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Powis Castle (Powys)
by SWSt
Powis Castle is a medieval castle in mid-Wales. Over the centuries it has slowly been modified from a fortified castle into a family home. It now contains a fine collection of artifacts from all periods of its history, as well as a separate museum dedicated to Clive of India and displaying an impressive array of items relating to that ... country.
Getting There
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Powis Castle is very easy to find. It sits just outside Welshpool and Newtown and is well signed with the usual brown signs. There is a huge, free car park located just outside the castle itself, so even on busy days, parking should not be an issue.
The Castle
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The castle is an imposing sight. It sits high on a hill overlooking the countryside and you can see what a statement of power it would have been in medieval times. For modern day tourists, though, it offers impressive views over Welshpool and the surrounding area.
The property is entered by way of a huge stone gateway that opens out into a beautiful courtyard. This is surrounded on all sides by buildings which once again act as a reminder of the power and influence of the people who lived there. Today, it's a lovely place to sit and admire the surroundings (particularly on a hot summer's day as it was when we visited) or to make acquaintance with the peacocks that roam freely in this area.
The interiors are no less impressive, with a huge number of rooms open to the public. Each room has been sympathetically maintained in terms of furniture and décor so that each room reflects the castle's changing history and function. It also gives a sense of how have fashions changed over the centuries. Some of the furnishings are Elizabethan or Jacobean (durable, practical pieces of wooden furniture); other exhibits date from Georgian times and are more elaborate and ornate.
Much of the original structure still survives, so you get a real sense of what it would have been like to live there. Most impressive is the wood paneled Elizabethan Long Gallery which is simply stunning. Many of the other rooms are just as impressive in a different way and Mrs. SWSt and I spent a lot of time just wandering around and browsing.
For the most part, Powis Castle provided excellent information on the history and content of each room. Individual rooms had specific information sheet (usually around 2 sides of A4) and these were well written and interesting; giving just enough detail to tell you what you needed to know without getting too bogged down in minutiae. Each room also had a room guide who could tell you more, although these were a bit of a mixed bag. Some were fine and knew their stuff; others admitted that they didn't normally work in that room and so knew little more than was on the information sheets. A few were downright bonkers! This included one guide who insisted on following you round and reading the exhibit labels to you and practically chased one poor young harassed family across a room to make sure their children didn't miss one particular exhibit! On the whole, the room guides were perhaps a little more intrusive than we personally hold have liked.
One thing that we did find mildly annoying was the labelling on the furniture. Rather than saying things like "this table dates from 1762" they read "I am a 230 year old table". Aside from the fact that you had to do a quick bit of mental maths to work out when it was made, it also wasn't a true reflection of the item's true age (do they really go around every year and change all the labels?) or tell you anything about its history.
Clive Museum
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On exiting the main house, you can also visit the Clive Museum dedicated to Clive of India. This houses a whole range of treasures and artifacts from India, including entire costumes and an impressive collection of swords and daggers. This was interesting, although sometimes a little difficult to browse. Large numbers of artifacts were often crammed into and this could be overwhelming. Many of the labels were also handwritten in a script which, together with the lighting could make them tricky to read.
Formal Gardens
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Once have done the house and museum, it's nice to take a walk around the formal gardens, complete with maze and croquet lawn. Formal gardens are not normally my thing, and Mrs. SWSt can often be seen dragging a reluctant husband behind her, whilst she utters some incomprehensible thing like "Oh look! They have some 'Anaxyprobia Perisillinium'. We have that in our garden". To which, of course, I reply in the way only a perpetually plant challenged husband can: with the words "Do we, dear?" Still, even I had to admit that the variety of plants was incredible and on a summers day it makes for a pleasant walk. A word of warning though: since the gardens are tiered, the bottom level is quite significantly below the house and it's quite a steep climb back up to the top.
Facilities
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For such a large place, the facilities were rather disappointing, particularly when it came to eating and drinking. Although there are two cafe/restaurants, these do not appear to be terribly well stocked. Mrs. SWSt and I went shortly after 2pm with the plan of getting a light snack, but on entering the main one a sign told us that hot food was only available during very limited hours (something like 12-2pm). Then when we tried to buy a sandwich, we discovered they had none left and were not planning on making any more. It was the same story at the second cafe in the gardens.
Cost
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Pricing varies considerably, since you can choose to visit everything or just pay for access to the main house, the gardens or the Clive Museum. If you want to do the whole lot, it's £11.80 (£5.90 for children). This might seem like a lot but there is a huge amount to see and it does offer reasonable value for money. We spent well over 3 hours there and even then could happily have wandered around for a bit longer had time permitted.
Overall
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Whilst it might not be as famous as some other Welsh castles, this is a real gem and if you find yourself in the area, you should definitely visit.
Basic Information
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Powis Castle
Welshpool
SY21 8Rf
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/powis-castle/
(c) copyright SWSt 2013
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Montgomery Castle Ruins (Montgomery, Powys)
by Mummy_to_2
Montgomery castle is located above the small village of Montgomery close to the England/Wales border, 8 miles from Welshpool.
Built in 1223 (to replace the original 1071 fortress) by Henry III and then Hubert de Burge from 1228, it went on to become a meeting place for the welsh prince's. Most famous of these being Llewellyn ap ... Gruffydd, who was also proclaimed 1st Prince of Wales by Henry III actually in the castle. It was owned throughout the centuries by many families including the Mortimer's. The castle was eventually destroyed on the orders of Oliver Cromwell after the Civil War.
***VISITING INFO***
The Castle is now owned and maintained by CADW.
It is *free* to all to enter all year round, but only assistance dogs are allowed, it is also a non-smoking site.
There are no toilets here the closest being in the town centre. There is also no 'shop'.
There is a small (also free) car-park a short walk from the castle.
To walk to the castle from Montgomery centre you have to walk up the steep hill to it (we drove!!) although it seems like a nice walk as there are also walking paths crossing through it.
I would also say that being a castle ruin some parts are not very wheel/pushchair friendly and it can be a bit of a bumpy ride!!
WARNING - There are no barriers on the walls (and it's a big drop) so it's not recommended to lean over to much or let the kids stand on them!!!!
***A PICNIC AT THE CASTLE***
We had decided to go on a whim, having three children bored at home with 'nothing' to do, as we only live about 8 miles away we decided to go for a picnic there as something a little different!
Like I said we drove there and had no problem parking, the path up to the castle is flat enough for a pushchair and no overly over grown. Upon turning the last corner to be greeted by the castle and you can appreciate the position it is in, you can see for miles from up there, the scenery is amazing!!!
To access the castle you have to walk over a modern wooden bridge, and it is deceptively high as well, again this quite bumpy due to the metal wiring like layer to stop slips.
Although it is a ruin and it is hard to imagine it as a castle and to even have roofs, CADW have put up plaques stating which room is which and the function etc. There is still the well/dungeon, which I'm sure was my son's favourite part!! There is also the main hall, guard rooms etc - make sure to check out the grooves which held the portcullis too, it added to the image of the castle when it was standing.
(From the top of the ramparts it is also possible (on a clear day) to see the Roman road that runs through here, although not in tar not stone)
Coming out of the castle you can walk down and around to the 'gardens' and the through the original moat, all around here are huge piles of masonry from the castle, which gives the ruin an atmosphere!! While we were walking around the bottom of the castle you realise how big and tall it actually is which is huge!!
After all this walking we picked a spot in the middle of what would have been said moat and set up the picnic, needless to say my two eldest loved running around and pretending to swordplay.
Eventually, after one last walk and photos, we decided to head home, we were there for around 2 hours and the children loved being there in the fresh air.
To me it is a free trip out, getting the children out and enjoying something different.
I would definitely recommend a visit if your in the area!
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Chirk Castle (Wales)
by nodbod1
Chirk Castle is run by the national trust. It's a wonderful castle that was used as a family home for 400 years. The building itself is very old; completed in 1310.
The inside of the property is very grand and has been really well maintained. They have to control the light levels to preserve the materials but it isn't anywhere ... near as dark as nearby Erddig House. You can wander round on your own or opt for a guided tour.
It also has a lovely garden and parkland for nature walks.
There's lots of fun things for kids, toy trackers to play on, a playground, a den building area, suits of armour to try on as well as animals to see in the grounds plus regular special events.
Unfortunately unlike most other national trust properties, it doesn't have a restaurant although it does have a tea shop and a kiosk for snacks. Erdigg House (also National Trust owned) is not far away and whilst the property isn't as great as Chirk Castle, it does have a good restaurant if you're after a full meal - obviously this is best for NT members whereby it's free entrance anyway. Entrance to Chirk Castle is £9 for adults but i'd highly recommend membership, it's best value if you join online rather than at the property; you can visit properties immediately because they e mail a temporary membership pass.
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