Oystermouth Castle

Castle Avenue, Mumbles, Swansea, SA3 4BA, Wales Phone: +44 1792 369233

About

Oystermouth Castle is currently closed for the season. Look out for special events through the autumn and winter though.

The castle will re-open in April 2014.

Opening hours: April - September: 11am - 5pm

With stunning views over Mumbles, Oystermouth Castle sits majestically on the hill overlooking Swansea Bay. It's looking especially good these days thanks to a recent facelift. A massive amount of work has taken place to stitch the castle structure back together making it safe and sustainable for the foreseeable future. Earth has been dug under the expert eye of Glamorgan Gwent archaeologists to expose private staircases leading from vaults to previous banqueting halls. Staircases have been lightened by lime washing walls, and made safe with rope handrails. Views that have been hidden away for centuries have been revealed thanks to a 30 foot high glass bridge; ancient graffiti art from the 14th century can be spotted if you're close enough, and access to the castle has been dramatically improved. A whole maze of rooms have been made safe and accessible. History Used as the residence of the Marcher Lords of Gower it was frequently under attack from the local Welsh. In the twelfth century the castle was mainly owned by the first Earl of Warwick and his family. In 1203 the lordship of Gower was given to the de Breos family who ruled until the 1320s when it passed into the hands of the de Mowbray's via Alina de Breos who married John de Mowbray. The de Mowbrays lost Gower to the Beauchamps for some time due to a legal decision and in 1461 it passed to the Herberts, the Somersets and then to the Dukes of Beaufort who held it until 1927 when it was transferred to Swansea Corporation. Currently it is the responsibility of the Swansea City Council and supervised by the Friends of Oystermouth Castle.