A moated Norman stronghold in the Monmouthshire hills, one of the "Three Castles" that held this stretch of the March
Open to visitorscheck opening times and admission before you go
Substantial ruinsruined, but plenty survives above ground
White Castle is the largest and best-preserved of the Three Castles — with Skenfrith and Grosmont — a trio held together to control this corner of the Welsh March, the borderland the Normans fought over. It was given its name for the white plaster that once coated the walls, traces of which still cling to the stone. A wide water-filled moat still rings the site, crossed by a bridge to the twin-towered gatehouse and on into the courtyard inside the curtain wall (the outer wall enclosing it). Much of the stonework went up in the thirteenth century, as a working fortress rather than a home, and it never saw a great siege. Cadw looks after it. The castle stands high in quiet farmland above Llantilio Crossenny; Offa’s Dyke Path runs close by on its way along the border, and the market town of Abergavenny is a few miles south-west.
