Council to sell 'haunted' castle for £5,000
Publisher: Jon Land
Published: 08/03/2006
Haunted: Llantwit Major Castle, Wales, UK.
Wales (and, therefore, Britain) has more castles than any other country in Europe. It is known as "The Land of Castles."
A "haunted" Elizabethan castle could be snapped up for the princely sum of £5,000 after being put up for sale by a council.
The ivy-covered ruins of Llantwit Major Castle or "Old Place" in Llantwit Major, South Wales, will go under the hammer on April 3 at the Vale of Glamorgan Hotel.
Bidders are being invited to become king of the castle at a guide price of between £5,000 and £15,000.
The roofless listed building is being sold by the Vale of Glamorgan Council.
A Welsh Assembly Government spokeswoman said that the castle was built in 1596 by Griffith Williams of Candleston for his son-in-law, Edmund Van.
It was apparently a single-pile house originally, and given the forward wings, rear stair-tower and forecourt walls soon after 1600.
"It remained with the same family until 1694 but was abandoned as a house in the early eighteenth century and fell into ruins," she said.
"The interior had been fully dismantled by 1834. By today the structure is a roofless and overgrown ruin of the former half H-shaped house built of coursed white limestone with neatly squared corners."
The castle is a scheduled ancient monument (SAM) and grade II listed building.
"As such, the castle is protected by law and its owner would need to apply for Scheduled Monument Consent (SMC) from the Welsh Assembly government before undertaking any works," the spokeswoman said.
"The consent is usually accompanied by a number of conditions.
"It may, for example, stipulate the building material to be used, or prescribe the way in which work must be done."
She said that certain works may have to be supervised by an archaeologist, and the work must be inspected by Assembly government staff.
The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 provides the legislative framework for the protection of ancient monuments.
Before an application for SMC is determined, comments are sought from the local authority, the Council for British Archaeology, the regional Archaeological , and the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales.
The Assembly spokeswoman said officials from Welsh historic monument body Cadw would be happy to advise any new owner on help available to conserve the structure.
Local historian Elwyn Gibbs, 80, told the Western Mail newspaper that the building was reputed to be "haunted" by a Dutch man.
Copyright Press Association 2006.
24dash.com
-----------------------------
According to a vote done on "The Great Castles of Wales" website, these are the 6 "Most Powerful" Welsh castles -
1) Pembroke Castle
2) Caerphilly Castle
3) Beaumaris Castle
4) Conwy Castle
5) Caernarfon Castle
6) Harlech Castle
greatcastlesofwales.co.uk
Publisher: Jon Land
Published: 08/03/2006
Haunted: Llantwit Major Castle, Wales, UK.
Wales (and, therefore, Britain) has more castles than any other country in Europe. It is known as "The Land of Castles."
A "haunted" Elizabethan castle could be snapped up for the princely sum of £5,000 after being put up for sale by a council.
The ivy-covered ruins of Llantwit Major Castle or "Old Place" in Llantwit Major, South Wales, will go under the hammer on April 3 at the Vale of Glamorgan Hotel.
Bidders are being invited to become king of the castle at a guide price of between £5,000 and £15,000.
The roofless listed building is being sold by the Vale of Glamorgan Council.
A Welsh Assembly Government spokeswoman said that the castle was built in 1596 by Griffith Williams of Candleston for his son-in-law, Edmund Van.
It was apparently a single-pile house originally, and given the forward wings, rear stair-tower and forecourt walls soon after 1600.
"It remained with the same family until 1694 but was abandoned as a house in the early eighteenth century and fell into ruins," she said.
"The interior had been fully dismantled by 1834. By today the structure is a roofless and overgrown ruin of the former half H-shaped house built of coursed white limestone with neatly squared corners."
The castle is a scheduled ancient monument (SAM) and grade II listed building.
"As such, the castle is protected by law and its owner would need to apply for Scheduled Monument Consent (SMC) from the Welsh Assembly government before undertaking any works," the spokeswoman said.
"The consent is usually accompanied by a number of conditions.
"It may, for example, stipulate the building material to be used, or prescribe the way in which work must be done."
She said that certain works may have to be supervised by an archaeologist, and the work must be inspected by Assembly government staff.
The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 provides the legislative framework for the protection of ancient monuments.
Before an application for SMC is determined, comments are sought from the local authority, the Council for British Archaeology, the regional Archaeological , and the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales.
The Assembly spokeswoman said officials from Welsh historic monument body Cadw would be happy to advise any new owner on help available to conserve the structure.
Local historian Elwyn Gibbs, 80, told the Western Mail newspaper that the building was reputed to be "haunted" by a Dutch man.
Copyright Press Association 2006.
24dash.com
-----------------------------
According to a vote done on "The Great Castles of Wales" website, these are the 6 "Most Powerful" Welsh castles -
1) Pembroke Castle
2) Caerphilly Castle
3) Beaumaris Castle
4) Conwy Castle
5) Caernarfon Castle
6) Harlech Castle
greatcastlesofwales.co.uk
