside the stone wall a single storey building contained the Great Hall and adjoining rooms.

By the mid seventeenth century as a result of continuous sand encroachment and an almost magical overnight sandstorm the old village of Pennard was buried and the castle reduced to ruins we now see today.

The castle was excavated in 1961 and this exposed part of the castle’s Great Hall. A stump of the old church wall is all that remains of the lost village of Old Pennard.

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